Just four South Africans have ever signed professional contracts with Tottenham (three of them fully professional) and, of those, only two have represented them in the Premier League.

Steven Pienaar (midfielder)

Time at club: 2011-2012

Premier League appearances: 10

Premier League goals: 0

Steven Pienaar had a long and successful career as a professional footballer in Europe. Unfortunately, his spell at Tottenham didn't really contribute to it.

After four and a half very successful seasons with Everton, Pienaar chose to move to Spurs after the Toffees accepted bids from them and Chelsea in January of 2011.

However, a series of injuries meant that Pienaar wasn't able to establish any sort of consistent form and was eventually loaned back to Everton exactly a year later.

Mbulelo Mabizela (defender)

Time at club: 2003-2005

Premier League appearances: 7

Premier League goals: 1

Mbulelo Mabizela was a generational talent to come out of Pietermaritzburg.

He found himself on the radar of several major clubs at the age of 22 after playing a starring role in Orlando Pirates’ 2002-03 PSL-winning season - and becoming the youngest player to ever captain the South Africa national team in 2003.

Spurs moved to secure his signature after he was named man of the match when Pirates surprisingly beat the Premier League outfit 2-1 in a pre-season friendly.

However, due to problems with injury and several off-field issues, Mabizela was never able to establish himself in England’s top tier.

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Bongani Khumalo (defender)

Time at club: 2011-2015

Premier League appearances: 0

Premier League goals: 0

Bongani Khumalo was a rock-solid central defender who rose to prominence with SuperSport United under Gavin Hunt between 2007 and 2010.

At the time, Matsatsantsa had an affiliate agreement in place with Tottenham, which the Premier League club used to full effect.

Spurs were allowed to bring Khumalo to London for a trial during the PSL season in September 2010 and then announced a pre-contract agreement in October for his transfer in that January's window.

Khumalo also struggled to earn a place in the first team at Spurs and went on loan to five different clubs during his Tottenham contract before returning to SuperSport United in 2015 without playing a single minute in the Premier League.

Quinton Fortune (midfielder)

Time at club: 1991-1995

Premier League appearances: 0

Premier League goals: 0

While Quinton Fortune never played for Tottenham, the club's youth academy is where he began his career as a professional.

He trained with the first team, including the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker, on several occasions and even claims he was on the verge of signing a full-time contract with them before being moved to Spain by his agent at the time.

Fortune went on to have a successful career with Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers, making 83 Premier League appearances, scoring five goals.

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