Erik Lamela was a firm favourite at Tottenham Hotspur. Signed from Roma in 2013, it took a while for the Argentinian playmaker to truly settle in north London.
Many wrote him off, having come in to fill the void left by Gareth Bale, taking on the number 11 shirt. But while he was never, ever going to match the incredible levels Bale did, Lamela did win over the majority of fans.
His all-action, never-say-die mentality was there for all to see whenever he pulled on the Lilywhite shirt. He would give everything for the case, and there was undoubted talent in there too.
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He scored not one, but two rabona goals during his Tottenham career, one in the North London Derby against Arsenal that won the Puskas award for goal of the season. He would later go on to be sent off in that game - his one and only red card in N17.
Lamela left Spurs to sign for Sevilla in the summer of 2021, with Bryan Gil coming the other way. He ended his Spurs career with 36 goals and 46 assists in his 256 appearances - a goal involvement in almost every three games. And Spurs fans got to see the Argentinian once more on Saturday.
Spurs and Sevilla played out a feisty 1-1 draw in South Korea during their pre-season tour, with Lamela playing the first half against his former employers. Lamela managed five goals and three assists in 25 appearances for the La Liga side last year, helping them to a fourth-placed finish and qualification for the Champions League next season.
After facing off against Tottenham in Seoul, Lamela posted a message on his official Instagram page, sending his "love" to Spurs. In a 27-word message he said: "A special game for me, nice to meet again with people I love very much. I wish you all the best for next season @spursofficial." Not only that, but he ended the message with a blue love heart emoji too.
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