RAMOn VEGA
Spurs came calling in 1997 after you had
been at Cagliari for just seven months. How
did the move happen?
I was named in the team of the tournament
for Euro 96, which made me very proud, and
lots of clubs started asking about me. Spurs,
Liverpool and Leeds wanted to sign me that
summer, but the biggest opportunity came
from Real Madrid. I flew to Madrid, but by the
time I’d landed they’d sacked Fabio Capello!
During the Euros, I actually met [then-Spurs
manager] Gerry Francis for lunch in London,
but I decided to go to Italy because the best
players on the planet were in Serie A. You had
guys like Gabriel Batistuta, Ronaldo, Roberto
Baggio and Dejan Savicevic. I learned many
things playing against them. Spurs kept on at
me, though, as did Liverpool, and I’d liked the
atmosphere at the Euros, so I agreed to join.Tottenham were a mid-table side when you
signed, despite boasting players like David
Ginola and Teddy Sheringham. What do you
think the main issues were?
When I arrived, Tottenham were well behind
in terms of diet, attitude and professionalism.
Their training ground was like something out
of the 18th century. We had a proper fitness
centre at Cagliari, despite being a low-ranking
club in Serie A. At Spurs, the gym was a tiny
room with a couple of bikes and weights, so
much that the physio actually gave me a card
for the local David Lloyd gym in Chigwell and
said to go there. I thought he must be joking!How much interaction did you have with
owner Alan Sugar?
Alan was great, as were his whole family, and
they looked after me in many ways. Alan was
straight-talking which I loved – I think that’s
why we got on. He was very supportive of me
even through the bad times.Gerry Francis left in the November of your
first full season. How much of a shock was
it and what did you make of his successor,
your compatriot Christian Gross?
I spent three years with him at Grasshoppers
and we were very successful – we played in
the Champions League. I knew all about his
training, which was much more methodical.
The players, especially the British guys, didn’t
take to him, even though he tried to improve
their fitness. I think Christian underestimated
the job on his hands. The club has a complex
mentality which makes it difficult to succeed.You lifted the League Cup at Spurs in 1999- one of only two trophies they have won in
30 years. How proud are you of that?
I played that match with a broken ankle – it
sounds mad, but it was worth every second
of pain to lift the cup. I’m very proud because
a club like Spurs needs trophies, but I’m also
embarrassed that they’ve won only a couple
in such a long time. Winning the League Cup
was a fantastic achievement and I still think
about the final at Wembley against Leicester.
Our boss, George Graham, was so structured
and organised, and I played my best football
at Spurs under him.The following season, you hardly played
under Graham and then moved on loan to
Celtic, where you won three trophies. How
much did you enjoy your time in Glasgow?
I’d barely played for Spurs after that League
Cup final, as I had to recover from my badly
damaged ankle. I left for Scotland and Celtic
was an unbelievable time. It was one of the
best experiences in my football career to win
the Treble. Their fans are some of the finest
in the world and, of course, the club is known
throughout the world. It wasn’t the same as
the Premier League, but every game was like
a final because everyone wanted to beat us.You left Celtic in 2001 to sign for Gianluca
Vialli at Watford, along with a number of
high-profile players such as Filippo Galli
and Patrick Blondeau. What went wrong?
I was sad not to stay at Celtic, but they didn’t
offer me a deal after such a successful year.
Watford offered me a four-year contract, and
I took it as I was nearly 30. What happened
was that ITV Digital went bust, so the whole
Watford project collapsed. They’d planned to
get back into the Premier League, but ended
up close to administration and needing to get
high earners off the wage bill. I agreed to rip
up my contract because I was happy to help
them stay afloat.After retiring in 2003, you went into asset
management, property development and
owned a jewellery shop in Essex. How did
all of those come about?
At Spurs I went into business with a friend of
Sugar, who owned some jewellery shops in
Romford. At Christmas, I’d take engagement
rings and watches to training, so the players
could buy gifts for their wives and girlfriends.Is it true you tried to buy Portsmouth in
2009 when they were in financial trouble?
I led a consortium. Portsmouth were well in
debt, close to £120 million. The club wanted
£100m plus, but I thought, ‘You’re basically
bankrupt – I’m not going to pay £1’. It didn’t
make sense. Whoever took over would have
had the £120m debt to service, and it would
have taken years to make their money back.
It was the right decision as Portsmouth went
into administration about six months later.You mulled standing for FIFA president in- Would you do it again in the future?
I met my wife at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in
Zurich! She’s Hungarian and a football expert,
from pitch to boardroom, and is experienced
in sports lobbying. We got talking about how
FIFA had to change. I had the financial and
football knowledge, and felt serious reform
was required. I was approached by some of
the European Union’s top administrators to
encourage long-awaited reforms. We must
not only focus on making profits, but look at
the grassroots level of the game. I’m ready
for that challenge when the time is right – to
make the evolution that everyone who loves
football all around the world is yearning for.
TEAMS
Grasshoppers
Cagliari
Tottenham
Celtic (loan)
Watford
Creteil
SwitzerlandI n TERVIEWS