Tottenham icon Gary Lineker talks about not being able to play with Chris Waddle at the club
Gary Lineker and his recent revelation about the departure of Chris Waddle from Tottenham has stirred up some reflections on what could have been for the dynamic duo.
Lineker‘s reminiscing about his time at Tottenham, where he netted an impressive 74 goals in 122 games, took a quirky turn when he suggested that Waddle’s exit felt like “having 15 goals a season stolen” from his pocket. Here is what he had to say via Football London:
“Going from signing Beardsley and playing up front with him, then suddenly I’d lost Chris Waddle. When I got the news on the beach, my agent called me and said; ‘You’re not going to believe this. They’ve just sold Chris Waddle’. Honestly, it felt like someone had stolen 15 goals a season from my pocket.”
Imagine Lineker strolling along the beach, only to receive the news from his agent as if it were a spoiler for the blockbuster Gazza was planning to watch for the weekend. Surely catastrophic. One can almost picture Lineker falling on the sand on his knees in a sense of shock and sadness.
What could have been…
The idea that Lineker’s goal-scoring exploits somehow remained tethered to Waddle’s presence makes us wonder how much greater of a goalscorer Lineker could have become at White Hart Lane.
The synergy between Lineker and Waddle was evident during their time together in the England national team, where they formed a formidable attacking partnership. Waddle’s creativity and vision certainly complemented Lineker’s predatory instincts in front of goal, resulting in numerous successful collaborations on the international stage.
Perhaps, in an alternate universe, Lineker and Waddle are still tearing up defences as a top-class duo at Tottenham. Or maybe they’re off on a beach somewhere, swapping stories and sharing a laugh about the time Lineker thought he’d lost 15 goals a season from his pocket.
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While the absence of Waddle may have left Lineker lamenting what could have been, his time at Tottenham nevertheless remains a cherished chapter in his illustrious career.
