Not every talented player on Spurs’ books has starred for the club at senior level (Image: Getty)
Former Tottenham youngster Paul-Jose M’Poku joined the club as a 15-year-old when Gareth Bale was making a name for himself in north London and came through the ranks with Harry Kane. However, it was another of his team-mates who stood out. London-born playmaker John Bostock joined the club just a few weeks before M’Poku and – as the Congolese international recalls – was more than worthy of the hype. Neither man was able to break into Spurs’ first-team but both thrived overseas before being reunited this year in Baller League, the small-sided competition which pits former Premier League stars with those of more varied backgrounds.
“He was already, let’s say, his body and his mind, everything was already in advance compared to most of us. So you will see things that you never see from a young player at this age,” M’Poku told Express Sport. M’Poku counts Bostock as one of his best friends in the game and their careers took similar paths. Both joined Spurs for huge fees in their teens – Bostock cost £700,000 after making his Crystal Palace debut at 15 while M’Poku set the club back a tidy sum after catching the eye with Standard Liege – and both became relative nomads, each playing in several different countries before eventually finding themselves on the same team again more than a decade after their Spurs experience.
Bostock played in five countries compared to nine for M’Poku, who was most recently in Saudi Arabia. However, the winger – now 34 – points to his former Spurs colleague as an example to follow for young players looking to spread their wings and recognise there is plenty to explore outside the English football pyramid.
“I told him many times you should go abroad and he actually went abroad and he did really well,” M’Poku added. “He went to France and he won the best player in Ligue 2 (award) with Lens and he had some great experience in Belgium and everything.
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“I really believe more English players should do that, because, sometimes there are so many opportunities and good clubs and good leagues abroad that give young players the chance to play.
“I was speaking with (academy director) Alex Inglethorpe in Liverpool. I was speaking about how, for me, young players need to go abroad because not everyone will make it to the Premier League.”
John Bostock was highly rated when he joined Spurs (Image: Getty)
M’Poku credits the loan system with helping kick-start his own career after he came to England as a 15-year-old who didn’t speak the language and was given a shock to the system by the steep learning curve. He spent a season with Leyton Orient alongside fellow Spurs loanees Kane and Tom Carroll, giving him a first taste of senior football and laying the foundations for a career which saw him play in Serie A, the Turkish Super Lig and beyond.
“I was feeling like I was a young man, but living like a pro,” he said. “(From) 15 years old, you have gym, you have hard training, they put you in the Premier League atmosphere, but at your age, let’s say they’re trying to prepare you for what the Premier League is demanding and everything.
“So for me it was a little bit of shock in the first few months. I was so tired,sleeping all the time. My body was not used to it and then I got used to it.
“One of the things that helped me so much was being able to go on loan at Leyton Orient at a young age with Harry Kane and Tom Carroll. It was really good for my development.”
Paul-Jose M’Poku is now playing in Baller League with Bostock (Image: Baller League)
Ultimately, that first team opportunity never arrived at Spurs, though he did make a matchday squad for an FA Cup game under Harry Redknapp. The likes of Bale and Aaron Lennon blocked his path to the senior side and he ultimately returned to Standard Liege.
An accomplished career followed, with 22 senior caps for the Democratic Republic of Congo and more than 300 top-flight appearances. It was another former Spurs youngster, Sam Cox, who convinced M’Poku to take another big step by moving to Baller League and that has offered another opportunity to put preconceptions to one side.
“My first impression is good because it’s giving hope also to other players that didn’t really make it as a professional like me,” he said. “For me it’s another way to play football and for other people to dream that they can maybe play one day in the Baller League.”
He points to the crowds being higher than some of the professional games in which he has played, while suggesting no one should assume a top-level career can prepare them for the different challenges which have come his way. “I grew up playing in the street and playing futsal and to be honest, it’s not the same,” he said.
“It’s really a new era of football. If you only played futsal, you won’t be able to play there. If you only played (11-a-side) football, you won’t be able to play there. So it’s in between. “You have to understand quick, you have to think quick, you have to do things in another way. Don’t come here and say ‘I played in the Prem, it will be easy’ or ’I played futsal and it will be easy’. No, no, no, no, no. It’s a different game.”
Baller League Season Three is available to watch live on www.youtube.com/@BallerLeagueUK. Tickets for the final four, taking place at The O2 in London on Monday May 25th, shown live on Sky Sports and Baller League’s YouTube, Twitch, TikTok channels, are available to purchase NOW via www.ballerleague.uk and www.theo2.co.uk.
