Destiny Udogie: “This is a big honour, a dream come true”
Wed 17 August 2022, 12:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
Destiny Udogie always dreamt of a life in football, now he’s counting the days to a new chapter in his career here at Spurs.
We announced a deal to sign the defender from Udinese on a contract until 2027 on Tuesday. The Italian Under-21 international, still only 19, will now return to the Serie A side for the remainder of the 2022/23 campaign.
Having progressed through the ranks at Hellas Verona, Destiny made his professional debut in November, 2020. The following year, he joined Udinese on loan - a deal which turned permanent in July, 2022 - and in his debut season with the Italian side he made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals.
"It’s a big honour for me to be here at this big club with a big history. I can’t wait to show my quality,” Destiny told SPURSPLAY. “It’s an honour for me to play under a big coach like Antonio Conte. He knows football very well, and I’m going to grow a lot with him.
“The Premier League is the biggest league in the world, the most difficult, and I like challenges, so I’m excited to start and, for me, playing for Tottenham as well, a big team, it’s a big dream come true.”
Destiny’s story starts in fair Verona, as Shakespeare describes in Romeo & Juliet. “It was a normal childhood,” explained Destiny. “I went to school, had a lot of friends. I live in Verona, 20 minutes from the centre. All my family was there with me.
“I always knew football was inside me. It was my dream as a child. I started when I was four. My father always pushed me a lot to be focussed and serious about the game. When I saw my friends playing, going out, I preferred to stay home and relax to prepare for training. This helped me a lot.
“I joined Verona when I was 10. I had two weeks of trials, they went well and after, I joined the team. Hellas Verona was the big dream. If you see Hellas Verona, it was like playing for Juventus because I grew up in Verona, and it was the dream of every child in Verona.
“Then it was a big opportunity for me at Udinese. I’m happy it went well. It’s a dream to play as a professional in Serie A, a tough league. I’m very happy. I was a big experience for me.
“My family are everything. I asked them a lot of questions, they helped me a lot, they are always with me when I go to Udinese, every week they come with me, all of them are very close to me and important for me. For me to be here (at Spurs), for me and my family, it’s a big dream.”
For now, Destiny will look to build on a fine 2021/22 campaign when he returns to Udinese. “I want to grow as much as I can, to understand the game a little more and to play my best season in Serie A,” he said.
We’ll then see him again next summer. “I can’t wait for the time to come. I’m excited.”
