IN XAVI SIMONS, Tottenham are signing a player who counts their former hero Luka Modric among his idols.
No doubt Spurs fans will be thinking that if their new playmaker, arriving from RB Leipzig for £52million, can have half as good an impact as Modric, who sparkled for four years before leaving for Real Madrid in 2012, then they will have landed a diamond.
Simons, 22, also looked up to Xavi Hernandez, whom he is named after, Andres Iniesta and Neymar when growing up.
Simons, who has signed a contract at Spurs until 2030 with an option of a further two years, was in Barcelona’s La Masia academy when the latter trio were at the club.
Brazil mega star Neymar in particular was a huge influence, guiding him also at Paris Saint-Germain, where Simons moved to in 2019.
The pair also played against each other this summer when Leipzig beat Santos as part of their pre-season tour to Brazil.
Speaking of Neymar, Simons has previously said: “He already knew me from Barcelona and was like a father for me.
“I will be eternally grateful to him for that. It was a big dream to play with my idol and he’s still an important person for me.”
On the subject of family, Simons is particularly close to his younger sister Kenza and older brother Faustino, who also acts as his agent.
Simons pays tribute to his siblings every time he scores with his now-trademark phonecall celebration.
England know the routine well, after the Dutchman pulled it off after netting his stunning opener against Gareth Southgate’s side in the Euro 2024 semi-finals in Dortmund, though Ollie Watkins ensured the Three Lions had the last laugh.
Simons once explained to German outlet Bild: “When I went to Paris, I talked to my brother about a goal celebration.
“I used to play at centre-back and didn’t score that many goals. I knew I had to improve.
“That’s how we came up with the celebration. Whenever I score now, I think of him. The celebration is for my little sister and for him.”
Having come through two of the most prestigious academies in world football, and having signed his first Nike deal aged 13, Simons appears to have had his world at his feet for some time.
Though his wonderkid status did not stop him from once humbly cleaning the boot of then team-mate Noni Madueke when at PSV.
Simons is one of the most followed young players going with 6.8million followers on Instagram.
His current cartoon profile picture may go down well with new team-mate Dominic Solanke, famously a huge fan of anime.
Multilingual Simons, who moved from the Netherlands to Spain at the age of three, is fluent in French, Dutch, Spanish and English.
While his interests away from football include video-gaming, including the wildly popular Fortnite.
Spurs fans will be hoping he becomes their new fantasy footballer, having ended Thomas Frank’s search for a No10.
Though he may not be the easiest character to handle, given sources at Leipzig claimed he could be difficult at times and sometimes questioned his work-rate.
Leipzig have also been in the process of cutting the wage bill, and given Simons was understood to be earning £9.5milllion a year with the Bundesliga side, it explains why they were willing to sell him.
There is little doubt though over the quality Simons will bring to the Premier League.
For much of the summer, it was thought the 28-cap Netherlands midfielder would be showing off his talents at Chelsea.
But it is London rivals Tottenham who have got him, with the hope he can light up their midfield just like Modric did all those years ago.
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