It will be the first meeting in official competitions, tonight between Tottenham e Roma. An unprecedented challenge, between two realities that had therefore never met (except in a friendly) on the pitch. In all these years there are few players who have worn the shirts of both clubs: here are some.
Mido
Opening the list is one of the biggest transfer flops in Roma’s history. Arrived at 18 years old at Ajax, the young Egyptian forms with Ibrahimovic a pair with 18 goals in total, 12 of which were all his. The two create sparks, on and off the pitch: following an argument, Mido throws a pair of scissors at the Swede, almost touching him. THE’Ajax he immediately loaned him to Celta Vigo, then to Olympique Marseille. Among the various teams interested in Roma, where Capello he hadn’t wanted it because he was more interested in Zlatan. However, in the summer of 2004 the coach moved to Juventus, where he would be followed by Ibra. Mido, on the other hand, finally lands in the Giallorossi, for 6 million euros. The comparison with his former teammate (at the presentation Mido will say “Zlatan is good, but I score more”) is clearly lost, with only eight appearances in the season of the 4 coaches and the transfer after just six months, in January to Tottenham. In London, Mido finds his best form again, and if this is not enough to win the long-distance challenge with his friend-enemy, who will then move to Inter, what he demonstrated in the 18 months of loan is enough to convince Spurs, who will they redeem from Roma for almost 7 million euros. The adventure in the English club would last only one more season, before the beginning of a wandering that led him to retire at just 30 years old.
Erik Lamela
From a missed talent to a well-discovered one, brought to Rome by Walter Sabatini. Arriving in 2011 with the establishment of American ownership, the former Palermo director was called to transfer to the club the philosophy that over the years had allowed him to get his hands on the various Pastore and Ilicic. Sabatini therefore makes this young Argentine winger his calling card, snatching him from River Plate. “We wanted to give a signal to the big clubs in Europe, when Rome is involved there is no tripe for cats” Sabatini will say in his farewell conference regarding the Lamela operation. In the Giallorossi from 2011 to 2013, Erik closed his debut season in Europe with 6 goals in 31 games. The 15 goals the following year made him one of the players most sought after Giallorossi on the market: Tottenham are looking for him, who in the summer of 2013 made the most profitable transfer in the history of football by selling Bale to Real Madrid per 100 million euros. To replace him, “El Coco” was chosen, who will remain in England for 8 years, from 2013 to 2021. Before saying goodbye, with the deal practically done, Erik follows the team away to Livorno for the season debut. The image of him rejoicing together with his now former teammates is the latest in a bond which, albeit with some hiccups (see the criticism from the fans after the Budapest final won by Lamela with Sevilla) remains well balance after years.
Iago Falque
Probably the least remembered by both parties, after a period in the Juventus youth team, the Spanish winger was sold to Tottenham at the age of 21. In England he found very little space: he was loaned out after just six months to Southampton, where he played just one match. Having returned to Spurs, the following year he took the field in just one Premier League match. The club then loaned him first to Almeria, then to Rayo Vallecano, finally selling him in 2014 to Genoa. After a season with 13 goals in the league, Roma bought him, but Iago didn’t take off: after a few games Rudi Garcia he prefers Gervinho to support Dzeko and Salah, and the space becomes even less with the arrival in January of SpallettiEl Shaarawy and Perotti. He will therefore leave the capital after just one season, marked by just three goals.
Federico Fazio
Exploded at Sevillewhere he won a Spanish Cup, a Super Cup and a Europa League, the Argentine defender is one of the many outgoing hits of the Spanish club during the era Monchiwhich sells it for 10 million euros per Tottenham in 2014. The start wasn’t the best: the centre-back only made his debut in October, being immediately sent off against Manchester City. Takes another red after less than a monththen in the winter of 2016 he returned to Sevilla, where he won another Europa League. Discovered by whoever would later become Roma’s new sporting director, Fazio also made his way into the heart of the manager of the time, Walter Sabatiniwho takes him for a total of not even 5 million between loan and redemption. Arriving to complete the defense, he quickly became the starter, displacing Thomas Entertainment. He will therefore remain in the Giallorossi for 5 seasons, with the first two telling of a Fazio leader, protagonist in the cavalcata in Champions League in 2018. After the next three, mostly marked by many errors, the new coach José Mourinho decides to put him outside pink at the start of the 2021-22 season. Having terminated his contract with Roma, the following January he reunited with Sabatini, who took him to Salernitana.
Jose Mourinho
The Special One is the ultimate double ex. Sacked by Chelsea and Manchester United, Mourinho it is the surprise move by the owners to try to take the last step and bring the titles to a club that the year before had stopped in the Champions League final. With Pochettino sacked, in 2019 José arrived (or rather, returned) to London to revive a team that had slipped to fourteenth place. There pandemic arrived a few months later and forces him to play in a (brand new) deserted stadium, and according to what the coach himself said, this is perhaps the reason why the Tottenham seems to be the only club he hasn’t managed to form a connection with. The first season ends with the elimination in the round of 16 of the Champions League and the sixth place which is worth qualifying for Europe. The journey in the second European competition will end dramatically in the quarter-finals, with a 3-0 defeat against Dinamo Kiev, while in the championship, after a brief period at the top in November, the team loses contact with the top positions. The best result could have been in League Cupwhere it reaches the finalebut Tottenham are will exempt a week before (then losing the match against City): a decision that, between one press conference and another, the coach will demonstrate that he did not take well; fortunately a different decision from what the company will do instead Romawhose recent history speaks for itself: made official a month after his dismissal from the English club, Mou wins the Giallorossi Conference League (in which his former team also participated) and reaches a Europa League final, a competition in which his two former teams will face each other this evening.
