Jamón You Spurs: Jose Mourinho buys Sergio Reguilon a celebratory ham

I tell you what, whenever good things start happening at Tottenham Hotspur, the good stuff starts popping out on social media. Honestly, I haven’t seen this much off-the-pitch #banter since the heady days of 2016. Yesterday we saw Dele go out of his way to make a meme-worthy video out of Tottenham training ground surveillance footage of him making an incredible catch while playing indoor cricket with his teammates. Today, we have Jose Mourinho buying Sergio Reguilon a ham.

Yes, a ham. And not just a ham, a jamón ibérico, the goddamn god-emperor of pork.

Look at that piece of pork. Just look at it.

I have never had a true jamón ibérico. I’d reckon few people outside of the Iberian peninsula who aren’t either a celebrity or have more money than sense really have. [Ed: ok, maybe it’s a little more common than I thought, but £500 for a leg of pork is uh not cheap] It’s not just ham, it’s a cured leg of pork from a Black Iberian pig that has often been luxuriously fattened on acorns and chestnuts before being killed and having its limbs salted and hung up to dry for a few weeks. The meat is supposed to be shaved thin as paper off the leg and is said to be absolutely luscious.

That’s what they say. I’ve never had it. Someone should probably send one to me in the mail.

I don’t know what Sergio Reguilon did to earn a ham from his gaffer, but it must have been something performance or challenge related. Maybe Mourinho told him “if you don’t get burned by Kyle Walker for a goal, I’ll buy you a jamón,” or “if you make 10 ball recoveries and three tackles [Ed: he did] you get meat.” Clear eyes, full hearts, jamón iberico.

However it happened, Reguilon is now the proud owner of one fine-ass piece of pork, which makes it a little sad that he started hacking at it like a clod.

My god, Sergio! Thin slices! Thin slices!

I’m given to understand that it’s a tradition in Spain and Portugal to buy a jamón at Christmas time, either to eat as a family or to share with others. Looks like Sergio got his a little on the early side, thanks to the gaffer. I hope he at least shared some with the rest of the first team.

UPDATE: According to Spanish newspaper ABC.es, Reguillon’s jamón was a gift from Mourinho for not letting Riyad Mahrez dribble past him in Saturday’s match against Manchester City. So I was close, and that would make this ham taste even better, were I actually given some. That’s a hint, Sergio. I can DM my address.