Tottenham fans are always inclined to take players to their hearts, after all that’s how football works. But you get the impression with Assou-Ekotto it may well be a love affair that will endure.
As a player, Benoit has undoubtedly made a journey of improvement since donning the Lilywhite shirt. There are still occasionally ‘hearts in mouths’ moments, but his critics are more likely to the type of person who is actuvely looking for problems.
Part of the left-back’s charm has been his refreshing if not disarming honesty and in an interview with The Guardian last May he revealed that to him, football was simply a job.
Since then both on the pitch and off it particularly via Twitter of course Benny’s character has really come across and won over endless fans. You get the impression that ‘Being Benny’ is a life that has few dull moments.
In today’s Daily Mail Benny revealed how he and team mate Aaron Lennon diced with death and thankfully cheated in his Smart Car!
‘The Smart Car is in France now because last season I nearly had an accident with Aaron Lennon,’ he explains.
‘We were about to go to Blackpool and at the last minute, when we were at Stansted Airport, they said the game was cancelled, so the manager said, “OK, you can go back home but be careful” because it was cold and icy.
‘So we started to drive, me and Aaron, in the Smart Car on the motorway and we made a spin. Three times we spun round and I was so scared. Aaron was like, “Benoit!! Benoit!!” We stopped and I thought, “Oh cool”. But then, like in the movies, we looked and heard, “Neeeeeeee!” (He mimics the sound of a horn blasting).
Firm favourite: Assou-Ekotto’s goal against Everton helped Tottenham scale the dizzy heights of the Premier League
‘And I saw a truck coming towards us. I thought, “Oh ****!” I was very scared and Aaron, too.’
‘After that I said, “No more Smart Car in the winter!”‘
