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Biography

The Cameroon international left back signed from French club RC Lens in the summer of 2006.

After an injury-hit start to his White Hart Lane career, Benoit’s game has progressed unmeasurably since the arrival of Harry Redknapp as manager.

His performances led to him being offered a new contract at the start of the 2009-10 season, seeing him at White Hart Lane until 2013.

He celebrated with his first goal in a Spurs shirt and one to remember – the opening goal of the 2009-10 season, an absolute cracker into the top corner as we toppled Liverpool at the Lane.

That laid down a marker for the season for Benoit, who made 34 appearances in all competitions including 29 starts in the league before joining the Cameroon squad in the World Cup.

Benoit made a promising start to his Spurs career with 24 appearances before suffering a knee injury in February 2007 that ultimately ruled him out for the rest of that season.

Benoit returned to action in September 2007 but, after two appearances, the same knee problem resurfaced and ended his campaign early – as well as threatening to end his career altogether.

However, after a summer of rehabilitation, pre-season saw him return to the first team fold in preparation for the 2008-09 season.

Over the course of the campaign, he made 36 appearances in all competitions and earned rave reviews from the manager and fans alike, who voted him the Club’s Most Improved Player of the season.

The following season could not have begun any better for Benoit!

Not only did the tough full-back put pen to paper on his new deal, he also scored our first goal of the 2009-10 campaign – an absolute scorcher in our opening day victory over Liverpool. What a way to score your first ever career goal!

In February 2009, Benoit earned his first international honours for Cameroon, the country over his father’s birth.

By November of the same year, he had become a key member of the Indomitable Lions side that earned qualification for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa.

However, that hip injury suffered at the end of 2009 meant Benoit missed out on the 2010 African Cup of Nations in Angola

Born in Arras, France, Benoit played 73 games in total for first club Lens before making the move to N17 as one of the continent’s most highly-rated young full-backs.
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Biography

Club captain and longest-serving member of our playing staff, Ledley’s performances at the end of the 2009-10 campaign earned a place in England’s World Cup squad.

Injuries again took their toll during the season but it wasn’t his now famous knee problems but muscle injuries that cost Ledley time out of the team.

As always though, when Ledley played, he underlined his class and that was enough for Fabio Capell to take him to South Africa.

Ledley actually started 19 games in the Premier League – half of the season – skippering the side to a fourth-place finish and, 11 years after making his first-team debut, securing a place in the Champions League.

Having come through the Club’s Academy ranks, Ledley made his senior debut as an 18-year-old, coming on as a substitute during a 3-2 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield in May 1999.

It took another season before the London-born youngster properly established himself in the First Team, but once he did so during the 2000-01 campaign, there was no looking back.

Over the next few seasons, Ledley earned recognition as one of the best young defenders in the country, also often operating as a defensive midfielder.

He gained full international honours for England during this time, and was part of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Euro 2004 squad, starting the first game of the tournament against holders France.

But the pivotal season of his career was the 2004-05 campaign. Ledley was an ever-present in our Premier League campaign, in which we conceded just 41 goals and kept 13 clean sheets. During that season, he was also named Club captain.

The following season, he led the Club to a top five Premier League finish, but missed the final games of that campaign due to a broken foot that kept him out of that summer’s World Cup Finals in Germany.

Since then, injury problems, particularly knee trouble, have blighted Ledley’s career.

This forced him to feature in less than half of our 59 competitive games in 2006-07.

The following season did not kick off for Ledley until Boxing Day, but although he only managed to play 10 games in 2007-08, the defining moment of his career so far came during this campaign.

He lived a boyhood dream of captaining Spurs to their first major trophy in nine years after a heroic performance in a 2-1 extra-time win over Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final at Wembley in February 2008.

Ledley called time on the season soon after, and following a summer of rehabilitation, 2008-09 saw a marked improvement in his fitness levels as he played 29 games in all competitions.

He established a strong defensive partnership with Jonathan Woodgate as the foundation of a back-line that conceded just 10 goals at home in the league all season.

At present, Ledley still holds the record for the fastest ever goal in Premier League history, scored after 10 seconds against Bradford City at Valley Parade in December 2000. This was also his first ever goal for the Club!
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Biography

Super-consistent Croatian international full-back, Vedran started 29 of our first 30 games in the Premier League until injury ended his campaign early.

Affectionately known as ‘Charlie’, he’d established himself as the Club’s first choice right-back and opened his goalscoring account for us in a 2-2 Premier League draw at Bolton Wanderers in October 2009.

Vedran joined us from Manchester City in August, 2008 and enjoyed an impressive first season at The Lane, making 41 appearances and operating right across the back-line.

A regular for Croatia, he played in every match of his country’s campaign at Euro 2008 where, along with Spurs team-mates Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar, Slaven Bilic’s side reached the quarter-final stage.

Back home in Croatia, Vedran came through the ranks at Dynamo Zagreb and after a season on loan at NK Inter Zapresic, winning successive titles with Dynamo in 2006 and 2007.

He left for the English Premier League and Manchester City in August 2007, making 41 appearances in all competitions before joining Spurs.
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Biography

The popular central defender capped an outstanding 2009-10 campaign with an initial call into England’s provisional 30-man squad for the World Cup and then, following the heartbreak of missing out, being called back into the 23 following injury to Rio Ferdinand.

Many pundits believed ‘Daws’ should have been in the 23 anyway after playing a key role as we finished fourth in the Premier League.

Despite not featuring at the tournament in South Africa, Michael finally won his first senior international cap in a friendly with Hungary at Wembley in August, 2010.

Ever-reliable, Michael has become one of the most important players in Harry Redknapp’s side and captained the side for much of the 2009/10 campaign.

Laid low by an Achilles problem at the start of the season, Michael returned for the 9-1 hammering of Wigan in November and missed just one of our next 35 games.

His form earned a number of awards including One Hotspur Player of the Season, Boxholders Player of the Season and Supporters’ Clubs Player of the Year.

Michael has been a key part of our back-line every since his arrival from Nottingham Forest as a 21-year-old in January, 2005.

The affable Yorkshireman made his name at Nottingham Forest, where he progressed through the ranks to make his debut in 2002 and 91 appearances in total before heading to N17.

After recovering from an initial injury, Michael made his Spurs debut in a 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool at Anfield in April 2005.

For the following two seasons, he was rarely out of the side, establishing an impressive partnership with Ledley King as we finished in the Premier League’s top five for two consecutive seasons.

In 2006-07, Michael played in 58 of our 59 competitive games that season, and was awarded the captain’s armband for the first time in an FA Cup quarter-final tie with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in March 2007.

Injuries to Ledley meant Daws often found himself playing alongside of various partners for much of the 2007-08 campaign, arguably leading to a dip in form.

This was compounded by the heartbreak of missing out on our famous Carling Cup Final success of February 2008 through an ankle injury.

But following the arrival of Redknapp as manager in October 2008, he quickly re-gained his most consistent form and battled hard to earn the right to be considered as first-choice centre-half alongside evergreen pair King and Jonathan Woodgate

Michael made 28 appearances in 2008-09, scoring twice, picking up the supporters’ Team Player of the Year award thanks to his outstanding contribution.

A former England Under-21 captain, Michael was also placed on stand-by for the senior national side prior to the 2006 World Cup Finals and has two England ‘B’ caps.

Michael signed a new contract at the Club in January 2010, which will keep him at The Lane until 2015.
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Biography

The England Under-19 international joined us from Sheffield United, along with fellow young defender Kyle Naughton, in July 2009.

He was subsequently loaned back to The Blades to gain further first team experience for the 2009/2010 campaign.

Kyle made 28 appearances for the Blades during the first half of the season before being recalled from his loan on February 2, 2010.

He then made his Spurs first team debut in our 2-0 Premier League victory over Portsmouth in March, 2010.

Following his arrival at the Lane, Kyle also won his first cap for England at Under-21 level having previously represented his country at Under-19 level.

Walker progressed through the ranks at Bramall Lane to before making his debut in an FA Cup tie against Leyton Orient in January 2009.

He made seven appearances for Kevin Blackwell’s side all in all during 2008-09, becoming the youngest player ever to represent Sheffield United at Wembley in their play-off final defeat against Burnley in May 2009.

Prior to this, Kyle also featured nine times during a loan spell at League One Northampton Town at the end of 2008.
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Biography

Strong central defender joined us from Newcastle United in August, 2009.

And he could not have made a better start to his Spurs career – scoring the winning goal against Liverpool on his debut in our opening game of the 2009-10 season.

A Cameroon international, Sebastien has been a regular fixture and reliable figure at the heart of our defence his maiden campaign.

With fellow centre-halves Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate injured for the majority of the season, Sebastien’s regular partnership with Michael Dawson at the back has been a solid foundation on which the team has been built.

He eventually made 38 appearances for us in 2009-10 including 25 starts out of 38 in the Premier League. His form earned a call into Cameroon’s World Cup squad.

Sebastien moved the move to England, and previous club Newcastle, in July 2008 from Metz where he made 79 appearances in three seasons.

He played 34 times for the Magpies during his debut campaign in the Premier League, but could not help the North East side avoid relegation from the Championship, before arriving in N17.
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Biography

The England Under-21 international full-back joined us from Sheffield United, along with fellow young defender Kyle Walker, in July 2009.

A product of the Academy at Bramall Lane, Naughton got his first taste of professional action during a loan spell at Scottish club Gretna during the 2007-08 season, where he made 19 appearances.

Having impressed north of the border, Kyle finally made his first team debut for hometown club United in a League Cup tie against Port Vale in August 2008.

From there, he never looked back, going on to make 50 appearances and scoring three goals as Kevin Blackwell’s men reached the 2009 Championship play-off final.

His performances earned him a place in the Championship’s PFA Team of the Year for 2008-09, as well as United’s Young Player of the Year award.

The campaign included another career highlight when Kyle made his debut for England Under-21s at Bramall Lane, in a 2-0 friendly win over Czech Republic, since going on to establish himself in Stuart Pearce’s Young Lions squad.

On joining Spurs, Kyle impressed during pre-season before making his Premier League debut as a substitute in our win at West Ham in August 2009.

Days later, he made his full Spurs debut in a Carling Cup second round victory over Doncaster Rovers.

But the youngster made only one more appearance in our colours during 2009/10 before agreeing to join Championship club Boro on loan for the rest of the campaign in January, 2010.

Kyle went on to make 15 appearances in the Championship.
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Biography

The experienced French defender joined us on a one-year contract in August, 2010.

William arrives in N17 with nearly a decade of Premier League and Champions League experience under his belt having previously plied his trade for Chelsea and Arsenal.

He crossed the North London divide having left the Emirates on the expiration of his contract at the end of the 2009-10 season.

Having captained the club, William made 142 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 17 goals, following his arrival from Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2006.

It was at Chelsea where the now 33-year-old experienced greatest success, winning back-to-back Premier League titles and a League Cup in his five seasons with the Blues.

William originally arrived on these shores in the summer of 2001 having spent four campaigns with Olympique Marseille in his homeland.

He started his professional career at SM Caen, making his debut in the 1995-96 season and subsequently helping the club to the French Second Division Championship by the end of that year.

To date, William has won 84 senior international caps for France, representing Les Bleus at two World Cups and two European Championships, and was also part of the side that won the Confederations Cup in 2003.

He previously earned international honours at Under-21, Under-20 and Under-18 level, and was part of the French side that won the UEFA Under-18 Championships in 1996.

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Biography

The athletic defender rejoined the Club from Portsmouth in January, 2010.

Younes had left White Hart Lane for Fratton Park 18 months earlier having originally arrived from French club Auxerre in July, 2007.

He made his second debut for the Club in a Premier League defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers in February, 2010.

Younes played his part in one of the most important goals of our recent history – his break down the right and cross led to Peter Crouch heading home the winner at City on May 5 that guaranteed fourth place in the Premier League and a place in the Champions League.

During his previous spell in N17, Younes made 29 appearances, scoring four goals, including a memorable late equaliser in a 4-4 Premier League draw with Aston Villa which marked the Club’s 125th anniversary.

He was also part of the Spurs side that lifted the Carling Cup at Wembley in 2008 after beating Chelsea in the Final.

But after struggling to hold down a regular place in Juande Ramos’ side towards the end of the campaign, Harry Redknapp took Younes to the South Coast.

He progressed as a player at Portsmouth, gaining further Premier League experience and making 50 appearances for them in all competitions, scoring five goals, before being reunited with Redknapp at Spurs.

A former French Under-21 international, Younes made his name at Auxerre, where made 52 appearances, scoring two goals, winning the Coupe de France in 2005.

He was also a member of the French Under-19 side that won the European Championships, staged in Northern Ireland, in 2005.
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Biography

The powerful left-sided Welsh international youngster was awarded the Club’s Young Player of the Year award after an incredible second half of the 2009-10 campaign.

Playing as either a left-back or further up the flank, Gareth was instrumental in securing our fourth place Premier League finish.

Despite being out of the side and having never started a Premier League game on the winning team until January, 2010, his transformation was incredible.

An injury to regular left-back Benoit Assou-Ekotto at the turn of the year gave him his chance for a run of games, and he never looked back, earning Man of the Match awards and rave reviews throughout the remainder of the campaign.

Gareth made 34 appearances in total that season, scoring three Premier League goals which included valuable winners in our back-to-back North London derby victories over Arsenal and Chelsea in April, 2010.

GARETH BALE INFO

Name Gareth Bale
Born July 16, 1989
Position Defender
Squad No. 3
Previous Club(s) Southampton

By the end of that season, he had been awarded with a new contract that will keep the precocious talent at the Lane until 2014.

Three years previously, Gareth had made a promising start to his Spurs career as a teenager, having signed from Southampton in May, 2007.

He made his First Team debut at Old Trafford against Manchester United in August, 2007, following initial injury problems following his arrival from St Mary’s.

The next two games saw the youngster announce himself on the biggest stage, scoring his first Spurs goal in an away fixture with Fulham before hitting the opener in his first ever North London derby against Arsenal at White Hart Lane, a game we went on to lose 3-1.

But injury problems over the coming months, including a broken foot picked up in a home game with Birmingham City that December, curtailed his progress and ended his maiden season prematurely.

On returning from injury for the 2008-09 campaign, Gareth found regular football harder to come by due to the resurgance of Assou-Ekotto as the Club’s first-choice left-back until it all turned around for the young man from Cardiff.

Earlier on in his young career, Gareth made his professional debut for Southampton against Millwall in the Championship towards the end of the 2005-06 campaign.

He went on to be capped by his country at Under-21 level before becoming the youngest ever Wales international when he came off the bench against Trinidad and Tobago in June, 2006.

His first Welsh start came, ironically enough, at White Hart Lane in September 2006 when Brazil provided the opposition and a first international goal quickly followed against Slovakia in a European Championship qualifier – making him the country’s youngest goalscorer.

Gareth made 45 appearances for Southampton, scoring five goals, and helped the club to the Championship play-offs at the end of the 2006-07 season before his switch to the Lane.

Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh footballer who plays as a left back or left winger for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur and the Wales national team.

Club career

Southampton: At the age of 16 years and 275 days, Bale became the second youngest player ever to play for the Saints (after Theo Walcott) when he made his debut on 17 April 2006. He played the whole match as Southampton defeated Millwall 2–0.

On 6 August 2006, Bale scored his first league goal, a free kick, to level the scores at 1–1 against Derby County. The final score at Pride Park was 2–2.

He scored again, at St. Mary’s, against Coventry City in the team’s second game of the 2006–07 season with another free kick. Bale further developed his reputation as a free kick specialist when he struck the post from one against West Bromwich Albion By 16 December 2006, Bale’s goal count had risen to five, thanks to a late equaliser against Sunderland and free-kicks away to Hull and at home to Norwich City.

In December 2006 he won the Carwyn James Award for the BBC Wales Young Sports Personality of the Year. To cap his first full season as a professional footballer, Bale was named the Football League Young Player of the Year on 4 March 2007.

His final game for Southampton was in the first leg of the Championship play-off semi-final against Derby County on 12 May 2007. Bale suffered an injury during the second half, preventing him from appearing in the second leg. In total, he made 45 appearances for Southampton, scoring five goals.

Tottenham Hotspur: Bale completed a transfer to Tottenham on 25 May 2007, arranging a four-year deal, with Tottenham making an immediate payment of £5 million, with further additional payments that could see Bale’s transfer go up to £10m.

He played his first game for Spurs in a friendly against St. Patrick’s Athletic on 12 July 2007, but was substituted on the 80th minute with a minor dead-leg. He made his competitive debut for Tottenham Hotspur on 26 August away against Manchester United. In just his second Spurs appearance, he scored his first goal for Tottenham in the 3–3 draw with Fulham on 1 September when he latched on to Robbie Keane’s flick, charged down the left flank unopposed and coolly slotted past goalkeeper Antti Niemi. Bale then went on to score again against Arsenal in the North London Derby, scoring a free kick inside the near post. He then scored in the League Cup home tie against Middlesbrough, making it three goals in four starts for the 18-year-old. He also set up Spurs’ goal against Anorthorsis Famagusta in the UEFA Cup.

Bale was substituted after sustaining an injury resulting from a tackle from Fabrice Muamba in the league fixture against Birmingham City on 2 December 2007. A scan revealed that Bale had suffered ligament damage to his right ankle, consigning Bale to an extended period on the sidelines. Spurs’ sporting director Damien Comolli announced in February 2008 that Bale would miss the rest of the season through injury. He signed a new four-year deal with the club in August 2008.

Bale played a record 24 Premier League games for Spurs without being on the winning side. His first involvement in a Premier League victory came against Burnley on 26 September 2009 – more than two years after signing for Spurs – when he came on as an 85th minute substitute.

In June 2009, Bale had to undergo surgery for a knee injury, ruling him out for up to eight weeks. He missed the preseason matches and it was projected that he would miss the first few weeks of the 2009–10 season. On 26 September, he made his comeback as a substitute in the Spurs’ 5–0 thrashing of Burnley. However, he endured a frustrating time on the bench as Benoît Assou-Ekotto was in good form. When Assou-Ekotto was sidelined with an injury, manager Harry Redknapp decided to give Bale a chance and he impressed in the Spurs’ 4–0 thrashing of Peterborough in the FA Cup third-round. He finally tasted victory for the first time as a starter in a league game in the 2–0 win over London rivals Fulham. His good form continued and he was named Player of the Round after helping the Spurs to a 3–1 win in the sixth round replay of the FA Cup against Fulham. In April 2010, Bale scored another goal against Arsenal after a pass from Defoe he tapped the ball past the Arsenal keeper. Three days later, Bale slammed in Tottenham’s second with his weaker right foot in a 2–1 victory over leaders Chelsea and became Man of the Match. He was named Barclays Player of the Month for April.

He signed a new four year contract with Tottenham on 7 May 2010 as a reward for helping the club reach the UEFA Champions League qualification place.

On 21 August 2010, Bale scored twice in a 2–1 win at Stoke City, the second of which was a “stunning” head high volley into the top right hand corner of the goal. On 25 August, Bale set up all four goals to help Spurs overcome Young Boys 4–0 (6–3 agg.) in a Champions League play-off at White Hart Lane.

Comment: New Messiah Gareth Bale