I was one of the original 13 foreign players in the Premier League in 1992

If Tottenham Hotspur had listened to a former player, their history could have been very different and probably more successful.

Ronny Rosenthal played for Tottenham between 1994 and 1997, making nearly 100 appearances for the north London side.

Ronny Rosenthal says he discovered some great talent during his time as football consultantImage source: Getty
Rosenthal spent three years with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier LeagueImage source: Getty

He joined Liverpool from Liverpool and helped the Reds win the 1990 League Championship, the 1991 Community Shield Championship and the 1992 FA Cup Championship.

Perhaps you could say he lived up to his reputation as he arrived on Merseyside from Standard Liege in 1990, becoming the first foreign player to move to England in a move worth over £1 million.

The Israeli-born star is worth £1.1m and in today’s inflated market would be worth closer to £40m.

Rosenthal was an unusual case when he came to Britain, not only because of his worth but also because of his nationality.

When the Premier League began in 1992, he was one of 13 non-British players to take part in the inaugural season.

Alongside the likes of Eric Cantona, Anders Limpal and Peter Schmeichel, he became part of an exclusive club.

It’s still some way off compared to the large number of foreign players who call England’s top flight home today.

Rosenthal’s background and outsider’s view of the Premier League could help him succeed in his new career.

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Rosenthal spent four seasons at Liverpool before moving to Tottenham HotspurImage source: Getty

After hanging up his boots at Watford in 1999, Ronnie started working as a football consultant.

Traveling the world in search of young talent and contacting big clubs to recommend the gems he discovers.

But the thing about recommending a talent’s career is that the club you’re talking about has to listen to you too.

In Rosenthal’s case, that doesn’t always happen, and in an interview with The Athletic, he revealed how different things would be if it did.

He said: “I could have been very rich… very rich! Where would I have started? If the club had listened to hundreds of players… (things would have been different)”

He claims to have discovered many talented players before they made their big moves.

Rosenthal claimed to admire the greatness of the likes of Samuel Eto’o, Gilberto Silva, Dimitar Berbatov and Nemanja Vidic.

But what he probably remembers most is Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former Tottenham man recalled young Ronaldo being offered to both the White and Red teams in north London.

Rosenthal claims to have recommended youngster Cristiano Ronaldo to Arsenal and Tottenham HotspurCredit: PA
Ronaldo finally signs for Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester UnitedImage source: Getty

He said: “One of the people I will never forget is Cristiano Ronaldo, I met him because I was going to Portugal a lot at the time.

“Ronaldo made his debut for Sporting Lisbon in August 2002 and I started following him about a month later.

“I recommended him to Arsenal, Tottenham and other teams, but they didn’t follow up.”

The Portuguese giants certainly went on to have an astonishing career after joining Manchester United in 2003.

The global superstar won the Ballon d’Or during his time with the Red Devils and leaves the club as a three-time Premier League champion and Champions League winner.

The addition of a player like Ronaldo could reverse Tottenham’s trajectory from 2003, when they finished 14th in the league.

Now Rosenthal remains a consultant but has his son Dean do most of the traveling for him so he can stay in England.

While he may look back at what would have happened if certain clubs took his call, he believes there are more stars to come.

He told The Athletic: “There are always exciting players. They are like flowers, they always come. They never end.”

The former Maccabi Haifa star will also be able to look back on his time at Liverpool, winning three trophies with a team that featured the likes of Ian Rush and Kenny Dalglish.

Although he contributed a staggering seven goals and two assists in eight games for the 1990 league champions, he failed to win a medal.

Unfortunately, Rosenthal did not reach the required number of games to award an official medal.

But he explained in an interview with The Daily Telegraph that it doesn’t bother him and he knows how much he has contributed to the Reds’ success.

He said: “I didn’t get a medal, I didn’t play enough games because when I made my debut there were only eight games left.

“It’s not a problem. These performances will go down in history. When you finish your career you don’t need to look at the medals to know what you achieved.

“I did something important for Liverpool. I don’t need a medal to tell me that.”

Ronny Rosenthal did not receive a winners’ medal for his role in Liverpool’s 1990 league successImage source: Getty

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