Peter Crouch names three former Spurs players in his five a side team
By Tom Vinall
Despite spending just two years at the club, between 2009-2011, Peter Crouch has named three former Tottenham Hotspur players in his dream five a side team, made up of his former colleagues.
The 43-year old opted for Ledley King in central defence, Luka Modric in midfield, and Jermain Defoe in attack. They would join former Liverpool team mates Pepe Reina and Steven Gerrard in the team.
Reina – King – Modric, Gerrard – Defoe, would make for a hell of a five a side team, back when they were all in their primes. Sometimes is still feels like Modric is, with the Croatian midfielder back to playing a key role in the Real Madrid midfield this season at the age of 39, as well as for the national team.
Crouch did mention that he was picking “a fit Ledley” for this team, alluding to how injuries stopped him progressing further. The former striker also referred to his time with King in the Spurs academy, saying “He was the most gifted player in the team – and he was a centre half.” Before finally saying that [at senior level included] he had “never seen someone bring the ball out of defence in the manner he did.”
The 6’7 man said Modric had “snake hips” and that “he never gave the ball away”. He added that even though he was never high on the assist lists, he was [regardless] an absolute genius of a footballer”.
As for Defoe, his strike partner with Portsmouth, Spurs, and England – Crouch said he was picking him because he is the “best five a side player he has ever seen” and implied that he was considering Gareth Bale, among others, including Rafael van der Vaart, but went with Defoe because of his capability in a five a side type game.
Crouch said that Defoe “Could get a shot off from anywhere, you could give him the ball and within half a second it’s in the back of the net. He could score five goals within 1 and a half minutes in a five a side match, and yeah, he was unplayable in five a side.” He implied that with King, Modric, and Gerrard giving him the ball that this scenario would happen a lot.
High praise for the three Spurs players mentioned, considering some of the players Crouch played with across his career.