10 Underwhelming Spurs Signings Who Became Cult Heroes

9. Paul Stalteri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-EZDSnxDlk Paul Stalteri was not a good player. However, he did score a priceless last-minute winner at Upton Park to crush a Hammers support who had just shook the stadium with sheer excitement moments earlier. In a class topsy-turvy London encounter, during which Spurs fought back from 2-0 down, Bobby Zamora looked to have snatched all three points for a relegation-threatened Hammers side with five minutes to spare when Dimitar Berbatov curled home a sumptuous equaliser in the 89th minute. All it took was an injury-time winner to see the crestfallen Upton Park support, resigned to a seemingly inevitable relegation. Arriving late in the box, the Spurs full-back swept home the most important goal of his north London career following a parried Jermain Defoe shot. For that simple finish, the 29 year old Canadian gained instant cult hero status at the club, despite his inadequacies and inefficiencies. Having featured heavily in the 05/06 season at right-back, he instantly lost his place to incoming Wigan Athletic full-back Pascal Chimbonda, but as highlighted above, his finest moment in a Spurs jersey was yet to come. His name can still be heard ringing out around the away section at Upton Park when Spurs come to visit, as they revel in a glorious derby victory from seven years ago. It was certainly a classic encounter, as it is a modern day example of a nothing player earning instant cult hero status purely due to one instance of being in the right place at the right time.