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Klinsmann, slightly startled, shook accordingly, for both the Sky camera and a still photographer who was sent along by one Nick Hewer, then Sugar’s PR man, now the presenter of Countdown.

Remarkably, before that ambush/photo op, nobody seemed to have a single sniff the deal was happening. There was no mention of it in the papers in the days before the deal, which even then was unusual but would be completely unheard of today. Not even Ardiles knew much about it, which was particularly notable given he was Tottenham’s actual manager.

‘Jurgen was a player on a completely different level,’ Ardiles wrote in his autobiography, ‘a World Cup star – at the time it was like signing Maradona, more or less. I remember my first thought was, ‘I doubt he’ll come.’ I saw the situation as a difficult one, what with the six points docked and everything. But Sugar spoke with him and he agreed and came over.’

Which does of course beg the question: why did Klinsmann come? After all, here was one of the best strikers in the world joining a team who had nearly been relegated and would start the season with a six-point penalty, in the days before the Premier League was a ‘destination’ for Europe’s most talented.

Sugar suspected he just wanted to live in a trendy area of London (Highgate, specifically), and Ardiles concurred. Blicksensdorfer’s theory was that Klinsmann’s relatively comfortable background, combined with a certain wanderlust, simply freed him to try new things and live in new places.

But let’s go to the man himself. “I certainly felt the Premier League was on the rise,” he tells the Totally Football Show, “and I believed it could challenge the other top European leagues for players, success in European competitions, and fan support. I think it’s fantastic how the Premier League has developed, and I’m proud to have been there in the beginning.

“I chose Tottenham because of the straightforward approach by Alan Sugar and Ossie Ardiles. To play under Ardiles meant a lot to me and historically Tottenham was always known for attacking football.”

He expanded on this point to Blicksendorfer: “I wanted to escape from Monaco. It wasn’t a paradise for me. I couldn’t carry on playing home games in a place that didn’t feel like home. But Alan Sugar immediately managed to convey this sense of home to me. That meant more to me than any Spanish offer could. It may sound strange, but it was a good decision and I can honestly say that it was the right one.”

And the London theory? “[That was] not a big factor, but another reason why I chose Spurs.”

When this German with a reputation for on-pitch theatrics arrived in London, the media reacted in a mature and progressive manner.

Just kidding: it was in many places an absolute embarrassment. ‘£1M A YEAR ON DIVE BOMBER’ bawled the headline in the Daily Mirror, the accompanying editorial suggesting he would ‘still ply his black art in opposing penalty areas.’

‘HACKETT BLOWS WHISTLE ON U-BOAT’ was the People’s headline to some quotes from former referee Keith Hackett, who bloviated: “The message to Klinsmann must be that it will not be stood for here. He’ll be playing with the world’s best referees and won’t get away with any nonsense…English refs will soon spot anything like that and he won’t be allowed to get away with it here. English crowds won’t stand for it either.’”

And Matthew Norman, writing in the Evening Standard, ramped things up a notch: ‘The signing of the great diver Klinsmann is a big insult. From the savannah of Central Africa to the rain forests of Papua, right up to the igloos, everywhere, in fact, apart from Germany, everyone hates Jurgen Klinsmann….his nationality is unlikely to endear him to the predominantly Jewish season-ticket holders at the Lane.’

Charming. For his part, Klinsmann had been tipped off about the perception in England that he was a diver. So in his introductory press conference, he sat down and said: “To begin with, I have a question for you…is there a diving school in London?”

And with that, the press was disarmed. He actually had a mask and snorkle in his bag and had even looked into the possibility of hiring an old fashioned diving suit, complete with helmet, but in the end settled for just the pithy line.

Remember folk doing the kinsman when I was at school. Not great if a tin can had been chewed up by a lawnmower or folk had been "walking" dogs on the grass.

Remember folk doing the kinsman when I was at school. Not great if a tin can had been chewed up by a lawnmower or folk had been "walking" dogs on the grass.
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At school

I was 44 then😳

comment by Admin1 (U1)
posted 17 minutes ago
Remember folk doing the kinsman when I was at school. Not great if a tin can had been chewed up by a lawnmower or folk had been "walking" dogs on the grass.
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A lad in my school team did a Klinsmann a few days after he'd seen it on TV. When he stood up he realised his shorts and keks were round his ankles.

I was only 9

Anderton was my fav though

I was 12 or 13 maybe

Now I do feel old!😳

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I done the Klinsmann celebration playing for a team in Ireland as a kid against some team from Bolton in the NI Peace cup. My then Manager roared at me, that I would be taking home my own kit to have it washed great times.. Jurgen will forever be a legend in my eyes.

The reason my eye got drawn to Spurs.
Supported them ever since. 👍🏻

comment by Admin1 (U1)
posted 6 hours, 4 minutes ago
Remember folk doing the kinsman when I was at school. Not great if a tin can had been chewed up by a lawnmower or folk had been "walking" dogs on the grass.
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Me to,

Used to do them through big fack off puddles!

I was 8. Klinsmann is my favourite player of all time. The excitement I had as a kid when he signed could never be beaten. Legend.

I remember reading about this signing on Teletext page 140 on ITV! What a feeling that was

I was 3

Was my 30th birthday. Remember it well.