It took Hugo Ekitike only six minutes to show the rest of Europe why he is one of the most wanted young strikers on the continent.
The 22-year-old received the pass a little in half of Tottenham, drove in the retirement of the full back Pedro Porro, cut in, switched the ball out of his feet and shot his shot in the bottom corner before the swarm of white shirts could do something about it.
On the corner he ran and slid over the grass on his knees. He later placed a photo again on his Instagram story in which his celebration was compared to Thierry Henry's iconic knee -Dia, an image Spurs fans thought they had long suppressed.
Those premature comparisons with the large piece of Arsenal, a little further, when he seemed to have signed for Newcastle from Stade Reims from Stade Reims almost three years ago.
Both long, light and elegant. Both central ahead, who like to float wide to left and run to defenders with those long legs and loping corridor.
Eventually the movement fell when Ekitike joined Paris Saint-Germain at the last minute. Newcastle bought Alexander Isak instead that summer, and that turned out to be ok, but at the time it became fake by how the deal collapsed because their analysis had made them believe that he would become a superstar.
It seems that those analysts were right. Ekitike has 21 goals this season so far, so that Eintracht Frankfurt is sent to third place in the Bundesliga and this evening wants to cause even more headache from Spurs Ange Postecoglou,
He has worn the only ranger since Omar Marmoush, whom he called his 'partner in crime', was received at Manchester City in January for almost £ 60 million from Frankfurt.
“He is a complete striker,” Christopher Michel, Frankfurt reporter at Absolut Fussball, told Mail Sport. “He's fast, he can shoot with both feet. He can lead the ball well. He is brilliant with his back to goal. He's long. He can dribble. He offers assists. He can be a playmaker. He has the potential to be one of the best strikers in Europe. I even think he has more talent than Omar Marmoush. '
It is therefore no surprise that people like Arsenal and Liverpool are both interested in a move for Ekitike this summer, but if they want him, they will have to figure out the best part of £ 85 million.
“Ekitike likes to be in the spotlight,” Manni Sedlbauer, German football reporter at Sport1, told Mail Sport. “He is very confident. He plants unusual parties, wears his pants low and drives a Lamborghini.
“He has always wanted to be the best and has worked hard for it. He belongs to this new generation of strikers. '
Ekitike came through the ranks in his hometown Club Reims and signed his first professional contract in 2020 at the age of 17 -year old. Coaches saw the talent in him early.
“We saw a huge potential, something natural, with a feeling to score a goal,” said his Reims Reserve team coach Franck Chalencon. 'He is a very smart player who saw him adapt and understand the expectations of professional football. It is very rare that he plays a game without creating a chance himself. '
Before he became regularly for the first team, he joined the Danish Superliga-side Vejle on loan in January 2021 and his new teammates were in a shock when they saw their new signing in the dressing room dancing when a number came up.
Ekitike struggled early with the physical demands of the Danish competition and needed the French teammate Kevin Yamga to help him with the language barrier.
“I remember a modest and hard -working child,” Jacob Kruger, the then sports director of Vejle, told Mail Sport. “He had problems in the beginning because it was his first time from France, he spoke very little English and he had to adapt to Danish football.
'His club was pretty angry that he did not play and I had them on the phone several times, but I never had complaints from Hugo. He continued to work hard and just waited for his chance.
'There was one match in which the coach changed almost the entire team for a cup match because we were almost relegation, but Hugo was still not in the starting line-up. His club was completely P *** ED!
“Hugo did not lose confidence in himself, continued to work hard and when he got his chance, he took it.”
Ekitike scored three goals in eight games during the relegation round of the competition to keep Vejle in the division, including a brace against Rivals AC horses and two assists in a crucial match against Sonderjyske.
“If we won, we avoided relegation,” Jacob Schoop, his captain at Vejle, told the BBC. “Hugo was incredible in that game. That is the sign of a big game player – to perform and find that little extra. '
“He was a top talent,” Kruger added. “We could all see that. He had some extraordinary skills, with his pace, technology, mentality and was a good finisher. You could see that he had the whole package, but it would be a bit too smart to say that I saw it all and he would end up like this! '
Upon his return to Reims for the 2021-22 season, he set in 10 goals in 24 Ligue 1-performing versions that the Newcastle mustaches received.
“There is something very special about him,” said his Reims manager Oscar Garcia that season. “He is young and he has the quality to become a very good player.”
Newcastle tried to sign him in January, the first window after the takeover of Saudi, before he almost beat the job in the summer.
The bright lights of Paris turned his head and he moved to the French giants, first on loan, then permanent. Ekitike made 25 performances in Ligue 1 when he won the title next to Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
However, he struggled to leave his stamp. Former PSG -midfielder Eric Rabesandratana closed his 'mental weakness' and claimed that his attitude did not 'do not match at all with what you expect from him as a young person, and especially someone who should impose himself on PSG'.
Ekitike was sent on loan in February last year in February before he made the move permanent in April. That is where the star started to shine, both on the field and off. Goals, glitter and glamor.
“He's a little flamboyant,” Michel added. “You can see it in his style of clothing.” Ekitike recently posted a photo on Instagram of him with a training suit covered with diamonds and a pink woolly hat.
He also caused a commotion under Frankfurt -fans, during the winter break when he shared a video that was trained in Dubai in Dubai with a Borussia Dortmund shirt.
“Dino Toppmoller, Frankfurt's head coach once said that Hugo costs him a few nerves, but he loves him and his attitude,” said Michel.
“He is a cool guy. It was Toppmoller who brought him forward and was very important for his development. '
Since the departure of Marmoush, Ekitike has gone to play in a front two to evidence that he needs what is needed to lead the line alone, helped by former Dortmund and Bayern Munich game maker Mario Goetze who pulled the strings behind him.
“He benefits from Goetze's brilliant passes and is ice cold for the goal,” said Sedlbauer. 'Defensive work, on the other hand, is not always Hugo. Nevertheless, he is one of the best strikers in the Bundesliga, perhaps even in Europe. '
Do the company again on Thursday evening and it is even more likely that it is the Premier League that will come next season.