If Kevin Danso had made a different call aged 14, the Tottenham centre-half might have been playing at Twickenham rather than Portman Road last weekend.
As a teenager, Danso was one of the standout players in the MK Dons academy, having moved to England from his native Austria with his family as a six-year-old.
But he was also excelling as a rugby player for his school team and had attracted offers, including from professional clubs.
"I had a few scholarship offers for rugby clubs, for private schools as well," Danso said after Spurs' 1-0 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday.
"At one point I had to decide because it was getting more serious and with the injury risk the older you get, I just decided to play football."
A couple of years later, Danso left England and rugby behind when he joined the academy of German club Augsburg, where he went on to make his Bundesliga debut as an 18-year-old.
The Austria international still has a soft spot for the Dons and has been to watch the League Two side since returning to England to join Spurs from Lens on loan with an obligation in January.
Danso was in the Dons academy at the same time as Dele Alli, who joined Spurs in 2015 and remains one of the London club's favourite sons of the modern era.
“Obviously I knew Dele, I’m not currently in touch with Dele, he was three years up," Danso said. "I used to play with his age group but he was always playing up as well, so I know a lot of his team-mates and his age group
“Every MK Dons player wants to be as big as Dele Alli was here. He’s a great player, a great person and I wish him all the best. If I have a career as good as he had when he was here, I think I would be very pleased.”
It is not hard to imagine Danso as a rugby player and his physicality and aggressive approach, aligned with a comfort in possession, have instantly made him a hit in the Premier League for Ange Postecoglou's front-foot side.
Spurs supporters sung his name at Ipswich and against City, and there is already talk that Postecoglou may have a decision of his own to make when Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are fit again.
"I try to get my body in the way of everything," Danso said. "That’s my identity as a centre-half, just try to make blocks, to stop the opposition coming through.
"Of course in a physical league like the Premier League you’re always going to get some knocks and bumps, it’s all part of the game.
“I’ve enjoyed it. It’s been difficult but I’m a person who likes a challenge.
“That’s exactly what the Premier League is, it’s a challenge for everybody. You come up against top strikers, every team you play against have top players.
“I’m loving it and hopefully, unlike today, we’re going to keep results like we have done the three previous games and keep pushing as far up the table as possible."
Danso spent four season at Augsburg, including loans at Southampton and Fortuna Dusseldorf, before joining Lens in 2021.
He spent four-and-a-half years in France, helping Lens into the Champions League and establishing himself as a dressing-room leader.
Asked about his adaption to Spurs, he added: "It’s been amazing. That’s football. Through my career I’ve gathered some experience now.
"It’s been difficult but easy at the same time because everyone around the club has made it easy for me to settle in, the coaching staff, the players.
"I’m honoured to be part of this massive club. The results could be a bit better, everyone knows that, but you can see our quality with the players coming back. I just hope we can push on and get more victories."
Danso's impressive start at in north London is in stark contrast to his first return to English football, on loan at St. Mary's for the 2019-20 season.
He managed just three starts, with Saints declining to take up their option to sign him at the end of the season.
“I was 20 there, 21, I think I made some mistakes when I was there," he said. "But now I think with the experience of going back to Germany, now playing three-and-a-half years in France, playing week in, week out, playing in the Champions League, playing at the Euros, that’s the most important thing as a player.
"Playing games and getting that experience, playing against top players [Kylian] Mbappe, [Ousmane] Dembele, many top players.
“It’s one of those things that has helped me grow as a player.
“I just try to bring my experience as much as possible into the team and try to help the team as much as I can."
