Tottenham keeper Fraser Forster was hailed by Lionel Messi and his exes include Apprentice star and Neighbours actress

FRASER Forster is set for an extended spell in Tottenham's first team following a long-term injury to first-choice number 1 Guglielmo Vicario.

The hapless Italian has undergone surgery on a broken ankle he suffered in a match against Man City and will have to wait “months” according to Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.

But that won't deter seasoned professional Forster, 36, who will be a welcome sight in the dressing room before match day.

Shotstopper is said to have been good for team morale as a joker among his teammates.

While his goalkeeping skills have been praised in the past by Argentinian legend Lionel Messi.

Off the field, Forster has also had romances with celebrities in the past.

SunSport delves into the world of the former England goalkeeper.

'He performed inhumanly'

Forster came through the ranks at Newcastle, but he first came to prominence playing for Celtic.

After a loan spell in Scotland in the 2011–12 season, he was bought by The Bhoys for £2 million the following summer.

It was the 2012-2013 season when the towering goalkeeper, who stands at 6ft 11in, put in a performance that was hailed by Lionel Messi as “the best goalkeeping performance I have ever seen”.

Forster played the Argentine twice in the group stages, including on one of the most famous nights in the club's recent history.

Celtic incredibly defeated a Barcelona team featuring Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Alexis Sanchez, Dani Alves, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and more 2-1 in Glasgow.

Forster's performance left a lasting impression on the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner.

After that match, in which he made seven saves, he was nicknamed 'The Great Wall of Glasgow'.

Messi even admitted that Barcelona were considering signing him.

“Fraser Forster's performance against us has been talked about for a long time,” Messi said, according to the Daily Star.

“There was a match in Scotland where he performed inhumanly. It's the best goalkeeping performance I've ever seen.”

The Argie World Cup winner added: “When Victor Valdes said he was leaving, we even talked about him playing here. I was sure he would end up at Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United. “

Famous exes

Not only is Forster popular with one of the best players of all time, he also dates celebrities.

In 2009 he met future The Apprentice star Leah Totton when she was studying medicine at the University of Anglia.

They dated for four years before splitting up as she prepared to star in the reality TV hit.

Leah and Forster rekindled their romance after she won the 2013 show, but it wasn't to be – the long-distance romance disappeared.

She then launched the Dr. Leah Botox Clinic and was very successful in its own right.

In 2018, Forster was reportedly dating Australian soap beauty Olympia Valance.

The beauty next door received a large bouquet of red roses from the giant keeper on her birthday.

She excitedly posed with the flowers and captioned the photo: “The birthday that just keeps on giving. What a surprise @fraserforster!!!! I have literally never seen so many roses! THANK YOU!!!!!”

Valance got tongues wagging again when she posted a photo of her and a mystery man enjoying a date in Los Angeles, believed to be Forster.

It is not known why it failed. Beforehand, Valance had her own celebrity romance with One Direction star Niall Horan.

Joker in the pack

While Vicario's injury will be a blow to Spurs, Forster will provide a much-needed morale boost in the dressing room.

Many of his former teammates have said he is the joker on their team.

Recently, Timo Werner was asked in a chat with the Premier League YouTube channel who his funniest teammate is.

He said: “I like Fraser Forster and his jokes a lot, but in terms of funny actions I think of Emerson Royal.”

This was supported by Micky Van de Ven who previously said to the same question: “Fraser Forster! He's always joking in the dressing room.”

Former teammate Mohamed Elyounoussi also joked that Forster was a 'class clown' during his time at Celtic.

“Fraser is a really good guy,” he told the Scottish Sun in 2019.

“At Southampton I talked to him a lot and in the end we were in the same situation. He was always quite positive there.

'I would say he was kind of a clown, he talked a lot and made a few jokes. He's still the same man here.

“Fraser is a quality goalkeeper. I think he was the best goalkeeper at Southampton. He is great when he is at his best.”