The Top 3 Italians to play for Spurs
Antonio Conte isn’t the first slice of Italian that Spurs fans have tasted since the dawn of the Premier League, but, without too much effort, he’s probably already been the most impactful.
Indeed, once he’s done, you’d imagine the former-Juventus coach’s achievements at White Hart Lane will eclipse the combined offerings of this Azzuri ensemble.
But let’s press on, and take a look at the three Italians that have pulled on a Spurs shirt in the last three decades. Slim pickings, perhaps, but heroes, each and every one.
Paulo Tramezzani
A textbook answer to a 90s footballer pub quiz, a high-scoring Scrabble play if proper nouns were allowed, Paulo Tramezzani is the quintessential Christian Gross signing.
Despite spending two years in North London at the tailend of the millennium, the former Inter Milan defender appeared just six times in the Premier League, and, understandably, never really made any kind of impact.
In an era when Tottenham’s defending was characterzied by calamitous mishaps and bewildering buffoonery, the Italian was never going to be the man to turn the tide.
It wasn’t all bad for Tramezzani; he did manage a goal on his debut against Peterborough in a pre-season friendly and forged somewhat of a successful coaching career after retirement. Making some steady if unspectacular moves at Hadjuk Split and Italian club Livorno.
Nicola Berti
Another Christian Gross signing, but one that could largely be considered a success. Arriving in January 1998, after an excellent spell with Inter Milan, Berti made 19 appearances for Spurs in his first season at Spurs, scoring 3 goals and providing a number of eye-catching displays.
The Italian’s quality, along with the goals of the returning Jurgen Klinsmann, was a huge factor in the North London club steering out of a relegation nosedive and into a comfortable 13th-place finish.
A classic, box-to-box midfielder with bags of experience on the international stage with Italy—for whom he made 39 appearances—Berti is by some margin the most talented Italian to ever play for Spurs.
Carlo Cudicini
The former Chelsea goalkeeper was drafted in as a backup for Spurs stopper Heurelho Gomes under Harry Redknapp in 2009—a fiercely sensible move considering the Brazilian’s propensity for the absurd.
In a period when Spurs were looking to shake free of the shackles of upper-midtablism, and into the Big Time of the best au online casino, the Italian’s experience proved valuable in the North London club’s first voyage into the Champions League.
Although playing just 19 times in the Premier League, Cudicini was an almost ever-present feature in the Spurs squad between 2009 and 2012—and it was only Hugo Lloris’ arrival in summer of 2012 that pushed the Italian fully out of the reckoning. Cudicini left in January 2013 to start a new career at MLS side LA Galaxy.
Arrivederci, friends. You’ll all be remembered.
