'I thought Tottenham had signed next Ronaldinho, but...'

Updated: 10 Jun, 2024 • 0 • min read

Table of Contents

'I thought Tottenham had signed 'next Ronaldinho', but...'

Photo: Getty Images

Ledley King once believed Tottenham Hotspur had signed the "next Ronaldinho" after signing Mexican wonderkid Giovani dos Santos in 2008.

A forward with a lot of early promise, dos Santos joined Barcelona's La Masia academy at the age of 13 before going on play 38 times for the senior team.

Dos Santos secured a move to Tottenham in 2008 but struggled to reach the potential expected of him.

Speaking on talkSPORT's DriveTime about the incredible young players he's seen in his career, Spurs legend King pinpointed dos Santos as a top talent.

READ MORE: Gio dos Santos 'disappointed, sad and angry' at Spurs

The former Spurs captain even compared the talent of dos Santos to that of Brazil and Barcelona legend Ronaldinho.

Not come up against one, but I've seen players who I thought were unbelievable.

I remember watching Giovani dos Santos when he was playing for Mexico in an Under-16s tournament. He looked just like Ronaldinho, but a younger version.

I didn't say go and buy him but I just thought to myself that he was going to be a star.

He ended up joining, but it didn't quite work out for him. He was a big talent.

Dos Santos played just 33 times for Tottenham before heading out on loan spells to Ipswich Town, Galatasaray and Racing Santander.

After his loan stints, dos Santos returned to La Liga to play for Real Mallorca and Villarreal before finally success in the MLS with LA Galaxy.