Tottenham and Ligue 1: A shared history
From historic names like Ginola and Waddle to contemporary stars like Randal Kolo Muani and Yves Bissouma, the links between Tottenham Hotspur and Ligue 1 McDonald's are particularly strong. Ahead of their clash with Paris Saint-Germain, we look at the links between the English giants and the French top flight.
Hugo Lloris: A legend on both sides of the channel
When one considers players who have made their mark for both the English club and in France, one name springs immediately to mind -- Hugo Lloris. Also a World Cup winner with France in 2018, he got his start at OGC Nice before playing more than two hundred times for Olympique Lyonnais, including a Coupe de France win in 2012 and a run to the semifinals of the Champions League in 2010. He moved to Spurs in 2012, and would go on to feature more than 400 times, including helping the team reach the 2019 Champions League Final under a certain Mauricio Pocchettino.
Hugo Lloris -- clutch since 2006#MadeInLigue1 #Ligue1Legends pic.twitter.com/DdwPkmjnes
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) June 28, 2021
Hoddle, WADDLE & Ginola: The Pioneers
But while Lloris is the most famous name to have turned out for both, his is a path that is well-trodden, and a trio of famous names first made the journey beginning in the 1980s. Glenn Hoddle was the first to make the move across the Channel, joining AS Monaco in 1987. Playing under Arséne Wenger, he won the league title in his first season, and was joined in France in 1989 by Chris Waddle, who won three successive titles with Marseille. In the opposite direction, David Ginola had been a star with Brest and Paris Saint-Germain before moving to Newcastle and then Spurs, where he helped them win the 1999 League Cup.
Moura, Sissoko & Aurier
Lloris wasn't the only member of that 2019 Tottenham team to have connections to Ligue 1, though -- he was joined by Moussa Sissoko, Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura, all of whom had spent time in France's top flight. A product of Toulouse's academy, Sissoko won 70 caps with France and would spend four seasons in London, appearing more than two hundred times. Côte d'Ivoire-born Aurier came through at Lens and spent time at Toulouse before joining PSG where he was successful, while Moura was one of the heroes of Spurs' run, having scored a hat trick in their semifinal win over Ajax, having joined the previous year from Paris Saint-Germain.
Yeah, Mauricio Pochettino was a PSG player 🇦🇷🔴🔵 pic.twitter.com/b8vQPFX7Dd
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 9, 2024
Pochettino: From the pitch to the sidelines
While other players have made their mark in both France and with Spurs, including Randal Kolo Muani, Pape Sarr and Kevin Danso among the current team, it would be remiss of us not to mention Mauricio Pochettino. The combative midfielder spent two seasons in the French capital, winning the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2001, but made his name on a global spell managing Spurs for parts of six seasons. A subsequent spell on the sidelines at Paris was less successful, but his ambitious style remains a hallmark.
