Where Are They Now?: Tottenham XI vs Man United – August 1997

Left Midfield: David Ginola

Then: The pin-up boy of Premier League football was Spurs’ big hope of breaking back into the European elite. In terms of natural talent, not many on the continent topped the Frenchman. However, his often lackadaisical performances throughout a mixed career often counted against him on the international scene. Between 1990 and 1995, Ginola starred for French giants PSG and, until his surprise move to Newcastle United in 1995, was expected to sign for Barcelona, whose press dubbed him “El Magnifico”. On the international scene, he did not play past the 1995-1996 season. During the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign, Ginola had the opportunity to send France into the finals but miss hit a cross from which Bulgaria went on to score. The whole blame for the campaign fell on Ginola, and his manager, a certain Gerard Houllier, described the winger as the “assassin of the team”.

Now: Ginola was most recently in the headlines after he withdrew his application for the FIFA presidency, claiming the corruption was far deeper than anyone could ever imagine. His time at Tottenham saw him named the PFA Player of the Season and the FWA Player of the Year for the 1998-1999 season. After leaving Spurs in 2000, Ginola went on to play for Aston Villa for two years and finished his career at Everton in 2002. Despite only being at Spurs for a few seasons, Ginola is regarded as one of the most entertaining players to ever put on the shirt. In 2008, he was inducted into the Tottenham Hotspur hall of fame.

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