Returning Spurs...

In football, there is an old adage saying ‘never go back’ – the belief that things can never be as good as they were the first time around.

For recent arrival Gareth Bale, who returned to north London last Saturday after a seven-year hiatus at Real Madrid, that is a theory he will be aiming to prove wrong as he embarks on his season-long loan with us.

In the Welshman’s favour, there is plenty of evidence in our history to suggest that deciding to return to Spurs often proves to be a very shrewd decision, with many players having enjoyed success in their second spell.

So, as we welcome Gareth back to N17, we take a look back at seven Spurs players who just couldn’t resist the lure of returning to north London.

Tony Marchi

(1949-1957 and 1959-1965)

260 appearances | 7 goals

A schoolboy with us before making his professional debut at the age of just 17, Tony Marchi was part of our 1960/61 Double and our 1963 European Cup Winners’ Cup winning sides. A left half-back with height and creativity, his commitment and development saw him progress quickly in his early years and by the end of the 1954/55 season, he provided the ideal replacement for the outgoing Ron Burgess. Dependable and consistent, Tony went on to become our captain over the next two campaigns before departing for a spell in his father’s homeland of Italy. He spent just two years in the north of the Mediterranean nation with stints at Juventus, Vicenza and Torino before he made his return to north London in 1959.

Even though his quality would have seen him walk into any other side in the First Division, it proved a struggle for Marchi to get back into our team when he came back to White Hart Lane, with his old position having been taken by Dave Mackay. Yet, he still made a valuable contribution to the team in one of the greatest periods in the Club’s history as he made six league appearances in the historic Double winning campaign. Then, two years later in the Cup Winners’ Cup, Marchi came in for the injured Mackay and featured five times en route to the final, where he then helped us to a 5-1 win over Atletico Madrid before he hung up his boots in 1965.

Micky Hazard

(1979-1986 and 1993-1995)

170 appearances | 25 goals

A skilful, talented playmaker, Micky Hazard enjoyed great success with us, most notably in his first spell in north London as he helped us to both FA Cup and UEFA Cup triumphs. Moving south from his home in Sunderland as he joined us as a schoolboy, Micky made an instant impression on the team following his League debut against Everton in 1980. A composed passer of a ball with neat control, the midfielder had his hands on his first piece of silverware just two years after his debut as he played his part in our FA Cup victory over QPR. Yet, it was in our 1984 UEFA Cup triumph that his greatest days in a Spurs shirt came. Instrumental in our victory over Anderlecht, Micky provided the assists for both of our goals across the two-legged affair as we went onto claim European glory with a 4-3 win over the Belgian outfit on penalties.

The following year, Micky moved onto Chelsea and later had spells at Portsmouth and Swindon Town before returning to us in 1993 for his final two seasons as a professional. Despite being in his twilight years, the playmaker was still able to play his part for us and, crucially, showcase his natural, exciting talent on the ball that had made him such a hit in his initial spell.

Teddy Sheringham

(1992-1997 and 2001-2003)

277 appearances | 124 goals

An instinctive and intelligent striker, Teddy Sheringham was a born goalscorer who went on to fire home 124 times for us over his two spells in N17. Signed from Nottingham Forest as we embarked on the inaugural Premier League season in 1992, Teddy started as he meant to go on, scoring on his debut in what turned into our first win in the new competition as we defeated Sheffield United 2-0. He went on to finish the campaign as the division’s top scorer. Free-kicks, chips, first-time hits and clips, Teddy could do it all and, especially alongside Jurgen Klinsmann, there seemingly was no stopping him in front of goal.

In 1997 though, and at the age of 31, the forward moved to Manchester United but four years later he returned to north London. Back in a Spurs shirt, he made an instant impact. Firing in 12 goals in his first campaign back, we earned our highest finish in six years while we also reached the 2002 League Cup Final. At the age of 36, and in his final season for us, the forward didn’t let off in the goalscoring department as he hit another dozen Premier League goals taking him up to 98 in the competition – a tally which made him our highest goalscorer in the league until he was overtaken by Harry Kane in 2018.

Jurgen Klinsmann

(1994/95 and 1997/98)

68 appearances | 38 goals

He may not have been with us long, but in his two brief spells in north London, Jurgen Klinsmann took little time to become a fans’ favourite at White Hart Lane. Initially joining us in 1994 from AS Monaco, Jurgen’s impact was immediate as he scored on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday – a classy header which was celebrated with that iconic dive. It was firepower that the German brought with him - especially alongside Teddy Sheringham – and he could score from anywhere and anyhow. Proficient with either foot, he could knock the ball in from a few yards or power them in from distance. He also had sweet volleys, diving headers and self-assured chips in his locker. Plus, he worked hard, tirelessly in fact, which just further endeared him to the Spurs faithful. Yet, after scoring 29 goals in his first season, and leading us to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, he left us at the end of that campaign, joining Bayern Munich before later moving to Sampdoria.

By late 1997 though, he was back in N17, and just when we needed him most. While he was only back for half a season, Jurgen provided us with the necessary lift as we battled away from relegation. Goals were very much required, and the forward duly delivered as he scored six in our last three games to secure our Premier League status, including a four-goal haul against Wimbledon in his penultimate appearance.

Robbie Keane

(2002-2008 and 2008-2011)

306 appearances | 122 goals

Robbie Keane found a home at Spurs when he first signed for us in 2002. With passion, enthusiasm and an eye for goal, ‘Keano’ quickly settled into life at White Hart Lane and went on to excel. The hat-trick against Everton, the curler against Chelsea and the delightful flick and volley finish against Blackburn are just some of the highlights of his 122 goals for us. And many from that catalogue of finishes came alongside Dimitar Berbatov, who Robbie formed a prolific partnership with, as the pair turned in a combined total of 91 goals – a strike-force at the forefront of our 2008 League Cup triumph.

Later that year, Robbie departed for Liverpool but, after just seven months on Merseyside, he was back in N17. On his return, the Irishman was appointed our vice-captain, often deputising for skipper Ledley King and, within a month, he was back among the goals as he fired home against Middlesbrough and set up another two. Robbie went on to score another 15 goals for us, before loan spells with Celtic and West Ham, departing permanently for LA Galaxy in 2011, having cemented his place as one of our modern-day greats.

Jermain Defoe

(2004-2008 and 2009-2014)

363 appearances | 143 goals

A striker still going strong in the game with Scottish giants Rangers, Jermain Defoe remains one of the greatest goalscorers in the Club’s history. His ability in front of goal was immediately clear. Signing from West Ham United midway through the 2003/04 season, ‘JD’ got off to the perfect start as he scored four times in his first three outings – and later that term he was named our Player of the Year by our fans. Season after season, goals continued to come for the instinctive striker yet he still faced a battle for a starting spot at the Lane as our squad benefitted from a glut of talented marksmen with Robbie Keane, Frederic Kanoute, Dimitar Berbatov, Mido and Darren Bent all representing us during that period.

In January, 2008, Jermain left for Portsmouth, but only briefly. Just 12 months later, he was back home in north London. The following year, the England international enjoyed his best-ever season for us with 18 goals in the Premier League as we secured Champions League qualification for the first time. On the European stage, he also shone for us and, until recently, the forward was our record holder for most goals on the continent. In total, Jermain hit 79 goals for us in his second spell alone – five of which came in a memorable meeting with Wigan Athletic – before he departed in 2014 for Toronto FC.

Pascal Chimbonda

(2006-2008 and 2009)

103 appearances | 3 goals

A deadline day signing in the summer of 2006, Pascal Chimbonda was a full-back who showed spirit and character in his two spells with the Club. He joined us on the back of a very impressive debut season in the Premier League with newly promoted Wigan Athletic where he helped the Latics reach the League Cup Final and saw his performances rewarded with a place in the PFA Team of the Year. A regular in our team for the next two seasons, the French international played his part in our run to the UEFA Cup quarter finals while he also helped us to silverware. Appearing in six of our League Cup games in the 2007/08 season, the right-back scored in the round of 16 2-0 victory over Blackpool before playing 60 minutes in the 2-1 triumph over Chelsea in the final at Wembley.

At the end of that season, Pascal moved to Sunderland, joining Teemu Tainio and Steed Malbranque in the switch to the north east, but the Frenchman was back in north London just six months later. Being cup tied in the League Cup, he was unable to feature in his third final in the competition in just four seasons as we took on Manchester United in the 2009 showpiece at Wembley. He did, however, feature for us in the Premier League and UEFA Cup, before departing for Blackburn Rovers that summer.