An even younger version of Lucá Williams-Barnett fancied himself as a bit of a journalist.
Aged just 11, the academy starlet was part of an Audi-sponsored video, during which various budding Spurs youngsters were given the opportunity to "grill", as the video is labelled, some of their senior counterparts.
Williams-Barnett was partnered with Lucas Moura, who, after navigating the swanky new Audi's technology to get the car up and running, was hit with an unanswerable question from the pre-teen in the passenger seat.
"Who'd win out of a fight, [Moussa] Sissoko or [Victor] Wanyama?"
That journalist in the making has since risen to prominence in north London, not as the reincarnation of Alasdair Gold, but as potentially Tottenham's latest academy star to make the grade. A sensational 2024/25 campaign with the U18s put some supporters on notice, and his continued brilliance at youth level this term meant any fan with an online presence was clamouring for Williams-Barnett, born eight months after our Carling Cup win in 2008, to earn a senior debut.
Lucá Williams-Barnett's closing in on ultimate goal after Spurs debut
The perfect opportunity arose on Wednesday night, as Thomas Frank's side hosted League One Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup.
Williams-Barnett’s stock had soared following a superb showing in the UEFA Youth League against Villarreal and the hat-trick he scored against Leicester's U21s on Friday night.
"I'm well aware of Luca's talent and I like what I see," Frank teased before the cup tie, and although Spurs didn't have it completely their own way on Wednesday, they were 2-0 up and finally cruising when the Dane turned to the 16-year-old in the dying embers of the contest.
Williams-Barnett's cameo was brief and without much action, but he nonetheless became the 900th player to represent the club and took another step towards fulfilling his ultimate goal.
“I can’t wait to be in the Premier League, scoring goals for Tottenham and making fans happy," the teenager commented after inspiring Spurs' U17s to Premier League Cup glory earlier this year. Williams-Barnett had enjoyed some time with the first team amid our injury crisis, saying the "tempo" and "intensity" completely took him aback.
Those experiences will only serve the talented teenager well, and supporters are desperate to see a success story emerge from the academy, having seen a couple slip by after Harry Kane, Harry Winks and Oliver Skipp's emergences. There's plenty of hope for Mikey Moore, but some would suggest Williams-Barnett's ceiling is even greater, with comparisons drawn to the impish magic of Cole Palmer.
The level he's reached over the past 12 months rendered him impossible to ignore, and that dream of scoring goals in the Premier League may soon manifest as reality for precocious Spurs teenager.
Moura backed Wanyama, by the way. I think I agree.