Jeremy Doku believes Newcastle United once boasted a player who could beat even the great Cristiano Ronaldo for dribbling.
While Newcastle United have rarely boasted an entire squad as good as it is now, the club have generally always had some brilliant players on display.
Indeed, the club boast a proud tradition when it comes to exciting wingers.
The best wingers in Newcastle United history have delighted supporters with their skills, goals and assists over the years.
One of the standouts is a certain Hatem Ben Arfa. The Frenchman made 86 appearances for Newcastle United between 2010 and 2015 and is remembered extremely fondly by supporters despite his general inconsistency.
Manchester City’s Doku, who is generally regarded as one of the best dribblers in the Premier League, was a huge fan.Â
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty ImagesJeremy Doku says Hatem Ben Arfa was a better dribbler than Cristiano Ronaldo
The Belgian international was asked by K+ Sports to rank various Premier League players of past and present based on their dribbling skills.
Doku ranked himself above the likes of Heung-min Son, Mousa Dembele and former Newcastle star Allan Saint-Maximin.
When Ben Arfa’s name came up, the City star went for the Frenchman. Ben Arfa stayed on past Raheem Sterling, Sadio Mane, Adama Traore and even Ronaldo.
In Doku’s view, however, Thierry Henry was a better dribbler than them all.
Why Hatem Ben Arfa never fully convinced at Newcastle United
Ben Arfa was a highly rated player, but he was playing for a Newcastle team who generally weren’t pulling up any trees for a reason.
Had he been a more consistent force, he would have made a move to a European super club well before he eventually joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2016.
Ben Arfa annoyed his Newcastle teammates due to his inconsistency, as well as his tendency to overplay at times. Despite having a brilliant career, he never really fulfilled his true potential often enough.
Still, Ben Arfa was a shining light in an otherwise fairly bleak era for the club.