Two years ago, the outspoken Frenchman may have irked a couple of Spurs supporters' by suggesting that the newly-acquired Hugo Lloris deserved a club of 'higher standing' than the White Hart Lane outfit, but what the 1998 World Cup winning-full back might have forgotten is that he himself had expressed an interest in joining the ranks in North London. Admittedly, there was a bit of a polarizing difference between the two players when the Spurs' chiefs made their moves, with Lizarazu having been released by Bayern Munich at the age of 34 years old. While Lloris was the French captain and approaching his formative peak of the mid-twenties, Lizarazu's Euro 2004 performances had looked sluggish and weary, leading some to speculate that the 1998 World Cup winner was possibly searching for one last pay-day in England.
''It is a sign of security if Jacques Santini will be at Tottenham. I want a good challenge and if I can live in a grat capital, it ill be perfect.'' - Bixente Lizarazu, June 2004.
With his extortionate wages seemingly having priced himself out of a move home to Le Championnat, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy was ready to table a salary offer of £38,000 p/wk. In the end, a bit of cold feet prevented him from committing himself to the Premier League - probably due to his secret feelings about the club which he would spill eight years later - and he spent six months with Marseille, before returning to Bayern Munich for one final season as a professional.