Hint, Hint: Hugo Lloris Names Two Former Man Utd Goalkeepers as His Footballing Idols
Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris will be hoping to win the World Cup with France this summer, but has opened up on who he saw as his idols growing up ahead of the trip to Russia.
It's quite the compliment to Premier League rivals Manchester United, though, as he has listed Peter Schmeichel and Fabien Barthez as the two players he loved watching as a youngster. Breathe a sigh of relief though Spurs fans - he's not exactly angling for a move up north as he's listed a couple of other non-United players, too.
Speaking to French news outlet France Football, the 31-year-old opened up on his early experiences of the game, saying: "It came with the 1994 World Cup. My first memories and images go back to this World Cup in the United States.
"It was the Brazilian Taffarel and the Swedish goalkeeper, the blonde, who had something atypical [Thomas Ravelli]. But the first one that really fascinated me was [Peter] Schmeichel.
"Then there was Fabien [Barthez] just after, of course."
Lloris is set to captain France at the World Cup later this month, with the Spurs shot stopper starting ahead of Paris Saint-Germain's Alphonse Areola and Marseille's Steve Mandanda.