A short term signing by Christian Gross, Nicola Berti brought his vast experience to help the team survive the threat of relegation and despite not being as mobile as he once was, this international midfielder showed his class in his fleeting Spurs career.
Arriving in January 1998, Nicola Berti gave Spurs a boost with his experience in the Italian league with Fiorentina and Internazionale and in the 1994 World Cup final.
While he had been an international and had been playing with Internazionale, he was tempted to join Spurs with Jurgen Klinsmann and he was deployed in a defensive midfield position. Having lost some of his pace from his younger years, Berti showed his reading of the game was just as sharp as ever and he still managed to get forward on occasion. His use of the ball was astute and he normally put in a good shift for the benefit of the team.
When Spurs needed points, his interventions were more than useful – making him a crowd favourite and having his own song quickly made up by the supporters. He scored in an all important 3-0 away win over Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park and got on the score-sheet twice more that season to help give Spurs the points they needed to avoid relegation.
Staying for a second campaign, Berti did not fare as well, especially when Christian Gross left the club and his involvement in the first team dwindled away before he left to join Spanish side Alaves before travelling around to take in Mexico, Japan, Italy and Australia before retiring in 2002.