Benoît Assou-Ekotto once missed a wonderful transfer to Serie A. The former defender, who had his most successful spell at Tottenham Hotspur between 2006 and 2015, has The Athletic revealed that his haircut has hindered a move to Italy in the past. Assou-Ekotto was known for his remarkable hairstyle throughout his career, which led him alongside Tottenham to RC Lens and Saint-Étienne, among others.
“I once spoke to an Italian club, a stupid club. They said they wanted me very much but that they found it difficult to explain to the fans that they attracted a player with my hair. I am curious how my career will go would have expired if I hadn’t been extravagant with my hair.” Assou-Ekotto joined Tottenham in more than two hundred games, spread over seven seasons. He left Tottenham in 2015 to make the move to Saint-Étienne before finishing his career with FC Metz.
Known as an outspoken player, the 37-year-old full-back once revealed that he saw football ‘just as a job’ and played for money rather than any love for the game. In the past, Assou-Ekotto has also openly lashed out at players who held back in public and had the biggest mouth behind closed doors. “At least I’ve always been honest,” he said. The 23-time Cameroonian international cannot deny that this may have played tricks on him during his career.
“To people who lie, I say, ‘Come on, do you have two personalities? I can’t listen to people when they talk like that. I know they lie, and I hate lies. I’m not like that. I’m always honest, although the truth is not always good to tell. When I play football with my friends in France I can love football,” he once said. “But when I came to England, where I didn’t know anyone and didn’t speak English, I wondered what I was doing there. For a job. A career only lasts ten or fifteen years. It’s just a job. I’m not saying I hate football, but it’s not my passion. It never has been.”