I played with Tottenham star who did things you've never seen – he was so advanced

Former Tottenham youngster Paul-Jose M'Poku says he always knew one of his team-mates was 'in advance' of the rest

Former Tottenham prospect Paul-Jose M'Poku arrived at the club aged 15 during Gareth Bale's rise to prominence in north London and played alongside Harry Kane. Yet when it comes to the biggest teenage talents he remembers from his time at the club, John Bostock's name stands out.

Bostock signed for the club from Crystal Palace in 2008, just weeks ahead of M'Poku, and the starlet's former colleague says he fully deserved the attention surrounding him. Neither player managed to establish themselves in Spurs' senior squad but both flourished abroad before reconnecting this year in Baller League, the small-sided tournament featuring ex-Premier League pros alongside talented players who never made it at the highest level.

"He was already, let's say, his body and his mind, everything was already in advance compared to most of us. So you will see things that you never see from a young player at this age," M'Poku told Express Sport.

The two players remain close and their journeys followed comparable trajectories. Both joined Spurs for substantial sums as teenagers - Bostock commanded £700,000 following his Crystal Palace debut at 15 while M'Poku also set Spurs back a decent amount after starting out in the Standard Liege academy - and both went on travel the world during their respective careers.

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Bostock featured in five different countries after just a handful of cup outings with Spurs while M'Poku played in nine, most recently plying his trade in Saudi Arabia. The winger - now 34 - is still banging the drum for young players keen to broaden their horizons and recognise the wealth of opportunities beyond the English football pyramid.

"I told him many times you should go abroad and he actually went abroad and he did really well," M'Poku added. "He went to France and he won the best player in Ligue 2 [award] with Lens and he had some great experience in Belgium and everything.

"I really believe more English players should do that, because, sometimes there are so many opportunities and good clubs and good leagues abroad that give young players the chance to play.

"I was speaking with [academy director] Alex Inglethorpe in Liverpool. I was speaking about how, for me, young players need to go abroad because not everyone will make it to the Premier League."

M'Poku arrived in England as a 15-year-old who couldn't speak the language and faced a steep learning curve. However, a year on loan with Leyton Orient alongside fellow Spurs loanees Kane and Tom Carroll made a huge difference for him.

The move represented his first experience of senior football and establishing the groundwork for a career that took him far and wide. He might not have played Premier League football but Serie A and Super Lig minutes demonstrated he had the talent to succeed.

"I was feeling like I was a young man, but living like a pro," he said. "[From] 15 years old, you have gym, you have hard training, they put you in the Premier League atmosphere, but at your age, let's say they're trying to prepare you for what the Premier League is demanding and everything.

"So for me it was a little bit of shock in the first few months. I was so tired, sleeping all the time. My body was not used to it and then I got used to it."

"One of the things that helped me so much was being able to go on loan at Leyton Orient at a young age with Harry Kane and Tom Carroll. It was really good for my development."

Ultimately, that coveted first-team opportunity never materialised at Spurs, although he did feature in a matchday squad for an FA Cup fixture under Harry Redknapp. The presence of Bale and Aaron Lennon proved an insurmountable obstacle on his path to the senior side, and he eventually made his return to Standard Liege.

A distinguished career followed, encompassing 22 senior caps for the Democratic Republic of Congo and in excess of 300 top-flight appearances. Fellow former Spurs academy product Sam Cox persuaded M'Poku to join Baller League, more than a decade after they shared digs in London, and he took the plunge after leaving his most recent club in Saudi Arabia.

"My first impression is good because it's giving hope also to other players that didn't really make it as a professional like me," he said. "For me it's another way to play football and for other people to dream that they can maybe play one day in the Baller League."

He highlights the crowds at the Copper Box Arena where the games are played regularly get into the thousands. This means more people have been in attendance for his Baller League exploits than watched certain top-flight games during his professional career.

He also wants to emphasise that nobody should presume a top-flight career adequately equips them for what he has encountered in Baller League. "I grew up playing in the street and playing futsal and to be honest, it's not the same," he said.

"It's really a new era of football. If you only played futsal, you won't be able to play there. If you only played [11-a-side] football, you won't be able to play there. So it's in between.

"You have to understand quick, you have to think quick, you have to do things in another way. Don't come here and say 'I played in the Prem, it will be easy' or 'I played futsal and it will be easy'. No, no, no, no, no. It's a different game."

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