Former Boca Juniors goalkeeper Óscar Córdoba has revealed he once had an offer from Tottenham, only for former Argentina president Mauricio Macri to block the move.
Córdoba initially joined Boca on loan from América de Cali in 1997 before joining the Argentinian giants in a permanent deal the following year.
He went on to win three Argentine league titles, two Copa Libertadores and one Intercontinental cup at the club in the next three years before joining Perugia on loan in 2002.
He eventually left for Besiktas in 2003, enjoying spells at Antalyaspor, Deportivo Cali and Millonarios before retiring in 2010.
It seems, though, that the Premier League could have been his next destination, only for a former president to block the move.
“I got an offer from Tottenham, with a fax,” he told TNT Sports.
“I got the offer for 2 million dollars, and I went and told Mauricio (Macri), ‘I got this offer from Tottenham’.
“I said, ‘Mauricio, I’m 32 years old, this doesn’t fall from the sky, not for me. He said ‘no, no. They’re going to offer more. And the offer never came.
“So I said ‘Maurizio, I’m leaving’. Besides, I look at the playpen, and they want to weigh our contracts.
“And I said, ‘Maurizio, the first offer that comes, I’m leaving’. And Perugia took me. But it was more a rebellion and pride that made me leave.”
Córdoba doesn’t make clear when the offer from Tottenham arrived, although it was presumably around 2002 if he joined Perugia not long after.
At that point in time, their goalkeeper options were Neil Sullivan and Kasey Keller, so it’s fair to say the Colombian would have been a welcome addition.
Instead, the whims of a president stopped it happening, with Córdoba left wondering what may have been for him in England instead.
