Ex-goalkeeper reveals how club once blocked him from completing Spurs move

Former Boca Juniors goalkeeper, Oscar Cordoba, has revealed that he was once prevented from making a move to Tottenham by former Argentina president Mauricio Macri.

The former Columbia international had a successful stint with Boca Juniors in the five seasons he spent at the club after moving there in 1997.

He went on to win three Argentine league titles, two Copa Libertadores, and one Intercontinental cup during his time at the club.

Cordoba eventually left to join Perugia on loan in 2002 before completing a permanent move to Besiktas in 2003 but he has now revealed that Spurs could well have been his next destination instead.

The 50-year-old, who retired in 2010, claimed that he got an offer from the North Londoners and was desperate to move to the Premier League.

However, the ex-goalkeeper admitted that former Argentine president, Macri, who was the chairman of Boca Juniors at the time, turned down the Lilywhites’ offer.

Speaking to TNT Sports (as translated by Sport Witness), Cordoba said: “I got an offer from Tottenham, with a fax.

“I got the offer for 2 million dollars, and I went and told Mauricio (Macri), ‘I got this offer from Tottenham’.

“And he said ‘no Oscar, you are worth more and I want you to go to a bigger team’. He always told me that he wanted to see me play for Arsenal or Manchester United.

“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 ‘Mauricio, I’m leaving’. Besides, I look at the playpen, and they want to weigh our contracts.

“And I said, ‘Mauricio, the first offer that comes, I’m leaving’. And Perugia took me. But it was more a rebellion and pride that made me leave.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Given the problems we had in the goalkeeping department during the early 2000s, perhaps we could have done with a solid keeper like Cordoba. However, looking at our track-record with transfers back then, the Columbian could well have ended up being another expensive flop.

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