From 'sad' to Madrid - Sissoko's story

Moussa Sissoko summed up his season as only he can. "I guess, for me, it's a good story."

Actually, it's a bit of a footballing fairytale.

This time last year, Moussa was left out of the French squad for the 2018 World Cup Finals in Russia. Soon after returning to Spurs for pre-season, his Club captain and friend Hugo Lloris was lifting the trophy.

To miss out on that triumph must have been heartbreaking. Moussa, 30 later this year, described himself as being 'a bit sad'.

Fast forward a year, and everything has changed. Having, by his own admission, struggled for his first two seasons at the Club in 2016/17 and 2017/18, something clicked. We've seen the real Moussa Sissoko, pure strength and power, the ability to win the ball back and take us from defence to attack in a matter of seconds.

Moussa made 44 appearances in all competitions in 2018/19, stepping out for the final time in the Champions League Final. He started 37 of our last 48 matches stretching back to October and made 27 starts in the Premier League compared to eight in his first season and 15 in 2017/18.

Loved by fans and team-mates alike, described by central midfield partner Harry Winks as 'an inpsiration', Moussa's performances were recently rewarded when he was named the inaugural Tottenham Hotspur Legends’ Player of the Season.

"Last year, at this time, I was a bit sad not to be part of the World Cup squad," reflected Moussa. "I’d played in qualifying and I wanted to be part of the best competition, so yes, not to be in the squad was painful.

"After that, I said ‘okay, life is like that’, sometimes you want something but you can’t get it, but it’s not the end of the world. You keep going, stay strong and try to give more to have more success.

"In football, you will have disappointments, this is human nature. But you realise even if you are not playing, you have a good life. That’s how I think.

"I feel I’m strong mentally and if times are hard, I will keep going, keep working and try to get to the other side. This season has been amazing for me. I’ve had the chance to play a lot of games and I’ve played well."