I thought Tottenham had signed next Ronaldinho – it tragically didn't work out

Tottenham legend Ledley King was convinced his former club had signed the next Ronaldinho when they landed Mexican wonderkid Giovanni Dos Santos - but it wasn't to be.

Centre-back King spent more than 15 years playing for Spurs and in that time tipped Dos Santos to reach the top after seeing him in action for Mexico during an under-16s tournament.

King was so impressed with what he saw from the youngster, who was at Barcelona at the time, that he alerted Spurs to the signing - but Dos Santos' lifestyle hampered his progress, according to Harry Redknapp, and the Mexican never reached his full potential.

King told TalkSport's Drivetime: "Not come up against one, but I've seen players who I thought were unbelievable. I remember watching Giovanni Dos Santos when he was playing for Mexico in an Under-16s tournament. He looked just like Ronaldinho, but a younger version.

"I didn't say, 'Go and buy him, but I just thought to myself that he was going to be a star. He ended up joining, but it didn't quite work out for him. He was a big talent."

Dos Santos failed to impress in the Premier League and played just 33 times for Tottenham before he was sent out on loan to Ipswich, Galatasaray and Racing Santander.

Spurs boss at the time, Redknapp, questioned the youngster's commitment to the club and revealed he was often late for training on Mondays due to his partying lifestyle, reports Sky Sports.

Following his loan spells, Dos Santos headed back to La Liga to play for Mallorca and Villarreal, before finally finding success in the MLS with LA Galaxy.

Dos Santos earned more than 100 caps for his home nation of Mexico and won the CONCACAF Gold Cup three times. He also won Olympic gold at London 2012. The Mexican winger appeared a total of 106 times for Mexico and scored 19 goals.