'I didn't expect Kane or Modric to become the best players in the world' - Sandro opens up on Tottenham exit, snubbing Man City and Bale's brilliance

The summer of 2014 was the start of a new era for Tottenham.

Mauricio Pochettino was appointed as manager and would gradually turn the club into contenders, guiding them on a thrilling run that culminated in the Champions League final five years later.

It was a turning point for midfielder Sandro too, and he cannot help but reflect on what might have been.

A fan favourite and a force of nature at his very best, his hasty decision to sign for Queens Park Rangers on transfer deadline day sent his career badly off course. Hampered by injuries, loss of momentum and the fickle nature of football, it never quite recovered.

“The biggest mistake of my career was leaving Tottenham," Sandro tells Goal. "I had two years left on my contract. I loved everybody. In this situation, I made a bad decision because I didn’t think about the move. I just said: ‘I want to go. I want to move'. I didn’t think about it.

“When I moved to QPR, I was feeling a little bit angry. You can’t make a decision when you’re angry with something. You have to let it go, think and be very calm to make a big decision.”

Sandro was upset at falling out of favour under Pochettino's predecessor, Tim Sherwood, who had publicly questioned his ability after dropping him from the team.

The Brazilian had been close to linking up with Andre Villas-Boas again at Zenit St. Petersburg and felt like he needed a fresh start. It was a far cry from the joyful optimism his Spurs adventure started with in 2010.

Sandro was 21 years old and one of Brazil’s brightest prospects, having just helped Internacional to win the Copa Libertadores. Heurelho Gomes made him feel at home and Harry Redknapp was eventually persuaded to give the holding midfielder a run in the team.

He impressed as Spurs beat AC Milan in the Champions League, setting them on course for the quarter-finals.

“I remember all of it. It was raining a little bit, but the pitch was perfect,” he recalls. “The music in the stadium was amazing. It was Sweet Child O’ Mine, Guns N’ Roses. Wow, I love this song. I can see the rain coming down and the lights of the stadium. Beautiful!

"The game was amazing. We played well and won against Milan in the San Siro. It was a dream.”

Getty Images

That was the breakthrough Sandro needed. He was soon snapping into tackles, winning the ball and surging forward on a regular basis. His energetic, commanding and fiercely competitive style of play was perfectly suited to the Premier League, and Manchester City were noted admirers. He has no regrets about turning them down.

“Everything was done, and I said no because I loved my time at Tottenham too much. I was enjoying it and I was in the starting 11. I was afraid to go to Manchester City and have to adapt again. What I felt in that moment was special. I would have been leaving something behind.”

At the time, Sandro was being spoken of in the same breath as Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart. He was one of Spurs’ biggest stars and most valuable assets, his hard work enabling their attacking talent to flourish. When paired with Modric in midfield, they were the perfect combination of silk and steel.

“He was great, but I’ve been suffering ever since he left. He showed me good things and now I’m suffering,” laughs Sandro. “He’s so intelligent. He understands a lot about the game – the movement, the control of the ball. He’s magical with the ball.

"When you train with a player, you see everything. Everybody knew that he was an amazing talent.”

Sandro believes that he performed at his best under Villas-Boas. Tottenham were becoming more methodical and tactically astute, eventually paving the way for Pochettino.

It was a promising future that the Brazilian international might well have been part of, but his progress was stunted by a knee injury suffered against QPR, which required surgery and lengthy rehabilitation.

Still, Bale continued to shine. An outstanding talent who evolved from full-back to flying winger, the Wales international was unstoppable in his final season before joining Modric at Real Madrid.

“In 10 games, he’d win eight for us. Something like that. He was scoring and assisting a lot. He was on fire. I think it was one of his best years in football,” says Sandro.

“When I first started to train with Tottenham, I thought: ‘This guy is another level. He can do everything. He can head the ball, he can run fast, he can shoot. He can do everything'. 

"When I came, he was a left-back. When he went to attack, I saw so much power. Bale was different to other left-backs – he could run all game and not stop.”

After Bale’s departure, Sandro stayed for one more year, which was marred by a disagreement with Sherwood – “Everybody said: ‘Oh, you fight with him'. No, we just had a strong conversation."

Getty Images

He only made five league appearances under the club’s former youth team manager, while Harry Kane was being given his big chance.

“He was a strong guy. Strong mentally. He was hungry to play. Every day on the training ground, he wanted to do finishing. He liked to train a lot and he started to improve and develop. He started to grow up,” says the midfielder, who earned 17 caps for his country.

“When I left, he started to show a little bit more. He started to score a lot of goals. I didn’t expect that he’d become one of the best players in the world. The same with Modric as well. But, to be fair, I expected that Bale would, because he affected games more.”

Injury and uncertainty have continued to plague Sandro over recent years. He readily admits that he should not have rushed into joining QPR, who signed lots of high-profile players but had little plan for how to use them.

He left English football in January 2017, going on to spells in Turkey, Italy and Brazil. At 32, he is now with Portuguese side Belenenses and hoping to play for a couple more years.

Spurs will always hold an important place in his affections. He enjoyed a great rapport with the supporters and relished competing at the highest level, albeit too briefly.

“I played in the Premier League for six years and I played for my country. It’s a very proud thing. It’s a very difficult league, with lots of top players, and I did well.

“I already felt that it was a great opportunity for me. I knew that it would be hard in the beginning, but I’m open to seeing other things. That’s why I fell in love with England. My time there was special and I’m grateful that I made this very good choice to join Tottenham.”