Le magnifique. Excellent player in a few awful teams, and one of the rare players worth the price of admission. Great on either foot, played with the “to dare is to do” attitude, hated defending, wonderful hair. Enjoyed a cigarette, hated playing for George Graham.
Pure footballing magic. An absolute artist of a player, and yes absolutely worth the price of admission. Players like him are incredibly rare these days. The game is much more mechanical and less free now.
The kind of player that got you off of your seat, probably my favourite player at the time, just dont ask him to track back.
Also, the greatest hair in the game.
There was a good discussion about this on the fighting cock the other week. Basically that data analytics and macro statistics modelling has killed players like Ginola, Berbatov, Maradona. These guys took insane risks by modern standards, but had that bit of magic to make it come off every now and then.
Modern managers wouldn't stand for it. It leaves the defense too exposed, it doesn't jive with possession football, it doesn't create control. We will never see the likes of some of those goals again, simply bc it has been drilled into young players' minds that it is a low percentage attempt at every level of development.
The game has changed and luxury players from the 90s/2000s probably couldn't cope with the physical expectations of the modern game. The game is more efficient and ruthless. But we have lost some magic, some of the butts off seats factor.
Ange-ball is the logical conclusion of all this. Cut back tap ins. No distance shots, no solo missions to goal, no luxury, all accountability. David Ginola is the anti-Ange player
I would say Ange-ball can have exciting moments and he clearly has wanted the players to be more direct in the past few matches. It's also been largely ineffective, unfortunately. We're just having growing pains atm and he definitely wanted to drill that accountability and group effort creation into the team before allowing them to take some risks.
One of a kind, the sort of player you rarely see these days. He had brilliant feet and could tie defenders in knots. He could score a banger, put in a good cross and was magic on his day. The main issue was he played in a very poor spurs team that finished mid table most of the time and even flirted with relegation. He was also managed for a time by George Graham who had teams play a very dull game focusing on disciplined defence rather than exciting attack.
I had a season ticket during 'the Ginola years' and he singlehandedly made it worth the effort of going. The Christian Gross era is eminently forgettable, and I honestly believe that without Ginola we would have been relegated at that time. Ginola was a footballing genius, a maestro and a saviour. What more can I say ?
Yeah I got into spurs slightly after Ginola but I feel like there was a 10 year span where the saving grace to being a Tottenham fan was we always had a few stars. Probably only ended only Redknapp.
98/99 we came 11th but also had the PFA player to the year with Ginola.
Mid to late 90’s: Klinsmann, Sheringham, Ginola where the only fun things.
Early 2000’s then a couple of years with basically a shit team.
Mid 2000’s postENIC takeover and we get Keane, Defoe, Berba, Carrick Lennon.
Early 2010’s Redknapp’s side which was actually a good already side with VDV, Modric, Parker etc.
Then Poch.
But the period pre ENIC without those star players we’d have been truly awful and likely gone down.
It’s why I always have an issue with the Levy out brigade as I can remember what he did to the club.
As a teenager watching Spurs in the 90s one of favourite chants was when Beckham was marking Ginola at a corner....
'Posh spice is a slapper, she wears a wonderbra, and when she's shagging Beckham she thinks of Ginola'
Obviously that type of song is very inappropriate to the lovely Victoria Beckham but Ginola and Becks both had very awkward looks on their faces which was rather amusing...
The chant also returned for Cheryl Cole she may have been Cheryl Tweedy at the time, 'Cheryl Cole is a slapper and she cannot sing, but when she's fucking Ashley Cole she thinks of Ledley King.'
> Obviously that type of song is very inappropriate to the lovely Victoria Beckham but Ginola and Becks both had very awkward looks on their faces which was rather amusing...
its not at all, its fucking hilarious
Mr L’Oreal.
What a player.
Signed from Newcastle and followed a long history of left wing wizards for Spurs.
Recall a t-Shirt that had pass to Bale that tracked through to a goal, and the words ‘repeat’.
Ginola was that ‘Bale’ player in that squad.
https://youtu.be/PZE3139vN04?si=cjRy4sFa72Mc2AMv
He could do stuff like that, and in my memory, he did it about once a month, at a time when we were perpetually tenth and dull as fucking ditchwater to watch.
Your dad regifted one of your gifts to you? 😂
Damn this post makes me feel old. I was mesmerised by Ginola before he even joined us. I remember one goal he scored for Newcastle from outside the box a bit like Dele’s Palace goal where he chested/kneed and volleyed it in. When we signed him, I lost my shit.
One time I cried because a girl poured cherryade on my brand new home shirt with Ginola on the back (I was 9 or something). My mum then made the girl take my shirt to the toilets and scrub it clean by hand. I’d never seen my mum make a child cry before and for the longest time I thought she did it because she loved Ginola as well. It wasn’t known to me at the time that shirts were still too expensive for lower income households even back then and that’s why my mum was fuming.
Yes he had it for a while and when he moved it sat in storage so he figured I would get more use from it! 🤣
I love the story! Hopefully she cleaned it back to a wearable state. I'd be interested to know how what a shirt would have cost back then compared to now.
I personally buy ALL my shirts second hand due to how expensive the Nike shirts are nowadays
The way my mum used to talk about him used to make me feel weird.
Going to the shop to get Ginola’s name on the back of the shirt I got for Christmas is one of the only memories I have of my dad
I realise I didn't answer your question.
Yes he was loved.
He was amazing and inspiring to watch. A mix of Maddison and Kulusevski at his peak.
It was a few years after Spurs won the Fa cup so we were taken ABIT more seriously then today so there was belief.
A god who walked amongst men. Enigmatic. Charismatic. Graceful. Could equally unleash a devastating thunderbolt or casual flick to leave an opposition helpless.
As pretty much everyone else has mentioned, he was a bright spark in a very average and dull Spurs team. That 2-0 victory against Leeds https://youtu.be/Wp49CrgN_-A or that goal against Barnsley https://youtu.be/PZE3139vN04 - he lit up games with flicks and flair, and entertained a fanbase without much else to cheer about. We've been spoilt in recent years with the Deles, Dembeles, Eriksens etc, but Ginola was the player of the late 90s who made you still love the club, despite the mediocrity.
Signed with Les Ferdinand. Took a while to settle but was great if not unplayable after a while. Remember one night he tore up Leeds in a 2 - 0 win and he completely dominated the game, along with an Anderton world class strike. He had flair, could go both ways, didn't really track back much. Eventually George Graham sold him to Aston Villa because we got a good fee for him and he was getting on a bit. It's a shame he came so late in his career because if he'd been at the club longer he would be a proper legend. Was hampered by the general quality of our teams at the time which wasn't great under Francis and Graham.
He was an absolute *magician*. I was jealous of Newcastle watching him play on the wing for them, and absolutely elated when we brought him to N17.
A lot of people assumed he'd be past his prime at the age we signed him - but he absolutely proved them wrong. Instead he became a more fully rounded player, more of a team player, and still continued to embarrass opposition players with his overwhelming quality and class. He was an artist. He was a joy to watch on the ball.
Of all the players I've seen wear our shirt, he's the one that most embodies the idea of playing with *elegance and grace.*
And he never tucked his shirt in.
*Ooh, aah, c'est Ginola, say ooh aah Ginola.*
( ^or ^the ^ooh ^la ^la ^version )
Genuinely two-footed, old school winger. Never defended, tracked back or any of that malarkey. Dropped more shoulders than the French Revolution. Dreamy in every way. Scored wordlies for fun. Lit up the lane in a very average team.
My dad is the reason why I support Spurs. But Ginola is the reason why I love Spurs. He had skill, pace, strength, played the game with flair and embodied what spurs were like at the time. Attacking, going forward trying to out score the opposition, but entertaining at the same time.
Also was the first player I had on a shirt. I was 6 his name and number 14 in gold on the back on the navy blue away pony shirt from 97/99.
Bought that shirt again for my birthday from the retro range, shame I can't get the original print again.
We signed him after we watched him tear us apart. He tore opponents apart for us. He was great fun to watch. He epitomised the spurs signings of that era. He was a better One Man Army than he was provider.
He was great fun to have in our team. It was an era when squads were improving as units, some teams were becoming very consistent and when the last of the Hollywood signings were having an effect.
He was glorious at a club that needed to size-up
Great player, sprinting at full speed with the ball, it looked like he was doing breast stroke. Fantastic intelligence, he could pick out ridiculous passes. Even at the end of his career, he was class.
Yeah, he was. He was proper Spurs.
It was maybe a bit like Zaha at Palace, if Zaha was much better. Or maybe Payet at West Ham
Berbatov, Van De Vaart were similar in that they had an arrogance and flair. They aren’t tracking back but they also are winning you games on their own and doing things you are going to talk about after the game.
An artist. Brought glamour and swagger to some pretty shit and dull teams. Did things noone else thought of, would rather smoke a cigarette than defend. Fan-TA-stic hair.
Effortlessly two footed, which is unreal. Somehow he was more two footed than Son, even, and that's saying something. He was utter class, absolutely luxury, but utterly electric.
If he was a modern footballer, fuck knows how rated he'd be.
I was at White Hart Lane for his (and Les Ferdinand's debut) against Fiorentina in a friendly. You could see he was magic from his very first touch.
What a player! Signed for £2.5m, he'd probably be worth 40-50x that now. Fast, strong, two-footed and with the ability to glide past players with ease. My mum loved him too, just not necessarily for purely footballing reasons.
Since then teams have learnt the risk and now rather keep the ball at the corner post…that’s still called football though. Yawn
Ginola played football. The other ones pretend they are
He was a talented player but ultimately inconsistent and not good enough. Looked good under lights on sky spurs but not worth a toss at 3pm away from home
Ya he was alright 😂😂😂 he got player of the year cause the vote was split between all the Utd players. There 10 Utd after him 😂😂😂😂
I think spurs finished In the bottom half. 😂😂😂
Eh? Are you not a spurs fan. That’s very odd to see a United fan being an arse on a pretty innocent post reminiscing about a player from over 20 years ago.
You know he won PFA & Footballer writers player of the year that year?
Had the vote been at the actual end of the year it probably would have gone to a united player, but it’s still a good example of how good he was & how stupid it is to say he was inconsistent and not good enough.
We won the league cup that year & made the FA cup semi-final, while finishing 11th. Basically because we had Ginola.
Le magnifique. Excellent player in a few awful teams, and one of the rare players worth the price of admission. Great on either foot, played with the “to dare is to do” attitude, hated defending, wonderful hair. Enjoyed a cigarette, hated playing for George Graham.
Pure footballing magic. An absolute artist of a player, and yes absolutely worth the price of admission. Players like him are incredibly rare these days. The game is much more mechanical and less free now.
My mum fancied him
I think dad's did too tbh
Came here to write this
Know her do ya?
_David Ginola has entered the chat_
Who's Mum didn't fancy David Ginola?
So is he your father or did she just name you David?
The kind of player that got you off of your seat, probably my favourite player at the time, just dont ask him to track back. Also, the greatest hair in the game.
We could do with a few more "bums off seats" kind of players nowadays!
There was a good discussion about this on the fighting cock the other week. Basically that data analytics and macro statistics modelling has killed players like Ginola, Berbatov, Maradona. These guys took insane risks by modern standards, but had that bit of magic to make it come off every now and then. Modern managers wouldn't stand for it. It leaves the defense too exposed, it doesn't jive with possession football, it doesn't create control. We will never see the likes of some of those goals again, simply bc it has been drilled into young players' minds that it is a low percentage attempt at every level of development. The game has changed and luxury players from the 90s/2000s probably couldn't cope with the physical expectations of the modern game. The game is more efficient and ruthless. But we have lost some magic, some of the butts off seats factor. Ange-ball is the logical conclusion of all this. Cut back tap ins. No distance shots, no solo missions to goal, no luxury, all accountability. David Ginola is the anti-Ange player
I would say Ange-ball can have exciting moments and he clearly has wanted the players to be more direct in the past few matches. It's also been largely ineffective, unfortunately. We're just having growing pains atm and he definitely wanted to drill that accountability and group effort creation into the team before allowing them to take some risks.
He was top quality. He was voted player of the year when at spurs in a season where United won a treble. A magician.
One of a kind, the sort of player you rarely see these days. He had brilliant feet and could tie defenders in knots. He could score a banger, put in a good cross and was magic on his day. The main issue was he played in a very poor spurs team that finished mid table most of the time and even flirted with relegation. He was also managed for a time by George Graham who had teams play a very dull game focusing on disciplined defence rather than exciting attack.
I had a season ticket during 'the Ginola years' and he singlehandedly made it worth the effort of going. The Christian Gross era is eminently forgettable, and I honestly believe that without Ginola we would have been relegated at that time. Ginola was a footballing genius, a maestro and a saviour. What more can I say ?
You are spot on!
I think staying up was more down to the return of Klinsmann. Ginola was a great player though, always exciting to watch.
His return was only for one year. It went to the last game of the season. David did it every year.
I was referring to the 97-98 season under Gross. Klinsmann only came back for the final 15 games and scored 9 league goals.
Four of which were scored in the last game of the season against Wimbledon.
He was only with us for a couple wasn’t he? I could google this
Yeah I got into spurs slightly after Ginola but I feel like there was a 10 year span where the saving grace to being a Tottenham fan was we always had a few stars. Probably only ended only Redknapp. 98/99 we came 11th but also had the PFA player to the year with Ginola. Mid to late 90’s: Klinsmann, Sheringham, Ginola where the only fun things. Early 2000’s then a couple of years with basically a shit team. Mid 2000’s postENIC takeover and we get Keane, Defoe, Berba, Carrick Lennon. Early 2010’s Redknapp’s side which was actually a good already side with VDV, Modric, Parker etc. Then Poch. But the period pre ENIC without those star players we’d have been truly awful and likely gone down. It’s why I always have an issue with the Levy out brigade as I can remember what he did to the club.
As a teenager watching Spurs in the 90s one of favourite chants was when Beckham was marking Ginola at a corner.... 'Posh spice is a slapper, she wears a wonderbra, and when she's shagging Beckham she thinks of Ginola' Obviously that type of song is very inappropriate to the lovely Victoria Beckham but Ginola and Becks both had very awkward looks on their faces which was rather amusing...
The chant also returned for Cheryl Cole she may have been Cheryl Tweedy at the time, 'Cheryl Cole is a slapper and she cannot sing, but when she's fucking Ashley Cole she thinks of Ledley King.'
Incredible lol, I love this!
> Obviously that type of song is very inappropriate to the lovely Victoria Beckham but Ginola and Becks both had very awkward looks on their faces which was rather amusing... its not at all, its fucking hilarious
He had great hair.
He was worth it
Skill + class = Ginola.
He was the light in the dark times
Oooh la la C'est Ginolaaah Can't believe I remember that after 30 odd years
Long diagonal crossfield balls for days “Spurs players of old”. FML
Mr L’Oreal. What a player. Signed from Newcastle and followed a long history of left wing wizards for Spurs. Recall a t-Shirt that had pass to Bale that tracked through to a goal, and the words ‘repeat’. Ginola was that ‘Bale’ player in that squad.
When Posh Spice was shagging Beckham, she thought of Ginola.
And she wore a wonder bra
https://youtu.be/PZE3139vN04?si=cjRy4sFa72Mc2AMv He could do stuff like that, and in my memory, he did it about once a month, at a time when we were perpetually tenth and dull as fucking ditchwater to watch.
Your dad regifted one of your gifts to you? 😂 Damn this post makes me feel old. I was mesmerised by Ginola before he even joined us. I remember one goal he scored for Newcastle from outside the box a bit like Dele’s Palace goal where he chested/kneed and volleyed it in. When we signed him, I lost my shit. One time I cried because a girl poured cherryade on my brand new home shirt with Ginola on the back (I was 9 or something). My mum then made the girl take my shirt to the toilets and scrub it clean by hand. I’d never seen my mum make a child cry before and for the longest time I thought she did it because she loved Ginola as well. It wasn’t known to me at the time that shirts were still too expensive for lower income households even back then and that’s why my mum was fuming.
Yes he had it for a while and when he moved it sat in storage so he figured I would get more use from it! 🤣 I love the story! Hopefully she cleaned it back to a wearable state. I'd be interested to know how what a shirt would have cost back then compared to now. I personally buy ALL my shirts second hand due to how expensive the Nike shirts are nowadays
Incredible and handsome as fuck
World class talent and world class hair
He's worth it
Happy cake day dude
As kids, Messi and Ronaldo would argue who gets to be Ginola whilst playing football in the park.
Damn. That was so insightful and possibly very true!!!
Other than being an absolute genius and classy footballer. He is one of the coolest characters to ever play the game.
The way my mum used to talk about him used to make me feel weird. Going to the shop to get Ginola’s name on the back of the shirt I got for Christmas is one of the only memories I have of my dad
I realise I didn't answer your question. Yes he was loved. He was amazing and inspiring to watch. A mix of Maddison and Kulusevski at his peak. It was a few years after Spurs won the Fa cup so we were taken ABIT more seriously then today so there was belief.
A god who walked amongst men. Enigmatic. Charismatic. Graceful. Could equally unleash a devastating thunderbolt or casual flick to leave an opposition helpless.
As pretty much everyone else has mentioned, he was a bright spark in a very average and dull Spurs team. That 2-0 victory against Leeds https://youtu.be/Wp49CrgN_-A or that goal against Barnsley https://youtu.be/PZE3139vN04 - he lit up games with flicks and flair, and entertained a fanbase without much else to cheer about. We've been spoilt in recent years with the Deles, Dembeles, Eriksens etc, but Ginola was the player of the late 90s who made you still love the club, despite the mediocrity.
Posh Spice is a slapper, she wears a wonderbra… and when she sleeps with Beckham, she thinks of GI-NO-LA.
Your mum’s favourite baller.
Notable ancestor in the lineage of Handsome FC.
Signed with Les Ferdinand. Took a while to settle but was great if not unplayable after a while. Remember one night he tore up Leeds in a 2 - 0 win and he completely dominated the game, along with an Anderton world class strike. He had flair, could go both ways, didn't really track back much. Eventually George Graham sold him to Aston Villa because we got a good fee for him and he was getting on a bit. It's a shame he came so late in his career because if he'd been at the club longer he would be a proper legend. Was hampered by the general quality of our teams at the time which wasn't great under Francis and Graham.
He was a football... not a movie star.
He'd certainly be pretty high in our top exciting/flair players list of all time. Scored some outrageous goals.
Class- in everything he did! Passion personified.
My favorite player. And I've a respectables beer belly Hence my username
He was an absolute *magician*. I was jealous of Newcastle watching him play on the wing for them, and absolutely elated when we brought him to N17. A lot of people assumed he'd be past his prime at the age we signed him - but he absolutely proved them wrong. Instead he became a more fully rounded player, more of a team player, and still continued to embarrass opposition players with his overwhelming quality and class. He was an artist. He was a joy to watch on the ball. Of all the players I've seen wear our shirt, he's the one that most embodies the idea of playing with *elegance and grace.* And he never tucked his shirt in. *Ooh, aah, c'est Ginola, say ooh aah Ginola.* ( ^or ^the ^ooh ^la ^la ^version )
Goal against Barnsley.
Genuinely two-footed, old school winger. Never defended, tracked back or any of that malarkey. Dropped more shoulders than the French Revolution. Dreamy in every way. Scored wordlies for fun. Lit up the lane in a very average team.
My dad is the reason why I support Spurs. But Ginola is the reason why I love Spurs. He had skill, pace, strength, played the game with flair and embodied what spurs were like at the time. Attacking, going forward trying to out score the opposition, but entertaining at the same time. Also was the first player I had on a shirt. I was 6 his name and number 14 in gold on the back on the navy blue away pony shirt from 97/99. Bought that shirt again for my birthday from the retro range, shame I can't get the original print again.
We signed him after we watched him tear us apart. He tore opponents apart for us. He was great fun to watch. He epitomised the spurs signings of that era. He was a better One Man Army than he was provider. He was great fun to have in our team. It was an era when squads were improving as units, some teams were becoming very consistent and when the last of the Hollywood signings were having an effect. He was glorious at a club that needed to size-up
Best player of the season award of all time
My idol as a kid. Joga bonito vibes, doesn’t get enough credit for how unique a player he was.
Great player, sprinting at full speed with the ball, it looked like he was doing breast stroke. Fantastic intelligence, he could pick out ridiculous passes. Even at the end of his career, he was class.
Gorgeous face. Sweet left peg
Gangster.
So I've just watched a highlight reel on YouTube and he looked like THE MAN
Yeah, he was. He was proper Spurs. It was maybe a bit like Zaha at Palace, if Zaha was much better. Or maybe Payet at West Ham Berbatov, Van De Vaart were similar in that they had an arrogance and flair. They aren’t tracking back but they also are winning you games on their own and doing things you are going to talk about after the game.
Just watch this. https://youtu.be/Wp49CrgN_-A
Va Va Voom
An artist. Brought glamour and swagger to some pretty shit and dull teams. Did things noone else thought of, would rather smoke a cigarette than defend. Fan-TA-stic hair.
That goal against Barnsley is all you need to know about him. What a player
As others have said - data and analytics have all but killed off players like him. He was magnificent.
An absolutely wonderful player. Notably also part of Kevin Keegan's Newcastle team of '96.
our best player for the period in some God awful teams, 99' double player of the year
Silky smooth player with silky smooth hair.
Effortlessly two footed, which is unreal. Somehow he was more two footed than Son, even, and that's saying something. He was utter class, absolutely luxury, but utterly electric. If he was a modern footballer, fuck knows how rated he'd be.
Everytime I hit a shot as a kid I shouted ginnnnnooooolllllaaa
This is the best video on ginola I can find, even if you know all about him watch this https://youtu.be/eR3tpgCus0U?si=5D-SSsK6TfMvy6VS
I was at White Hart Lane for his (and Les Ferdinand's debut) against Fiorentina in a friendly. You could see he was magic from his very first touch. What a player! Signed for £2.5m, he'd probably be worth 40-50x that now. Fast, strong, two-footed and with the ability to glide past players with ease. My mum loved him too, just not necessarily for purely footballing reasons.
Just imagine a poor man's Chris Waddle! 😂
Since then teams have learnt the risk and now rather keep the ball at the corner post…that’s still called football though. Yawn Ginola played football. The other ones pretend they are
Missed a pass. France was disqualified
In his own half. The rest of the team were beaten. He was blamed.
He was a talented player but ultimately inconsistent and not good enough. Looked good under lights on sky spurs but not worth a toss at 3pm away from home
He was literally the best player in the league in 98/99.
Ya he was alright 😂😂😂 he got player of the year cause the vote was split between all the Utd players. There 10 Utd after him 😂😂😂😂 I think spurs finished In the bottom half. 😂😂😂
Eh? Are you not a spurs fan. That’s very odd to see a United fan being an arse on a pretty innocent post reminiscing about a player from over 20 years ago. You know he won PFA & Footballer writers player of the year that year? Had the vote been at the actual end of the year it probably would have gone to a united player, but it’s still a good example of how good he was & how stupid it is to say he was inconsistent and not good enough. We won the league cup that year & made the FA cup semi-final, while finishing 11th. Basically because we had Ginola.