Emerson Royal has been speaking about his rollercoaster journey at Tottenham Hotspur which has seen him go from a figure of frustration to a fan favourite.
Royal joined Tottenham from Barcelona in a £25.8 million deal back at the latter end of the August 2021 transfer window (The Athletic).
The Brazilian’s indifferent performances saw him targeted by some sections of the support at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when he was booed when being brought on as a substitute by Antonio Conte during the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day last year.
A few pieces of poor play had seen Royal become a target figure. A no-look pass against Sporting Lisbon that went out for a goal kick along with a shot at Bournemouth which cleared the roof of the Vitality Stadium and landed in the car park were two particular low points.
Emerson Royal on being booed by his own Tottenham supporters
Royal spoke of the experience along with team-mate Richarlison in an interview with Brazilian influencer Fred on his YouTube channel Desimpedidos: “Today I tell it casually, but at the time it was tough because we lost the game [against Arsenal], we were doing really well. We were playing really well and we lost a game, we had lost a match. I was out for a few games then I came back. I came back from playing well, and then we lost. Then man it hit me hard,” he said.
“After that the fans started booing me, booed me in the stadium, in our stadium. I would touch the ball and the guys would boo me. Obviously I don’t want that for myself. I’d take the ball on the field, playing the game, dribbling, trying to do things but it’s not an instant situation.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“Then time passed, the situation continued, I kept working hard, hard, hard. Then I dropped to the bench, then I came back to play, and then I turned it around, and then the fans, like from hate turned to love. The fans, they love me a lot, they even made a little song. (He and Richarlison sing his chant to the tune of ‘Give It Up’ by KC & The Sunshine Band.)”
Royal has had to be patient for his chance this season under Ange Postecoglou with the Brazilian finding himself behind Pedro Porro in the Tottenham first team squad pecking order at right-back.
SpursWeb Opinion
The defender’s redemption arc has been great to watch over the past year and has certainly improved his game, while there are still errors, it is now far better than what was witnessed under Conte’s time at the club.
No player should be booed by their own supporters, at least when it looks like they are trying their best.
Keep up to date with all the latest Tottenham news and opinion by following SpursWeb’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
