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Arsenal legend admits one former Tottenham man left him awestruck on the pitch

Martin Keown has revealed that one former Tottenham midfielder once left him in absolute disbelief when he came up against him 36 years ago.

Keown is considered one of the best English centre-backs over recent decades and he came up against some of the best players to have ever played the game during his career, including Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane, and Rivaldo.

Additionally, he also trained regularly with some generational players at Arsenal, including Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, and Dennis Bergkamp.

However, when asked to name a player who left him starstruck on the pitch, the first name that came to the pundit’s mind was a former Spurs man, who he felt did not get his due during his playing days.

Spurs winger Chris Waddle (r) holds off the challenge of Kenny Sansom during a First Division Match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal at White ...

Photo by Allsport/Getty Images

Martin Keown still cannot explain Chris Waddle’s iconic Tottenham goal

When the question was posted to Keown, it did not take long for him to recollect a goal that Chris Waddle scored against his Aston Villa side back in 1989 at White Hart Lane.

Waddle was already on the verge of becoming a superstar when he arrived at the Lane from Newcastle in 1985 and he went on to score 42 goals in 173 matches in all competitions for the Lilywhites across three seasons.

Keown admitted that he was in disbelief at the strike that the England international produced in Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 win over Villa in his final season in North London.

When asked to name a player who left him starstruck on the pitch, the Arsenal legend told talkSPORT: “Do you know what? It happened more than once! But one that sticks in my mind was playing against Chris Waddle for Spurs vs Villa.

“It was a midweek game and I went to press him on the edge of the box. And I got as tight as I could and he just hit it round me. And when I looked, it went over, he’s a left-footed player, it went over my left shoulder. And when I looked in the goal, it was in the right-hand side of the goal.

It was unbelievable, like a banana shot that he hit around me. So, respect to him, he was a handful. And he probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves, top player.”

Waddle’s legacy grew even further after he left Spurs

Waddle was already a bona fide legend by the time he left Tottenham in 1989 to join Marseille and his status continued growing over his subsequent three seasons in France.

He won three consecutive Ligue 1 titles during his time in the Stade Velodrome, earning him the title ‘Magic Chris’ from Marseille fans, before returning to England, where he continued playing into his 40s, eventually finishing his career at the non-league level.

Waddle was capped 62 times by England, being part of the squad for the 1986 and 1990 FIFA World Cups as well as UEFA Euro 1988.

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