James Maddison and Son Heung-min share the same footballing idol, but Dejan Kulusevski worshiped a Chelsea legend growing up.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Tottenham’s strong start to the Premier League season is thanks to the offensive and energetic style of football implemented by manager Postecoglou, while Son, Maddison, and Kulusevski have been key players.
- Son and Maddison share the same footballing idol – one of the greatest players in Premier League history – but Kulusevski has publicly named his childhood hero as an even better player.
- Kulusevski’s pick of footballing idol won’t sit well with Spurs fans due to his strong association with bitter rivals Chelsea.
Tottenham Hotspur have been linked to Ange Postecoglou’s attacking and energetic style of football, which has led to the development of arguably the three most important players at Hotspur Way, captain and top scorer Son Heung-min, summer signing Son Heung-min, and main Playmaker James Maddison and cool, calculating attacking partner Dejan Kulusevski.
Son, Madision and Kulusevski have already scored nine goals and provided nine assists in the Premier League this season, while Spurs have slightly exceeded expectations, winning four of their first six games against rivals Arsenal. did.
| Premier League statistics – 2023/24 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statistic | Son | Maddison | Kulsevski | Combined |
| Goals | 5 | 2 | 2 | 9 |
| Assists | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Shots | 16 | 17 | 14 | 47 |
| Key Passes | 11 | 17 | 15 | 43 |
| Dribbles | 6 | 12 | 6 | 24 |
| Statistics according to Whoscore | ||||
Postecoglou deserves plenty of credit for how quickly his three main attacking options have gelled to make Harry Kane, once the be-all-and-end-all of Tottenham’s offensive strategy, already something of a distant memory. But it certainly helps when two of those players – MaddiSon, as they’re already being referred to in some Lilywhite circles – seemingly have a natural understanding of each other’s games. And that might just be because they share the same footballing idol.
This article takes a look at some of the players Tottenham’s current stars worshipped growing up. But before we get onto the footballing legend that inspired the Spurs skipper and their summer addition, there’s the not-so-small matter of Dejan Kulusevski’s controversial pick of footballing muse to deal with first.
Dejan Kulusevski’s childhood hero
Who is considered Kulusevski’s soccer idol is still up for debate. The Swedish player has described Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a role model, which is not surprising considering not only their shared nationality but also their shared family background as descendants of immigrants from the former Yugoslavia. Coach Kulusevski said of Ibrahimovic:
“Ibrahimovic was a role model for me. He was for all Swedish players, but especially for us, the sons of immigrants,” he joked on another occasion.
“He’s my idol and opened doors in Sweden that no one had opened before. We talked and he called me and it was exciting for me.”
“When I was a kid, I never expected Zlatan to call me.”
However, there is another player Kulusevski deeply admired in his youth, but who may not be as popular with Tottenham fans. Not only is he most often associated with one of London’s bitter rivals, he also scored the most devastating goal in Spurs’ Premier League history, the equalizer in the Battle of the Bridge that handed Leicester City the title. In fact, Kulusevski is a huge fan of Eden Hazard. He reportedly spoke about the Chelsea legend…
“My favorite player is Eden Hazard! Nobody plays like him, so I was very happy to see him play.” I was at school and I was thinking; ‘Yes, today Eden Hazard is going to play and I’m going home to enjoy 90 minutes of his football!'”
That’s not the only time Kulsevski has spoken glowingly of Hazard either. Back in 2019 he even declared Hazard to be the best player in the world and that he preferred him to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. He said:
“The best player in the world for me is Eden Hazard, he can do anything he wants with the ball. I prefer him to Ronaldo and Messi.”
