More than 2.6 million people have scrolled past Kenny McEvoy over the past 24 hours after his uncanny resemblance to Gareth Bale was brought up on social media for what feels like the umpteenth time.
“It’s still mental to me that this bloke wasn’t Gareth Bale,” wrote X user @THEZONEEEEEE, who also posted four pictures of the former Republic of Ireland youth international from his Tottenham days.
McEvoy never made a senior appearance across his five-year spell at Spurs, with two cameos on the subs bench during their 2013-14 Europa League campaign being the closest he got to first-team minutes.
He went on to play for York City, Waterford and South Normanton Athletic after his spell in North London came to an end, but those Bale comparisons continue to linger, a decade after leaving Tottenham.
Kenny McEvoy was relieved after ‘finally’ being released by Tottenham
On the 3rd of January, 2016, McEvoy thanked Tottenham for "finally" agreeing to let him go. At the time, McEvoy was playing for League Two side York City in what was his fourth loan spell in the space of two years.
He previously spent time on loan at Peterborough, Colchester and Stevenage.
"In my own head I made the decision five months ago that I wanted to go elsewhere to start my career as a first-team player, as I did not see it happening at Tottenham no matter how much effort I gave it," he wrote on Twitter, as per Sky Sports.
"I can't thank my lawyer enough for helping me get out and Tottenham agreed a month ago to finally let me go.
"The decision was purely my own and, wherever I go next, I know that I will be happy playing as a first-team player, and I'll have the chance to prove people wrong that have ever doubted me."
He added: "Thank you to the fans at Tottenham that did support me. I appreciate every one of you. Let's see where the future takes us."
McEvoy would go on to join York City permanently but after a solid run in the first-team, he left at the end of the 2015-16 campaign before signing for East Midlands Counties League side South Normanton Athletic.
A productive spell at the Derby-based club followed and in January 2017, a number of clubs expressed an interest, including League of Ireland giants Sligo Rovers and Waterford. He opted for the latter.
Kenny McEvoy last played a game of professional football in 2017
McEvoy ended up spending just six months at hometown club Waterford before leaving the club by mutual consent. According to Extra Time, he took a full-time job in England to support his young family.
“I would like to thank the management team for being so understanding with my decision to leave the club," he said in a statement. "I was given an opportunity I couldn’t pass up on which means my family could settle for the first time in four years."
According to his LinkedIn page, McEvoy is currently working as a managing consultant at Ford & Stanley, a UK-based specialist talent services and recruitment group.