I don’t remember anything in particular
- just that people were speaking about
it, and I think Kevin Keegan once gave
an interview on the subject. I heard
that. At the time, though, no one told
me directly that Newcastle wanted to
sign me. There were some other teams
that the people who took care of me
were telling me about, but they didn’t
mention Newcastle.
You joined Tottenham from Dinamo
Zagreb in 2008, but how close were
you to signing for Manchester City or
Barcelona instead?
Tony Unwin, Hyde
People were telling me this and that,
but I don’t know how close I really was
to something. In the end I signed for
Tottenham, and for me it was a great
step forward. I went to a big club and
it was a very good team for me – that
showed from the steps I took during
my time there.
difficult, though. But maybe it’s when
we qualified for the Champions League
after almost 50 years. That’s the best
memory I have. Everything there was
fantastic: the players, the coaches, the
people, the fans – everyone.How important did Harry Redknapp
make you feel at Spurs?
a.man0161, via Instagram
Very important. Very special. He gave
me so much confidence. He used to
tell the players, “Give the ball to Luka,
give the ball to Luka!” [Laughs] When
your coach keeps saying that, it gives
you huge confidence. I’m extremely
grateful and thankful for everything he
did for me at Tottenham. He used to
play me further forward, on the wing
or behind the striker. Then after maybe
a year or less, he decided to play me
in the middle as a holding midfielder.
That proved to be a great decision by
him because I felt that was my best
position, where I could give the most
to the team and display my qualities
even more than on the wing or behind
the striker. He recognised what I could
give to the team.How significant for you and the team
was Harry Redknapp’s arrival? Spurs
had made an awful start to your first
season there, before Juande Ramos
got the boot.
Paul Nolan, Potters Bar
That was a tough time for us. We were
rock bottom with only two points from
eight games when he came. The first
match after he arrived was at home to
Bolton. We won 2-0, and after that we
drew 4-4 at Arsenal, beat Liverpool 2-
and played good football, and by theend of the season we almost qualified
for the Europa League. He was crucial
for our rise as a team.Did you believe Gareth Bale would
become a world-class player when
you were with him at Spurs?
Graham Russell, via Instagram
Yeah, you could see Gareth had great
potential – he was strong, quick and
had a good left foot. At the beginning
he played as a left-back, but once he
moved to the left wing he started toYOU ASK
“WHY DIDN’T I JOIN
CHELSEA? BECAUSE
TOTTENHAM WOULDN’T
SELL ME, THAT’S WHY!
ROMAN’S YACHT WAS
AMAZING, THOUGH...”
Arsene Wenger was reportedly one
of those who believed you were too
lightweight for the Premier League.
When people used to say that, was
it motivation to prove them wrong?
Alison Hunt, Enfield
Yeah, that was my thinking, because
throughout my career, even at a young
age, a lot of people had doubts about
me – about my size and my toughness.
That continued throughout my career:
when I moved to England, and when
I signed for Real Madrid. People were
always questioning if I could cope with
the football there, and with everything
that’s needed to be a top-class player,
but I didn’t care. For me, to hear those
things that were being said about me
was extra motivation to prove people
wrong. I didn’t pay too much attention
to what they were saying – I always
believed in myself.What’s your fondest memory from
your time at Tottenham?
Jude Shury, via Instagram
[Pauses to think hard] Really, I enjoyed
it at Spurs – my time was amazing. To
choose one particular moment is very8 November 2020 FourFourTwo