Not your typical footballing idol
New Tottenham Hotspur signing Dejan Kulusevski wears the number 44 shirt because his ‘idol’ is former Manchester United winger Adnan Januzaj.
Kulusevski joined Spurs on deadline day and arrives at the club on an initial 18-month loan deal from Juventus, with the north London outfit having an option to make the move permanent.
The 21-year-old winger has worn number 44 for Atalanta, Parma and Juventus and his inspiration for doing so is reportedly because of an ex-United player.
As reported by The Athletic, the Sweden international wears the double-digit number because he watched Januzaj in action for the Red Devils in a friendly in Sweden when he was a teenager, where he became engrossed in the Belgium’s “fearlessness” on the ball.
Januzaj arrived at Old Trafford from Anderlecht in 2011 and was a substitute for Sir Alex Ferguson’s final game as United manager in 2013.
He enjoyed a breakthrough season in the 2013/14 campaign, making 35 appearances and registering 10 goal involvements.
With reported interest from Paris Saint-Germain, Januzaj signed a new lucrative contract with United and was handed the number 11 shirt.
However, his career at Old Trafford began to stall and he spent time on loan at Borussia Dortmund and Sunderland before joining Real Sociedad on a permanent deal in 2017.
Kulusevski arrives at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium having been named the Best Young Player in Serie A in 2019/20 before winning the Copa Italia in 2020/21.
Despite this, he has struggled for game time for the Old Lady this season and has only started three times in Serie A.
Juventus teammate Rodrigo Bentancur has also made the move from Turin to north London – signing for Antonio Conte’s side on a permanent deal.
The 24-year-old was out of contract in the summer and Spurs have added the midfielder to their ranks on a six-year deal.
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