Costa Rica star Bryan Ruiz has saluted Belgium's Mousa Dembele ahead of the international friendly between the two countries on Monday and says it is impossible to take the ball from the midfielder.
Ruiz had a spell playing alongside Tottenham star Dembele when the two were at Fulham and he was left in little doubt of the midfielder's quality.
The Costa Rica star also expressed some surprise that Dembele is not guaranteed a spot in the Belgium squad, though he is well aware of the quality the country can call upon.
Ruiz told Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad: "I am looking forward to seeing Mousa Dembele again.
"When we played at Fulham, we were good friends", he continued.
relatedNewsStory
"I am glad that I can speak to him again on Monday."
Asked about Dembele not being guaranteed to start for Belgium, Ruiz said: "Well, Mousa is a fantastically good midfielder.
"Someone you cannot possibly take the ball from.
"And his left foot is great.
"But Belgium have so much talent at their core that it is inevitable that there will be good players on the bench."
Ruiz, 32, who is on the books at Sporting Lisbon, turned out for Fulham between 2011 and 2015, though had a spell on loan at PSV Eindhoven in 2014.
Dembele played for Fulham from 2010 until a 2012 switch to Tottenham Hotspur.
