Tottenham’s French custodian celebrated his 29th birthday on White Hart’s Lane pitch with a clean sheet and a 3-0  win against Norwich. Former Spurs player  David Ginola, currently working for French media Canal + met his countryman  in North London’s pub  The Holly Bush and asked him several questions about his life in Tottenham and France’s national team.

Lloris and Ginola share more than a french passport; they wore the same jersey and played under the same blue and white banner, so the interview went smoothly and the Tottenham’s skipper answered  honestly every question, leaving out the “politically correct.”

When Hugo was 12 years old, he chose to be a goalkeeper and abandon a very promising career as a tennis player; some years later, after  obtaining a sciences Baccalauréat (A-Levels) he decided to be a professional footballer and not continue his studies, but what about his signing to Tottenham and a place on the bench instead on the pitch ?       ( Friedel was and stayed the number one, for several weeks).

“Ah, but it wasn’t meant to be! (smiling) Of course it was  difficult to bear,  humanly and professionally, but life is never easy and I had my own ambition; the Winter Window was not far away  so I tried to be calm and positive.”

“The Boxing Day ? It’s quite special but unlike you( D. Gignola) I’ve only  got games in London or nearby;(till now!) I even spent all the New Year’s Eve at home ! It’s a special time of the year and of course for me, it’s very important to spent this holiday with my family.”

“Tottenham Hotspur,  is as good as several big clubs who play in the Champions League; there’s a new stadium coming, the training centre is awesome and the players have all the facilities to progress and blossom. Nevertheless, the English Premier League is very hard and reaching the Top Four is not easy, for our opponents are very big and important clubs. Maybe this year we’ll be able to be part of it. We’ve also  got a new manager who needed time( at least six months) to impose his game and training philosophy, but I think  that every one can see that  now on the pitch.”

“Ah, but of course I knew the names of Tottenham’s great players, Gascoigne, Hoddle … and  Ginola (laughs) and that before signing with the Spurs ! The” beautiful game” spirit one can feel it in the Stadium and in the club’s history. I’ve already said that I’m a Tottenham player and feel good playing for the club, but the future is still unknown and opportunities may come; nevertheless I feel good and I’m looking forward with  serenity.”

“The Valbuena-Benzema affair ” is in the hands of the french law and justice; Noël Le Grâet, the president of FFF( Fédération Française de Football) took the right decision(to ban Benzema): protecting the team is very important. My captaincy  ? Yes, I know that some people think that a skipper must be loud but I don’t think so; (Editor’s note: when Lloris has something to say, he tells to his team mates what he wants to say in private; of course on the pitch is different; one needs to shout  because of all that noise.) I do the job the best of my ability but I think that some people still see me  as the timid youngster that I was, when I signed to Lyon. Well, this is the past, but maybe they haven’t realised it yet.”

This interview was broadcasted the 26 of December and shows  well the player’s character; Lloris knows what he needs and where he wants to go. He’s happy at Tottenham, but he’s also ambitious and wants to realise the best career with or without the North London’s club. The good news for the club’s faithful is that if Tottenham continue to grow, then it’s a safe bet to say that the French captain will stay for ever!

Categories: news

Tags: David Ginola, Hugo Lloris, Tottenham Hotspur