Peter Crouch may have only spent two years as a first-team player at Tottenham but he was involved in a multitude of special moments during that time.
His winner against AC Milan at the San Siro in the 2011 Champions League round of 16 first leg surely ranks up there with his best moments in a Tottenham shirt.
With time ticking away on the clock, Spurs were coming under a barrage of pressure from the hosts. Modric then sent Aaron Lennon away on a counter-attack, who ran the length of the pitch before squaring it for Crouch to sweep home.
The goal eventually proved to be the difference between the sides over the two legs and sent Spurs into their first-ever Champions League quarterfinal.
While Crouch naturally has fond memories of that goal, he revealed a funny story about Tottenham’s group stage game against Inter Milan a few months beforehand this week.
Spurs fell to a 4-3 defeat in that game, although the match is often remembered for Gareth Bale’s sensational second-half hat-trick.
The former England striker revealed that his nan was sat with the Inter Ultras during that incredible game.
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When asked to name the best stadium he’s played in, Crouch told Paddy Power: “It’s hard to look beyond Anfield. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but on a European night it’s a special, special occasion.
“As a ‘home’ ground that’s right up there, but over the course of my career playing on some of the big Champions League nights, the San Siro was a highlight.
“I remember getting the winner for Tottenham there against AC Milan. Having watched Gazzetta Football Italia with James Richardson when Gazza went over there, I just loved Italian football.
“So for me to score in that stadium all those years on was special. That was great for me personally, but it wasn’t just that, it was the whole atmosphere.
“I remember playing Inter and my gran had come over. Her, my mum and my cousin. I remember looking up to the stands and seeing the Ultras bouncing up and down and thinking ‘my nan’s in there!’
“It’s an amazing stadium and a great atmosphere on those European nights. Out of all of them, it’s definitely Anfield, but away from home the San Siro was special.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Crouch did brilliantly in the Champions League for us during that campaign as defences struggled to contend with him. He proved a wonderful foil for Van der Vaart and was one of the main reasons why we did so well in the competition. Unfortunately, he was also the main reason behind our eventual exit to Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid as a rash challenge early on meant that we had to play almost the entirety of the game at the Bernabeu with just ten men.
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