Former Spurs flop is ageing like a fine Cabernet Sauvignon bottle

By Alessandro Schiavone at De Kuip, Rotterdam

Feyenoord 1-1 Villarreal

For anyone who doesn't watch Spanish football, Etienne Capoue is like fine wine. He gets better with age and remarkably left it late before becoming someone. The fine volley on the turn after an excellent one-two with Gerard Moreno in the 1-1 draw against Feyenoord on Thursday night reflects the powerhouse he has turned into since swapping the Premier League for Spain after seven-and-a-half seasons in England.

At 35 the French midfielder, whose biggest success was reaching the FA Cup with Watford in 2019, has gone on to win the UEFA Europa League five months after joining Villarreal from the Hornets in January 2021. That was followed up by the Yellow Submarines' sensational run to the semis of the Champions League under the guidance of Unai Emery a year later. A mobile, clever and aggressive midfielder, Capoue was and is the ideal link between defence and attack as he protects the backline all while creating chances for himself and the forward players.

Is this the same player who was labelled as a flop by Tottenham Hotspur after making the move from Toulouse in the summer of 2013 as part of a major shopping spree bankrolled by Gareth Bale's record sale to Real Madrid that also included White Hart Lane laughing stock Roberto Soldado?

Although Capoue is in the twilight of his career, his ability to still dominate games at both ends suggests that he has still plenty of irons in the fire. One moment he breaks up the attack in his own half, the next he goes up the opponents' end to make them pay. If fit, he's one of the first names in head coach Quique Setien's teamsheet. And with stars Pau Torres and Samuel Chukwueze having quit for Aston Villa and AC Milan respectively, Capoue's presence and international background will be pivotal for the likes of Ben Brereton Diaz and Matteo Gabbia to adapt to the quick nature of Spanish football.

When all is said and done it almost feels like he was old when he burst onto the scene but will retire young in a few years' time. And what a dramatic turnaround this is since his tumultuous Spurs days. From dead man stumbling to centre stage. Once an Australian Chardonney, Capoué is now a Cabernet Sauvignon. But as the saying goes, better late than never...