17 year old Bentaleb!
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17 year old Bentaleb!
Whoomp Bentaleb!
Yep, he only came back to play against as coming off the bench for Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League...
Yep, he's had a somewhat interesting career playing in all sorts of places...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rohan_Ricketts
He's played in SEVEN (7!) clubs since 2010; hasn't played more than 12 games for any of those clubs.
He really epitomises the career of a wonderkid whose talent never comes real. How often do you not see these players just going from club to club, never being able to settle down because they never manage meet the medias wazoo expectations from years and years ago?
Just about every club seems to hope that: "This is where he will shine, this is where he will come through".
'Sa bit tragic, no?
Premier League: Nabil Bentaleb grateful for chance to shine at Tottenham
Last Updated: 15/01/14 10:15am
Teenager Nabil Bentaleb has described how he was rescued by Tottenham when it looked like his ambitions of becoming a professional footballer appeared all but over.
The French midfielder has stolen the headlines at White Hart Lane after head coach Tim Sherwood opted to hand him his first-team debut last month.
However, it has been far from a smooth journey to the top for Bentaleb, who was released by four clubs before finally making the grade with Spurs.
The 19-year-old was shown the door by Lille, Mouscron, Dunkerque and Birmingham and the highly-rated playmaker admits he was on the brink of calling time on his football career.
"It has been a difficult path for me to get where I am today," he told The Sun.
"I was released a few times and many clubs didn't want to open their doors for me. Lille let me go when I was 14, just at the time you start seriously dreaming of becoming a professional footballer.
"That was a very tough time for me and I had two choices: I could either give up and not right for what I wanted or try to show them they were wrong."
In the space of five years, Bentaleb was forced to move from France to Belgium before returning to his native land once again, before eventually finding himself at home in England.
"The trial at Tottenham was very important for me," he admitted.
"I didn't want to put pressure on myself by thinking it was my last chance.
"I just wanted to impress the coaches. Fortunately, I was able to do that and it was enough to secure a move here."
Nervous
Bentaleb signed for the club's academy within two weeks and went on to make his senior bow weeks later, coming on as a substitute for Mousa Dembele in Tottenham's victory over Southampton before making appearances off the bench against West Brom and Manchester United.
Sherwood entrusted Bentaleb with a starting berth for Tottenham's FA Cup showdown with north London rivals Woolwich and despite losing, the Frenchman revelled in the derby experience.
"I was so happy the manager trusted me to play in such a big game at Manchester United," he said.
"I was nervous before I went on but when we finished with the three points, it was an amazing feeling.
"It was a good experience to play against Woolwich, to feel the passion and determination that you get from such an important derby."
Although admitting defeat to the Gunners was a heavy blow to take, Bentaleb insists Tottenham's primary focus remains on securing a place in the UEFA Champions League next season.
"The result was obviously a setback," he added, "but we have come back with a league win against Crystal Palace and the target is still to challenge for a Champions League spot.
"I went back home recently and my mum reminded me of where I was two years ago and pointed out that now I am training with the likes of [Emanuel] Adebayor, [Roberto] Soldado, Demeble, [Aaron] Lennon and all the guys.
"But I know I still have to work hard all the time. That is the only way to succeed."
Seems like a good guy,I like him!
Last Updated: 15/01/14 10:15am
Teenager Nabil Bentaleb has described how he was rescued by Tottenham when it looked like his ambitions of becoming a professional footballer appeared all but over.
The French midfielder has stolen the headlines at White Hart Lane after head coach Tim Sherwood opted to hand him his first-team debut last month.
However, it has been far from a smooth journey to the top for Bentaleb, who was released by four clubs before finally making the grade with Spurs.
The 19-year-old was shown the door by Lille, Mouscron, Dunkerque and Birmingham and the highly-rated playmaker admits he was on the brink of calling time on his football career.
"It has been a difficult path for me to get where I am today," he told The Sun.
"I was released a few times and many clubs didn't want to open their doors for me. Lille let me go when I was 14, just at the time you start seriously dreaming of becoming a professional footballer.
"That was a very tough time for me and I had two choices: I could either give up and not right for what I wanted or try to show them they were wrong."
In the space of five years, Bentaleb was forced to move from France to Belgium before returning to his native land once again, before eventually finding himself at home in England.
"The trial at Tottenham was very important for me," he admitted.
"I didn't want to put pressure on myself by thinking it was my last chance.
"I just wanted to impress the coaches. Fortunately, I was able to do that and it was enough to secure a move here."
Nervous
Bentaleb signed for the club's academy within two weeks and went on to make his senior bow weeks later, coming on as a substitute for Mousa Dembele in Tottenham's victory over Southampton before making appearances off the bench against West Brom and Manchester United.
Sherwood entrusted Bentaleb with a starting berth for Tottenham's FA Cup showdown with north London rivals Woolwich and despite losing, the Frenchman revelled in the derby experience.
"I was so happy the manager trusted me to play in such a big game at Manchester United," he said.
"I was nervous before I went on but when we finished with the three points, it was an amazing feeling.
"It was a good experience to play against Woolwich, to feel the passion and determination that you get from such an important derby."
Although admitting defeat to the Gunners was a heavy blow to take, Bentaleb insists Tottenham's primary focus remains on securing a place in the UEFA Champions League next season.
"The result was obviously a setback," he added, "but we have come back with a league win against Crystal Palace and the target is still to challenge for a Champions League spot.
"I went back home recently and my mum reminded me of where I was two years ago and pointed out that now I am training with the likes of [Emanuel] Adebayor, [Roberto] Soldado, Demeble, [Aaron] Lennon and all the guys.
"But I know I still have to work hard all the time. That is the only way to succeed."
Seems like a good guy,I like him!
He signed for the academy a year ago and made his debut what, 11 months later? That article seems to make it seem like he only signed for us in October? *confused*
On another note, there's an #AskNabil on twitter right now
Lady in Red
Nabil Bentaleb
there's something there
Nabil Bentaleb
there's something there
No one cares if you are shit.
My mate supports Grimsby (I only have one) but has a soft spot for Spurs. He'll be delighted when I tell him!
He was club player of the month in both August and September of 2003. Then Hoddle wes sacked and he was never the same. Strange career. Pure Spursy.
He recently wrote an article on Hoddle:
http://sabotagetimes.com/reportage/how-hoddle-lost-the-spurs-dressing-room/
Nice find, some saucy reads on that site.
:soldadowatch: