HOWELLS, UNITED, PASEDENA, SUKER

 2nd August 1997

Testimonials are a thank you given to a long serving players. When Tottenham played Fiorentina on this day in 1997 it was a testimonial match for David Howells who had made his debut for Spurs in 1986 and who would complete 335 first-team appearances for the club by the time he left the Londoners at the end of that season. But that match against the Italians also proved to be a welcoming occasion for two players who had arrived from Newcastle in the close season and who would become Spurs stars of the future. Playing in front of the White Hart Lane faithful for the first time as Spurs players were David Ginola and Les Ferdinand. Remember them?

and on 2nd August 2014
Despite a poor 2013/14 Manchester United helped set a new record on a pre-season tour of the USA at the start of the 2014/15 season. The crowd of 109,318 for their match against Real Madrid at the Michigan Stadium (nicknamed the Big House) was the record for a football match – sorry, ‘soccer’ match – in the United States….United (Manchester) won 3-1. The previous record was 101,799 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena when France beat Brazil to take gold in the 1984 Olympic final.

Arsene Wengner snapped up Croatian, Davor Suker, from Real Madrid on this day in 1999. The 31 year old was a change for Wengner to sign, as he was looking for an experienced player to replace Nicola Anelka, who had joined Real Madrid! Suker did not hit it off at Arsenal's Highbury, scoring a paltry 8 goals in 22 starts during his sole season at the club. His career is "mapped" out below.

Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1984–1989	Osijek	91	(40)
1989–1991	Dinamo Zagreb	60	(34)
1991–1996	Sevilla	153	(76)
1996–1999	Real Madrid	86	(38)
1999–2000	Arsenal	22	(8)
2000–2001	West Ham United	11	(2)
2001–2003	1860 Munich	25	(5)
Total		448	(203)
International career
1987	Yugoslavia U20	6	(6)
1988–1990	Yugoslavia U21	10	(7)
1988	Yugoslavia U23	2	(0)
1990–1991	Yugoslavia	2	(1)
1990–2002	Croatia	68	(45)