Tottenham: Mousa Dembele's resurrection shows how football has changed

There is something about genius that belies recognition. 

More often than not, to be truly great, it is not enough to be outstanding in your field - you have to redefine the field itself.

If you're looking for the mavens in your field, then, you shouldn't be looking at the centre stage. The real prodigies are to be found at the periphery, burrowing away at the fringes.

It is for this reason that so many geniuses are only recognised after they have died. Vincent van Gogh, Gregor Mendel, Herman Melville, Johann Sebastian Bach, Henry David Thoreau, Johannes Vermeer. All of these only came to prominence after they had shuffled off this mortal coil.