Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg does not regret iconic Tottenham moment in 2022, despite interesting twist

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Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has discussed one of the highlights of his Tottenham career that ironically ended up hurting his current employers.

Hojbjerg signed for Tottenham in the summer of 2020 under Jose Mourinho, and was a fixture in the team under the Portuguese coach as well as under Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

The Dane fell out of favour under Ange Postecoglou, who preferred a more possession-based approach, and he was shipped out on loan to Marseille in 2024 before the move became permanent in the recent summer window.

The 30-year-old divided opinion among Spurs fans during his four seasons in North London, but he has become a fan favourite at the Orange Velodrome.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg discusses Tottenham goal against Marseille

One of Hojbjerg’s best moments in a Spurs shirt came against Marseille in a Champions League tie in November 2022.

The Ligue 1 side needed to beat Tottenham at home to secure passage into the knockout stages of the Champions League, but their opening goal was cancelled out by Clement Lenglet’s equaliser.

A draw would have been enough for Marseille to enter the Europa League, but they kept pushing for the winner, and they were punished by Spurs on a counter-attack late on, with Hojbjerg scoring the goal that knocked them out of Europe.

That goal continues to have painful memories for Marseille fans, and when asked about that strike, the former Spurs midfielder told Foot Marseille: “It’s hard to regret my goal against OM because at the time that’s what we had to do with Tottenham. Maybe that’s what led me to come to OM.”

Thomas Frank may have loved Hojbjerg in his squad

One can certainly understand why Tottenham let the Denmark international leave, as he was not well-suited to Postecoglou’s system.

However, the irony is that Hojbjerg may have been exactly the kind of player who could have thrived under Frank at the base of Spurs’ midfield.

Tottenham’s acquisition of Joao Palhinha in the summer is evidence of the same, and we know that Frank and Hojbjerg have a very good relationship from their time together with the Denmark U17s.