I like everything about how Pochettino has gone about building his managerial career. He's seen the game as a player from certain perspectives that make him uniquely equipped to grasp what Spurs are all about, what they could be, and what an important role he could have in making that happen. When you look at his playing career and what he has coped with, you can't help but get a sense that he has a persistence and doggedness to his character - soul, if you will.
As a player, he never got to play for any of the major powers in football. And that includes his stint with Paris Saint-Germain, who, until recently, were among the greatest underachieving clubs in Europe. He played there in the early 2K's, during their nadir when an Intertoto Cup was the peak of their achievement and they were wallowing in debt. A stint at Bordeaux was equally undistinguished, with no trophies won.
Prior to that, his years with Newells Old Boys in Argentina included two league titles - featuring home and away wins over Boca Juniors in the '90-91 title playoff - and a gut-wrenching loss in the final of the '92 Copa Libertadores, at the Morumbi in Sao Paulo, where they had defended a first leg 1-0 lead until a penalty for the home side in the 65th minute. That sent the game to extra time and penalties, where they lost 3-2. He didn't participate in the penalties.
He also played for Espanyol for ten years, over two separate stints. Forever the lesser club in Barcelona, it takes a spine to cope with that and he was part of the 1999-2000 squad that won the Copa del Rey by 2-1 over Atletico Madrid at the Mestalla, having got there by eliminating Real Madrid by 1-0 over two legs in the semi final.
Through 17 years as a solid professional, he was good enough to play for Argentina's senor squad 20 times and play in one World Cup. Very good, but not great.
Pochettino knows what it is to be the little guy. The striver. He knows what a grind the game is, on many levels, as both a player and manager. And how sweet it can be to put it all together and win.
No doubt, there are people out there who would like to think the rustle of banknotes will be enough to spin Pochettino's head and send him on to one of the so-called bigger clubs. They saw him leave Spain (well, after saving Espanyol from relegation one year, he left in 2012 by mutual consent when they were in last place) for the brighter prospects of Southampton, then saw him repeat the process with Tottenham just two years later. But one can't compare the situation in Southampton with Spurs. One is a south coast club with fluctuating fortunes and a perceivable limit on what they can achieve. The other is a London club with a wonderful history, a huge fan base and amazing prospects for years to come.
Spurs are a club that he has the sort of personal history and experience to truly appreciate what this club is all about and what can happen here. His arrival is fortuitous since Daniel Levy - with a state-of-the-art training ground, one of Europe's greatest youth academies, and a remarkable new stadium coming out of the ground - is now in position to hand him some of the best tools and circumstances he could ever hope to work with.
I think Spurs have found their man at the exact same time as their man has found the exact place he truly belongs at.
There is money aplenty to reward him, yet there is the sense that this is a craftsman, someone who has a keen idea of what he wants to build and simply had to find the right place to make it happen.
One day, Mauricio Pochettino will truly need a bigger club to fulfill his ambitions. But if he fulfills all the ambitions he currently has now, he will create that bigger club with his own ideas, decisions and actions. What more can a man who is giving his life to football ask for?
