Tottenham handed Hull City a modern day hero for £3.5m: View | OneFootball

Michael Dawson became a real fans' favourite at Hull City.

Michael Dawson made 132 appearances for Hull City during his four-season spell at the club.

The central defender signed for Hull from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £3.5m in the summer of 2014, after the Tigers had finished 16th in the Premier League and reached the FA Cup final the previous season.

Dawson was 30-years-old at the time of the move, having spent just under a decade at Spurs, where he had become club captain. However, he still had plenty left to give and turned out to be an excellent signing for Hull.

He arrived during the same transfer window that saw the likes of Abel Hernandez, Robert Snodgrass, Mohamed Diame, Jake Livermore, Andy Robertson and Harry Maguire sign for the Tigers under manager Steve Bruce.

Dawson was a successful signing for Hull

It did not take long for Dawson to captain Hull for the first time, as he was given the armband for a 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park just a few months after making his debut.

He scored his first goal for the club in a 1-0 home win over Liverpool, when he headed home Ahmed El Mohamady's cross in the first half to secure a memorable victory for Hull in their fight against the drop.

Unfortunately, Dawson's debut season ended in relegation for Hull as they finished 18th in the Premier League, three points adrift of Aston Villa, and returned to the Championship.

The 2015/16 campaign turned out to be an iconic one for the Tigers, as they bounced back to the top flight at the first time of asking. Dawson captained Hull to promotion, with Diame's stunning strike in the play-off final at Wembley sealing a 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday and ensuring that the club would return to the Premier League.

Dawson scored six goals over the course of the next two seasons, as the Tigers were relegated once again before the 2017/18 Championship campaign turned out to be his last for the club.

The defender's aerial ability, defensive awareness and leadership qualities endeared him to the Hull supporters, with the victory against Liverpool and lifting the trophy after the play-off final standing out as moments that will live long in the memory of the fans.

Dawson has enjoyed success since leaving Hull

Dawson left Hull and joined Nottingham Forest in 2018, the club that he started his career with before signing for Tottenham. He spent three years at the City Ground before announcing his retirement in the summer of 2021.

He returned to Hull with Forest during the 2018/19 season and played 90 minutes as his side won 2-0. Dawson didn't lose any of the five games he played against the Tigers throughout his career.

Since retiring, Dawson has been a club ambassador for Tottenham as well as a pundit in the media. He is fondly remembered by fans of the clubs he played for, and Hull fans are no exception.

Dawson was a key figure at the heart of the Tigers' defence during four exciting seasons that were spent either battling relegation or fighting for promotion, and his passion, commitment and ability meant that he was a well-respected player during his time at the club.

Signing the defender for £3.5m from Spurs turned out to be a very good decision from Hull.