Toby Alderweireld has told talkSPORT that people are surprised when he names Mousa Dembele as the best player he’s played with.The retired Tottenham and Belgium defender shared a dressing room with the 39-year-old for both club and country across his career.Alderweireld made a total of 236 appearances for Spurs between 2015 and 2021Getty - ContributorAlderweireld spent six years with Spurs after joining from Atlético Madrid in 2015 following a season-long loan at Southampton.The 37-year-old, who ultimately played 236 times for the club, helped the Lilywhites record three top-three finishes in the Premier League and reach their only ever Champions League final in 2019.Spurs also had the best Premier League defensive record in each of the seasons between 2014 and 2017 under Mauricio Pochettino.The majority of which saw Alderweireld partner compatriot Jan Vertonghen in central defence, with World Cup winner Hugo Lloris in goal, and England pair Kyle Walker and Danny Rose at full-back.‘Pochettino made us very, very fit’“I think we were scary, like the names you said,” Alderweireld reflected to talkSPORT Breakfast duo Andy Goldstein and Andy Townsend.“But then in front of us, we had Mousa Dembele, Victor Wanyama, Eric Dier. That was a proper team. We were physically so strong.“Pochettino made us very, very fit. And all the guys had a good mentality. They worked hard. They didn’t complain. “We did everything the manager asked us to do. And yeah, and that’s what you saw from the first second. “We were pressing, we were fighting. We were physically strong. And of course, we had the quality as well. Think about Jan Vertonghen, Mousa Dembele, Christian Eriksen. Those are very, very good players.”Alderweireld’s Tottenham team are among the greatest Premier League sides to have never won the titleGettyDespite their undoubted quality, Tottenham were unable to get over the line and win a trophy during Alderweireld’s spell at the club.The Belgian was part of the team who set a Premier League record for most points in a single season with 86 in 2016/17.For reference, that is one more point than rivals Arsenal accumulated to win the title last season, but in Tottenham’s case, they were pipped by Chelsea’s epic 93-point haul.Alderweireld continued: “It was not an easy period because when I arrived, I think it was five or six years ago that they arrived in the Champions League. So I think sometimes it needed time. “And I think we were getting there. Before Spurs were happy, we were top four, happy. But Pochettino changed everything. “They said, ‘Look, we’re not only competing to get in the top four, we’re competing for winning the title.’ Of course, we were not ready yet. But you saw us taking steps.Tottenham gave everything to make the Champions League final in 2019, but came up short in Madridgetty“And of course, it was not easy as well to go to Wembley [for the 2017/18 season to finish construction on their new stadium].“It was not our home to change stadiums. But still, we did well. And sometimes you need a little bit of luck.“But I think that the season that Chelsea won the league, I think we had the most points ever for us as a Spurs team. “So sometimes you need a little bit of luck as well. And we didn’t. But yeah, I think we set a new standard for Spurs.“And of course, everyone’s talking, he didn’t win a trophy, he didn’t win a trophy. But if you see how we played games, that we competed for the top four and the title, I think that was a big change for Spurs.”Chelsea have not won the Premier League title since the 2016/17 seasonAFPBest player Alderweireld played with?In addition to his star-studded Spurs dressing room, the 127-cap international also played with Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard for his country – with Belgium finishing third at the 2018 World Cup.The most underrated among them was Dembele, who Harry Kane once listed as the most naturally gifted player he played alongside.Walker labelled the midfielder as one of the greatest, with Antonio Rudiger listing him as his toughest opponent, and John Arne Riise admitting he couldn’t believe Dembele never played for Real Madrid or Barcelona.Asked who would be the best that he played with, Alderweireld told talkSPORT: “It’s a name that everyone is saying. “And everyone is always a little bit surprised. But the best player that I ever played with was Mousa Dembele. 100 per cent.Tottenham fans and players knew how good Dembele was even if he went under the radar of rivalsGetty“He was so good. He was really strong. If he had the ball, you couldn’t get it off of him.“The only small thing he lacked was maybe shooting to the goal.“But the other parts, defensively, everything, and how good the guy is. Yeah, he’s my top number one.“When you play big away games, and there is pressure on you, for example, Chelsea away, City away.“He’s the guy in midfield who asks for the ball, and you can play to him. Because some players, they play hide and seek. “They ask for the ball, but not really asking for the ball. But he’s the guy who asks for the ball and says, give it to me, and I will do something, and I will help. “As a defender…especially when clubs put pressure on you, you know, ‘Oh, this is a guy who can play the ball to, and he will hold it for me’.”Dembele left Tottenham in 2019 to move to Chinese Super League club, Guangzhou City, before retiring from playing in 2022.