The year is 2008 and Spurs are on the road to challenging for Champions League places alongside the Premier League's big boys.
As the 2007/08 season drew to a close, Tottenham struck what was then a mega-money deal for Croatian international midfielder Luka Modric, who became the club's joint-most expensive signing alongside Darren Bent.
Amid interest from Manchester City and Newcastle United, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy even flew to Zagreb to close out negotiations and finalise a deal, such was the club's desire to sign the midfielder.
'That was unbelievable to me'
On the other side of the transaction was Dinamo Zagreb executive Zdravko Mamic, who recalled his encounter with Levy in a FourFourTwo interview from October 2019.
"One funny story, but at the same time a story that shows how he protects the interests of his club, is that after we agreed the transfer of Luka [Modric] to Tottenham, I politely asked for five of Luka’s jerseys.
"Levy gave them to me, but the invoice for the transfer, €23m (£16.5m), was minus the value of the jerseys."
Mamic was the executive director of Dinamo between 2003 and 2016 and has seen his fair share of transfer completions, but in particular remembers his dealings with Levy.
"That was quite unbelievable to me. It showed me how to appreciate every penny a club spends."
Mamic is a colourful character who has had several run-ins with the law and was found guilty of tax fraud in 2018. To avoid a custodial sentence in Croatia, Mamic allegedly fled to neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina where he also holds citizenship.
There was also an assassination attempt against Mamic in 2017 and the former Dinamo chairman was arrested following a radio interview tirade against Croatian sports minister Zeljko Jovanovic in 2013.
Levy, on the other hand, officially stepped down from his role as chairman of Tottenham on September 4, 2025, bringing an end to his nearly 25-year tenure at the helm.
Levy remains involved solely as a non-executive investor via his family's equity stake in majority shareholder ENIC.
