Tottenham sensation Nabil Bentaleb has revealed his incredible journey to break into the Premier League.
The 19-year-old was shown the door by Lille, Mouscron, Dunkerque and Birmingham City and the highly-rated playmaker admits he was on the brink of calling time on his football career.
"It has been a difficult path for me to get where I am today," he told The Sun.
"I was released a few times and many clubs didn't want to open their doors for me. Lille let me go when I was 14, just at the time you start seriously dreaming of becoming a professional footballer.
"That was a very tough time for me and I had two choices: I could either give up and not right for what I wanted or try to show them they were wrong."
In the space of five years, Bentaleb was forced to move from France to Belgium before returning to his native land once again, before eventually finding himself at home in England.
"The trial at Tottenham was very important for me," he admitted.
"I didn't want to put pressure on myself by thinking it was my last chance.
"I just wanted to impress the coaches. Fortunately, I was able to do that and it was enough to secure a move here."
