TalkSPORT host Jamie O’Hara has revealed he turned down the chance to go to Real Madrid when he was a teenager in order to play for Spurs.
Jamie O’Hara’s Career
Having trained with Arsenal as a schoolboy, O’Hara made the switch to north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2003.
Following successful loan moves to lower-league sides, Chesterfield and Millwall, the English midfielder broke into Spurs’ first team under Juande Ramos.
O’Hara spent the next few seasons in and out of the Spurs first-team before moving on loan to Portsmouth and Wolves.
The Dartford-born midfielder then made his move to Wolves permanent before gradually dropping down the English football ladder until retiring aged 34 at 7th-tier side Billericay Town.
Jamie O’Hara On Turning Down Real Madrid
Before he was playing for the likes of Billericay Town and Gillingham, O’Hara was considered hot property as a youth player and even says he turned down Real Madrid.
Speaking on the Ben Heath Podcast, O’Hara said: “I was always growing up as a Tottenham fan. I remember getting letters come through the door. I think I probably had 15 different letters from 15 different clubs.
@footballpodcastshorts Jamie O’Hara (Part 2) | Why I turned down Man United and Real Madrid? #fyp #benheathpodcast #footballtiktok #thfc #realmadrid #jamieohara
♬ original sound – Football Podcast Shorts – Football Podcast Shorts
“Man[chester] United, Man[chester] City, Tottenham, Chelsea wanted me back. Then there was like Wimbledon and there was Real Madrid that wanted me to go out there and have a trial with them.
“But I never wanted to leave home, I was very much a homeboy. I lost my mum when I was 17, so I was going through that period where my mum was going through cancer.
“Manchester United really wanted me to go up but I didn’t want to leave home. I would have had to stay in digs. I never wanted to do digs.
“So Tottenham was the perfect opportunity really. I thought ‘I’m a Tottenham fan, I love it there’. I went and trained with the first team.”
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