No matter what Randal Kolo Muani does for the remainder of his career, he will always be associated with one of the most significant butterfly effects in modern football history.
Lionel Messi wouldn't have gotten his hands on a legacy-sealing, career-completing World Cup if Kolo Muani had beaten Emiliano Martínez's outstretched left leg with 20 seconds to go in one of the all-time great finals.
Cristiano Ronaldo 'stans' have cursed the Frenchman since.
Those who cherished Ronaldo in Turin subsequently enjoyed what many felt was far too brief a taste of Kolo Muani at Juventus. Outcast in Paris, the versatile forward thrived for six months in Italy, but Juve's failure to reach an agreement with PSG for his services in the summer opened the door for alternative buyers.
And a forward-needy Spurs seized the opportunity. Thus far, though, Kolo Muani's time in north London has been dominated by contusions and whiffs in front of goal.
Despite that rather uninspiring summary, it's also become evident that Lilywhite supporters won't want to let go of the 26-year-old.
Randal Kolo Muani's impact clear despite goalscoring woes
It was an awkward summer for Kolo Muani, who was in limbo for much of it. He played at the Club World Cup with Juventus and was expecting to remain in Turin. A detour to north London at the end of the summer window meant he arrived undercooked.
A dead leg further delayed the start to his Tottenham career, and he didn't make his Premier League debut until October 19, during the 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa.
Frank has since entrusted the French international with three starts in five, and while there's rust to shake off, Kolo Muani is proving himself to be the centre-forward this Spurs side needs in Dominic Solanke's continual absence.
"I think he’s just taking steps in the right direction, and he’s getting more and more fit," the manager said of Kolo Muani's performance against Copenhagen on Tuesday night. "And I will still go as far as I don’t think he’s fully firing yet. But you can see he’s such a handful to play against."
The Frenchman somehow ended a feel-good rout without a maiden Spurs goal, first placing an effort wide at the crescendo of some intuitive combination play that's seldom been a feature of our work with the ball so far this season. The striker then headed over from Xavi Simons' pinpoint cross at the end of the first half.
A standing ovation for Randal Kolo Muani as he’s subbed. Hasn’t scored tonight but has been so important to everything Spurs have done. It’s his spot to lose.
— Sean Walsh (@SeanDZWalsh) November 4, 2025
Despite the profligacy, the striker left the field in the 73rd minute to a standing ovation. A satisfied home faithful were appreciative, given the role he played in teeing up Wilson Odobert, who doubled our lead at the start of the second half. The striker harried Dominik Kotarski into his second notable blunder of the night, then plucked the ball out of the sky with the calm precision of a cricketer snaffling a catch at long on.
Surely desperate to atone for his earlier misses, Kolo Muani, who'd done so much to create the opening, instead opted to present Odobert with his first Champions League goal. In one fell swoop, the 26-year-old manifested his persistence, high technical level and selflessness.
He'll want to get off the mark sooner rather than later, but Kolo Muani's abilities as a combiner and facilitator will ensure Frank's Spurs enjoy a few more party-like nights as they did against Copenhagen.
There's a lot to like, and just imagine how good he'll look once he starts taking notes from one of the coolest finishers this club's had on their books in modern times, Micky van de Ven.