Ange Postecoglou insisted an improved Premier League finish was not going to change Tottenham, but that winning a trophy would, following their Europa League triumph on Wednesday.
Spurs ended their 17-year wait for silverware following a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the final in Bilbao, while securing Champions League football next season.
It represents a remarkable salvation to what had been an otherwise difficult campaign for Postecoglou’s side, who find themselves 17th in the Premier League.
There was even greater pressure on the Australian to deliver this trophy, having asserted earlier in the season how he always wins silverware in his second year at a club, yet he has subsequently maintained that impressive record.
Indeed, he has won the 1997-98 National Soccer League with South Melbourne, the 2011-12 A-League with Brisbane Roar, the 2019 J1 League with Yokohama F. Marinos, and the 2022-23 Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup with Celtic, adding the 2024-25 Europa League to that.
“People misinterpreted me,” he said of his quote from September. “It was not me boasting, just me making a declaration, and I believed it. I had this thing inside me more than anything else.
“I know our league form has been unacceptable, but coming third [in the Premier League] was not going to change this football club.
“Winning a trophy would, that was my ambition, and I was prepared to wear it if it did not happen. People kept reminding me of it because we were getting closer, but I’m happy with that.
“I’ve always felt knockout football is different to league football and, when you’re in that situation, it comes down to good organisation, having a real game plan and moments, and you can minimise moments by having a strong foundation.
“I felt we were going to be really hard to break down. We could’ve been better in transitions, but I felt comfortable that if we got ahead, we could deal with most of what Manchester United would throw at us.”
“I’m still taking it all in,” he added. “I know what it means for this football club. The longer it goes, the harder it is to break that cycle.
“I could sense the nerves in everyone at the club, and until you take that monkey off your back, you never understand what it feels like.
“We have a young group, and I hope by tasting this, the players feel different about themselves, and what it means to them is unbelievable.”
Son Heung-min became the first Tottenham player to lift silverware since Robbie Keane and Ledley King hoisted the 2008 League Cup aloft at Wembley.
The first South Korean to captain a side to a major European trophy, it was also the first silverware of his career.
“Let’s say I’m a legend. Why not? Only today!” he joked on TNT Sports. “[In] 17 years, nobody has done it [lifted a trophy].
“This is what I’ve always dreamed for. Today is the day it happened. I am the happiest man in the world.
“When you look at the whole season, there will always be some situation where you have a tough time, but as players, we always stuck together.
“I felt the pressure. I wanted it so badly. The last seven days, I was dreaming about this game every night. It finally happened, and I can sleep easy now!”
Making history. pic.twitter.com/6lEq66KM75
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 21, 2025
