Off The Shelf | Younes Kaboul - available on all podcast platforms, including SPURSPLAY | OneFootball

Younes Kaboul tells his story in the latest episode of our official podcast Off The Shelf, now available on all platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google, SPURSPLAY - our home of exclusive live and on-demand video - and our official YouTube channel.

Hosted by his former team-mate, legendary former defender, captain and Club Ambassador Michael Dawson, alongside Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles, Younes talks about growing up in Saint-Julien-en-Genevois, a village near Geneva in the shadow of the Alps and how he was faced with two big decisions in early life - the first, to follow tennis or football, the second, whether or not to move 350km away from home to take up a place in Auxerre's Academy.

Once he made that decision, you could say the rest is history... Younes made his debut for Auxerre at the age of 18 - having moved from midfield to central defence - and joined Spurs just three years later, switching France for Spurs and the Premier League.

"It was a massive step for me," he tells us. "I had no idea... this is where everything changed for me. Academy in France, great. Starting to play in France, great. But I believe you do not know anything as a footballer until you put a foot into the Premier League. That's my belief, and I'm sure many foreign players will tell you the same."

Signing at the same time as Gareth Bale and Darren Bent in 2007, Younes went on to make 140 appearances for us in two spells, 2007-2008, then 2010-2015, following 18 months away at Portsmouth. Named captain at the start of 2014/15, Younes moved to Sunderland in the summer of 2015, then to Watford, his final appearance in September, 2017.

Younes' career at Spurs will always be defined by big moments - the late equaliser as we came from 4-1 down to draw 4-4 against Villa in our 125 anniversary match in 2007, setting up the goal for Peter Crouch that got us into the Champions League in 2010, and it doesn't get bigger than scoring a derby winner against Arsenal at the Emirates in November, 2010.

Younes recalled: "Harry battered us at half-time, he basically said we weren't playing the game and that we might as well stay inside... he wanted a reaction and in the second half, we did that. It's all about feelings. You feel those moments. It's pride, basically. This is when I realised, again, going back to when I first joined in 2007, how much it means to everyone. I understood then. I could feel it, 'this is Tottenham'."

Now 37 and a father of three, Younes is taking the first steps on another journey - coaching. He's started his coaching badges and he's looking after the Under-14s at Luton Town.

Reflecting on his time at Spurs, he added: "I was happy to show the Spurs fans my two faces, my first spell and my second spell. I hope they enjoyed me being at the club and I want to tell them that I always wanted to represent the club in tbe best I could by my performance, my work-rate, I gave my all - thank-you."

Off The Shelf | The story so far...

Launched this summer, Off The Shelf brings you even closer to our great Club, telling often untold stories from the current playing squad to the legends who went before them, the staff who keep everything ticking over behind the scenes and, of course, our fans, the heartbeat of Spurs.

It's been quite a cast list for our eight episodes so far - Ledley King, Jenna Schillaci, Oliver Skipp, Heurelho Gomes, Molly Bartrip, Gary Mabbutt (part one), Clive Allen and Sandro - each episode dedicated to its subject, shining a light on their careers, and the stories that define them.

And who better to present our podcast than one of our modern-day greats and fans' favourite, Michael Dawson! 'Daws' joined us in January, 2005 and spent nine years at the Club, making 324 appearances in all competitions for us until departing in the summer of 2014.

Michael finally retired after 20 seasons as a professional for Forest, Spurs and Hull City in August, 2021, and stepped straight into new roles as our Club Ambassador and as a panellist on Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. A true leader, Daws radiates enthusiasm - his love for the Club shines through.Joining Daws is our Senior Club Journalist, Paul Miles. 'Milesy' has been at the Club since 2000, interviewing our players and managers for 23 years - including every game of Daws' Spurs career! You may have seen him in the last couple of years as part of our matchday team on SPURSPLAY.

Off The Shelf will appear on all podcast platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google, SPURSPLAY - our home of exclusive live and on-demand video - and our official YouTube channel.