Vlad Iulian Chiricheș is a Romanian footballer who plays as a centre back for Tottenham Hotspur and the Romania national team.
Born: November 14, 1989 (age 24), Bacău, Romania
Height: 1.84 m
Nickname: Chiri
Full name: Vlad Iulian Chiricheș
Weight: 75 kg
Current teams: Romania national football team (Defender), Tottenham Hotspur F.C. (#6 / Defender)
Here is one Eastern European Immigrant who is most welcome at White Heart Lane.
Having played centre half for most of my football life, I probably notice players in this position most. I have seen the greats like Maurice Norman, Mike England, Graham Roberts grace the Spurs shirt. Far from being lily livered in lily white, these players took no prisoners, very much the way I played too.
Chiriches is a battler too, hence the man with the mask after breaking his nose against Newcastle. However, what sets him apart from the rest is his skill and ability with the ball. At Fulham he won the ball in his penalty box in the 2nd half, having dispossessed the Fuham player still standing, he then, does not kick the ball into touch, into safety to regroup, no, he plays his way, dribbling past 3 more Fulham shirts and up to the half way line to set up a Spurs counter attack.
In another game, in the Europa League he calmly took the ball down with the top of his boot, under pressure from the attacker. The high long ball was aimed for the forward, Chiriches got there first back to the ball as it looped over his shoulder, like a circus act he controlled it, beat the attacker, turned their attack into a Spurs attack in one easy movement.
Number 6 on his back, for me he is like a reincarnation of another number 6 - Booby Moore captain of England in 1966 the World Cup winners. For me he is Bobby Moore and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer rolled into one, 2 footballing legends.
He is Mr Cool, calm and capable on the ball. He sees ahead, anticipating, like clearing a certain goal off the line with Lloris beaten. He is a converter. He wins the ball, distributes the ball, turns defence into attack.
He is no slow coach. He has been booked but he is not a dirty player, he is strong, reliable, dependable. He has made numerous last ditch ball winning tackles in his penalty area with those long outstretched legs of his, getting a toe on the ball to stop a certain goal opportunity. No one is perfect, and Chiriches has missed crosses, like the one at Fulham that Berbatov should have scored from, but did not. Instead Chiriches scored a 35 yarder from a poor corner clearance, the equaliser against Fulham, a low Exocet of a shot singeing the surface of the Craven Cottage turf.
In my opinion he has been the bargain buy of last summer, probably our best signing. He said he wanted to play for Spurs, so he is keen too. He would be my 2nd name on the team sheet every match after Hugo Lloris. For me he would Captain the side. He has such vision a defender who is a play maker too, a true find, a rarity.
Long may he reign, Come on you Spurs, Chiriches sets the example, a class act.