Tottenham Hotspur made fools of themselves when they counted their chickens before they hatched with Johnny Cardoso, signing the rights for him to make a decision on joining them, only to realize that the player thought Atletico Madrid would be a better opportunity for him, leaving Real Betis for a bigger club in La Liga.
Although Cardoso has actually been pretty unremarkable in La Liga with the bigger side this season, Atleti have been in the Champions League places and are now through to the Champions League Round of 16 with Tottenham, recently beating contenders Barcelona 4-0 in the Copa del Rey first leg.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are out of both cups in England, fighting relegation in the Premier League, and coming off a second 4-1 loss to North London Derby rivals Arsenal. To make matters worse, it was Cardoso who had a spellbinding performance in his club Atleti's 4-1 statement-making win over Club Brugge after their tense 3-3 first leg.
Johnny Cardoso helped lead Atletico Madrid to glory
Cardoso's brilliant volleyed goal from the edge of the box gave Atleti a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish, with star striker Alexander Sorloth adding two more to make it a hat trick. Los Rojiblancos exercised their full might, clamping down defensively after an early set piece goal from Brugge.
What made Cardoso's performance all the more impressive was his defending. He led the way with five interceptions and added a tackle, too, playing a complete game on both ends of the pitch, working hard and defending the most intelligently he has to date under Diego Simeone.
Maybe this goal and performance are the signs of Cardoso turning it around. He has not been great for Atleti this season, but in the very same league for Los Verdiblancos last season, Cardoso was legitimately one of the top center midfielders in all of La Liga.
Meanwhile, Tottenham signed Conor Gallagher for a lot of money this past winter transfer window, paying him more in wages than any other current player in the squad. And they have very little to show for it, with Gallagher having a decent performance or two but otherwise nothing to show that he is starting caliber for Spurs - and certainly nothing resembling this big-game performance from Cardoso against one of the Champions League's most plucky underdog sides perennially.
Spurs shouldn't feel like they missed out on Cardoso too much - the regret should be for his attacking teammate Ademola Lookman - but Cardoso's display against Brugge only adds more insult to another bad week for Spurs.