Tottenham Hotspur defender Eric Dier had this week an interview with the Portuguese media, speaking to Sport TV mostly about his former club Sporting.
Despite being born in England, the 28-year-old spent many years in Portugal, having starting his career with the Lions and staying there until 2014, when he finally joined Spurs.
Dier claims he still gets to watch many games from the Portuguese League, and had a special mention to an old Tottenham teammate Jan Vertonghen, who’s now playing for Sporting’s city rivals, Benfica.
“I watch Sporting whenever I can and I also watch a lot of Portuguese league games,” Dier told Sport TV (via A Bola).
“I have friends playing in several teams, like Vertonghen, who was here and is now at Benfica. That’s why sometimes I watch his games, but it’s hard for me to see him in a Benfica shirt.”
Then regarding Sporting’s chances of winning the league title again, the Tottenham player pointed out it’s a little unlikely at this stage, despite the positive season they’ve been having.
“It’s a little different from last year, they’re in a more difficult position, but in football you never know, anything is possible. I’m sure they’ll fight to the end.
“They’re having a very good season, they passed the Champions League group stage and then faced a great team like Man City. It was very difficult, but they had a good season and will fight in the end.”
Starting his career at Sporting’s academy, Dier still got to make 32 appearances for the Lions’ first team.
His move to England was made in the summer of 2014, when Tottenham spent €5m in his signing. Now following his 310 games for Spurs, he still has a contract there running until 2024.
