One former Tottenham prodigy recalled turning down a 10-year Barcelona deal despite receiving a personal message from Ronaldinho in an attempt to entice him

Former Tottenham prospect John Bostock revealed he once turned down a 10-year contract offer from Barcelona to join Spurs. That's despite the Catalan giants even sending him a signed poster from his favourite player, Ronaldinho, in a bid to recruit him.

Bostock was at one point among the most promising young talents in English football after emerging from the Crystal Palace academy. He went on to join Tottenham at the age of 16, with his two former clubs set to square off at Selhurst Park on Saturday.

It was while he was still in South London that Bostock received the offer to join Barca on a long-term commitment. However, he and his entourage decided his future was best served by remaining in England at the time.

"You name the club, I had interest from them," he told BBC Sport in 2020. "Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool - the who's who of European football...

"When I was 14, Barcelona offered me a 10-year contract. Ronaldinho was my favourite player at the time so they sent me a signed poster from him. I've still got it at my house in London. It said: 'To John from Ronaldinho.'"

Make sure you never miss the latest Tottenham news and opinion by making Football London one of your Google preferred sources.

Two years later, Bostock, who's been without a club since leaving Solihull Moors in July 2025, ended up moving to Tottenham. He became the club's youngest-ever player when he made his senior debut at 16, even though he was never fully complicit in the transfer.

"My family and my agent thought it was in my best interests to go to Tottenham," he continued. "The plan, the set-up, the players I'd be training with. They thought it would be best for my development.

"If I'm honest I didn't really have a voice. I was 15 - I saw paper on the table and I was told to sign it."

Bostock's Premier League career never took off as hoped. The midfielder spent five years on the books with Spurs but managed only four first-team appearances for the club, none of which were in the top flight.

Having been billed as the next big thing in English football for so long, he joined the legions of prodigious talents who failed to meet expectations. Looking back, he gave a dark account of his own self-worth in the sport despite starting out with such lofty hopes.

"From as early as I remember, I wanted to be the best player in the world and to win the Ballon d'Or," he said. "I saw Ronaldinho win these trophies and I just thought, 'I want to be that guy'. I pinned my identity on that and I thought if I didn't achieve that I was a failure."

FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

The majority of Bostock's time at Tottenham was ultimately taken up by loans to Brentford, Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon Town and Toronto. He left the club in 2013 and has now played across Europe, turning out for the likes of Nottingham Forest, Royal Antwerp, Lens, Bursaspor and Toulouse.

Saturday's showdown between Spurs and Palace will hold special significance for a player who may harbour regrets for how things panned out with both clubs.