If Brennan Johnson’s winning goal in the Europa League final lacked something of the spectacular, Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance off Rasmus Højlund’s header midway through the second half more than made up for it. The 24-year-old had to stretch every sinew of his 1.93m frame to somehow hook the ball away with his right shin above his head as it flew towards the roof of the net. Here, Tottenham’s Dutch centre-back recalls the moment and how it has special resonance for a friend who died when he was just 15. “I promised I would try to make it big in football for him,” he says. Mission accomplished.
Nervous of course. Nerves running through your body. It was the biggest match I have ever played in. The nerves leading up to the match were just really intense. Your friends and family are there, and the club has been longing for a trophy for a long time. Those are things that go through your mind before the match. The moment I went outside for the warm-up, a certain mode kicked in, like I’d fully switched into focus. But before the match, it’s mostly just nerves. With the pre-match meal three hours before the game, you really feel the stress. You feel the tension and you don’t feel hungry. You’re really just living towards that game the entire day. You just want the game to be over and for it to have gone well. But it’s also a great thing to experience.
They had played a long ball, a free-kick from [Bruno] Fernandes, I believe. [Guglielmo] Vicario came out to catch it, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He more or less collided with [Cristian] Romero and that’s when I thought I have to go towards the goal line because if the ball goes over and past Vicario then it is a goal. I wanted to head it and then do everything I could to prevent the ball from going over the line. At that moment, that was the best I could do. Fortunately it all worked out.
It had been a really hard season with the injuries, and I had not really played that much. So for me personally, it was really important to finish on a positive note. All of the players had also had a difficult season because we had received a lot of criticism from outside the club. It was a sort of release of emotions that flowed from everyone – being so happy to have been able to save our season, to have given the club and our fans exactly what they have earned and deserved over all those years.
My family finally came over to the pitch and my best friends were still sitting in the stands. My four best friends, there they were, still in the stands. I saw where they were sitting, so I ran down past the fans towards where they were. That was a really nice moment.
What I like the most is to be on my PlayStation. Sitting at home with my headphones on, playing on the PlayStation with my friends. Those are the moments I can fully switch off from football.
Yes, but you don’t really think about it. It's different.
When I was 15, we had a close group of friends. One of our best friends became ill, and he sadly did not survive. I played at Wolfsburg with my usual number 5. Then when I was here at Spurs for my signing day and medical check, my best friend was with me. There were the three of us back then, then some others we were close with as well. We saw that number [37] become available and it was a special number to our deceased friend. My friend and I looked at each other and we thought this was the moment to pick that number. I promised I would make him proud and try to make it big in football for him. It was a great moment to do this for him.
Tottenham belongs there. For myself, it’s really nice because I haven’t played in it yet. It will be the first time I’ll be playing in the Champions League. That’s a milestone for me, a box I can check. For the club and for the fans, those are the nicest games. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in the stadium; dark with the lights. Those are the nicest games, the ones you live for, to play on the biggest stage. I always watched the games with my dad and my best friends. We’d say to each other, “Let’s all have an evening watching the Champions League.” It’s really beautiful. They’ll probably do that now, but the only difference is that I’ll be playing.
If Brennan Johnson’s winning goal in the Europa League final lacked something of the spectacular, Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance off Rasmus Højlund’s header midway through the second half more than made up for it. The 24-year-old had to stretch every sinew of his 1.93m frame to somehow hook the ball away with his right shin above his head as it flew towards the roof of the net. Here, Tottenham’s Dutch centre-back recalls the moment and how it has special resonance for a friend who died when he was just 15. “I promised I would try to make it big in football for him,” he says. Mission accomplished.
Nervous of course. Nerves running through your body. It was the biggest match I have ever played in. The nerves leading up to the match were just really intense. Your friends and family are there, and the club has been longing for a trophy for a long time. Those are things that go through your mind before the match. The moment I went outside for the warm-up, a certain mode kicked in, like I’d fully switched into focus. But before the match, it’s mostly just nerves. With the pre-match meal three hours before the game, you really feel the stress. You feel the tension and you don’t feel hungry. You’re really just living towards that game the entire day. You just want the game to be over and for it to have gone well. But it’s also a great thing to experience.
They had played a long ball, a free-kick from [Bruno] Fernandes, I believe. [Guglielmo] Vicario came out to catch it, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He more or less collided with [Cristian] Romero and that’s when I thought I have to go towards the goal line because if the ball goes over and past Vicario then it is a goal. I wanted to head it and then do everything I could to prevent the ball from going over the line. At that moment, that was the best I could do. Fortunately it all worked out.
It had been a really hard season with the injuries, and I had not really played that much. So for me personally, it was really important to finish on a positive note. All of the players had also had a difficult season because we had received a lot of criticism from outside the club. It was a sort of release of emotions that flowed from everyone – being so happy to have been able to save our season, to have given the club and our fans exactly what they have earned and deserved over all those years.
My family finally came over to the pitch and my best friends were still sitting in the stands. My four best friends, there they were, still in the stands. I saw where they were sitting, so I ran down past the fans towards where they were. That was a really nice moment.
What I like the most is to be on my PlayStation. Sitting at home with my headphones on, playing on the PlayStation with my friends. Those are the moments I can fully switch off from football.
Yes, but you don’t really think about it. It's different.
When I was 15, we had a close group of friends. One of our best friends became ill, and he sadly did not survive. I played at Wolfsburg with my usual number 5. Then when I was here at Spurs for my signing day and medical check, my best friend was with me. There were the three of us back then, then some others we were close with as well. We saw that number [37] become available and it was a special number to our deceased friend. My friend and I looked at each other and we thought this was the moment to pick that number. I promised I would make him proud and try to make it big in football for him. It was a great moment to do this for him.
Tottenham belongs there. For myself, it’s really nice because I haven’t played in it yet. It will be the first time I’ll be playing in the Champions League. That’s a milestone for me, a box I can check. For the club and for the fans, those are the nicest games. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in the stadium; dark with the lights. Those are the nicest games, the ones you live for, to play on the biggest stage. I always watched the games with my dad and my best friends. We’d say to each other, “Let’s all have an evening watching the Champions League.” It’s really beautiful. They’ll probably do that now, but the only difference is that I’ll be playing.
If Brennan Johnson’s winning goal in the Europa League final lacked something of the spectacular, Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance off Rasmus Højlund’s header midway through the second half more than made up for it. The 24-year-old had to stretch every sinew of his 1.93m frame to somehow hook the ball away with his right shin above his head as it flew towards the roof of the net. Here, Tottenham’s Dutch centre-back recalls the moment and how it has special resonance for a friend who died when he was just 15. “I promised I would try to make it big in football for him,” he says. Mission accomplished.
Nervous of course. Nerves running through your body. It was the biggest match I have ever played in. The nerves leading up to the match were just really intense. Your friends and family are there, and the club has been longing for a trophy for a long time. Those are things that go through your mind before the match. The moment I went outside for the warm-up, a certain mode kicked in, like I’d fully switched into focus. But before the match, it’s mostly just nerves. With the pre-match meal three hours before the game, you really feel the stress. You feel the tension and you don’t feel hungry. You’re really just living towards that game the entire day. You just want the game to be over and for it to have gone well. But it’s also a great thing to experience.
They had played a long ball, a free-kick from [Bruno] Fernandes, I believe. [Guglielmo] Vicario came out to catch it, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He more or less collided with [Cristian] Romero and that’s when I thought I have to go towards the goal line because if the ball goes over and past Vicario then it is a goal. I wanted to head it and then do everything I could to prevent the ball from going over the line. At that moment, that was the best I could do. Fortunately it all worked out.
It had been a really hard season with the injuries, and I had not really played that much. So for me personally, it was really important to finish on a positive note. All of the players had also had a difficult season because we had received a lot of criticism from outside the club. It was a sort of release of emotions that flowed from everyone – being so happy to have been able to save our season, to have given the club and our fans exactly what they have earned and deserved over all those years.
My family finally came over to the pitch and my best friends were still sitting in the stands. My four best friends, there they were, still in the stands. I saw where they were sitting, so I ran down past the fans towards where they were. That was a really nice moment.
What I like the most is to be on my PlayStation. Sitting at home with my headphones on, playing on the PlayStation with my friends. Those are the moments I can fully switch off from football.
Yes, but you don’t really think about it. It's different.
When I was 15, we had a close group of friends. One of our best friends became ill, and he sadly did not survive. I played at Wolfsburg with my usual number 5. Then when I was here at Spurs for my signing day and medical check, my best friend was with me. There were the three of us back then, then some others we were close with as well. We saw that number [37] become available and it was a special number to our deceased friend. My friend and I looked at each other and we thought this was the moment to pick that number. I promised I would make him proud and try to make it big in football for him. It was a great moment to do this for him.
Tottenham belongs there. For myself, it’s really nice because I haven’t played in it yet. It will be the first time I’ll be playing in the Champions League. That’s a milestone for me, a box I can check. For the club and for the fans, those are the nicest games. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in the stadium; dark with the lights. Those are the nicest games, the ones you live for, to play on the biggest stage. I always watched the games with my dad and my best friends. We’d say to each other, “Let’s all have an evening watching the Champions League.” It’s really beautiful. They’ll probably do that now, but the only difference is that I’ll be playing.
If Brennan Johnson’s winning goal in the Europa League final lacked something of the spectacular, Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance off Rasmus Højlund’s header midway through the second half more than made up for it. The 24-year-old had to stretch every sinew of his 1.93m frame to somehow hook the ball away with his right shin above his head as it flew towards the roof of the net. Here, Tottenham’s Dutch centre-back recalls the moment and how it has special resonance for a friend who died when he was just 15. “I promised I would try to make it big in football for him,” he says. Mission accomplished.
Nervous of course. Nerves running through your body. It was the biggest match I have ever played in. The nerves leading up to the match were just really intense. Your friends and family are there, and the club has been longing for a trophy for a long time. Those are things that go through your mind before the match. The moment I went outside for the warm-up, a certain mode kicked in, like I’d fully switched into focus. But before the match, it’s mostly just nerves. With the pre-match meal three hours before the game, you really feel the stress. You feel the tension and you don’t feel hungry. You’re really just living towards that game the entire day. You just want the game to be over and for it to have gone well. But it’s also a great thing to experience.
They had played a long ball, a free-kick from [Bruno] Fernandes, I believe. [Guglielmo] Vicario came out to catch it, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He more or less collided with [Cristian] Romero and that’s when I thought I have to go towards the goal line because if the ball goes over and past Vicario then it is a goal. I wanted to head it and then do everything I could to prevent the ball from going over the line. At that moment, that was the best I could do. Fortunately it all worked out.
It had been a really hard season with the injuries, and I had not really played that much. So for me personally, it was really important to finish on a positive note. All of the players had also had a difficult season because we had received a lot of criticism from outside the club. It was a sort of release of emotions that flowed from everyone – being so happy to have been able to save our season, to have given the club and our fans exactly what they have earned and deserved over all those years.
My family finally came over to the pitch and my best friends were still sitting in the stands. My four best friends, there they were, still in the stands. I saw where they were sitting, so I ran down past the fans towards where they were. That was a really nice moment.
What I like the most is to be on my PlayStation. Sitting at home with my headphones on, playing on the PlayStation with my friends. Those are the moments I can fully switch off from football.
Yes, but you don’t really think about it. It's different.
When I was 15, we had a close group of friends. One of our best friends became ill, and he sadly did not survive. I played at Wolfsburg with my usual number 5. Then when I was here at Spurs for my signing day and medical check, my best friend was with me. There were the three of us back then, then some others we were close with as well. We saw that number [37] become available and it was a special number to our deceased friend. My friend and I looked at each other and we thought this was the moment to pick that number. I promised I would make him proud and try to make it big in football for him. It was a great moment to do this for him.
Tottenham belongs there. For myself, it’s really nice because I haven’t played in it yet. It will be the first time I’ll be playing in the Champions League. That’s a milestone for me, a box I can check. For the club and for the fans, those are the nicest games. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in the stadium; dark with the lights. Those are the nicest games, the ones you live for, to play on the biggest stage. I always watched the games with my dad and my best friends. We’d say to each other, “Let’s all have an evening watching the Champions League.” It’s really beautiful. They’ll probably do that now, but the only difference is that I’ll be playing.
If Brennan Johnson’s winning goal in the Europa League final lacked something of the spectacular, Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance off Rasmus Højlund’s header midway through the second half more than made up for it. The 24-year-old had to stretch every sinew of his 1.93m frame to somehow hook the ball away with his right shin above his head as it flew towards the roof of the net. Here, Tottenham’s Dutch centre-back recalls the moment and how it has special resonance for a friend who died when he was just 15. “I promised I would try to make it big in football for him,” he says. Mission accomplished.
Nervous of course. Nerves running through your body. It was the biggest match I have ever played in. The nerves leading up to the match were just really intense. Your friends and family are there, and the club has been longing for a trophy for a long time. Those are things that go through your mind before the match. The moment I went outside for the warm-up, a certain mode kicked in, like I’d fully switched into focus. But before the match, it’s mostly just nerves. With the pre-match meal three hours before the game, you really feel the stress. You feel the tension and you don’t feel hungry. You’re really just living towards that game the entire day. You just want the game to be over and for it to have gone well. But it’s also a great thing to experience.
They had played a long ball, a free-kick from [Bruno] Fernandes, I believe. [Guglielmo] Vicario came out to catch it, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He more or less collided with [Cristian] Romero and that’s when I thought I have to go towards the goal line because if the ball goes over and past Vicario then it is a goal. I wanted to head it and then do everything I could to prevent the ball from going over the line. At that moment, that was the best I could do. Fortunately it all worked out.
It had been a really hard season with the injuries, and I had not really played that much. So for me personally, it was really important to finish on a positive note. All of the players had also had a difficult season because we had received a lot of criticism from outside the club. It was a sort of release of emotions that flowed from everyone – being so happy to have been able to save our season, to have given the club and our fans exactly what they have earned and deserved over all those years.
My family finally came over to the pitch and my best friends were still sitting in the stands. My four best friends, there they were, still in the stands. I saw where they were sitting, so I ran down past the fans towards where they were. That was a really nice moment.
What I like the most is to be on my PlayStation. Sitting at home with my headphones on, playing on the PlayStation with my friends. Those are the moments I can fully switch off from football.
Yes, but you don’t really think about it. It's different.
When I was 15, we had a close group of friends. One of our best friends became ill, and he sadly did not survive. I played at Wolfsburg with my usual number 5. Then when I was here at Spurs for my signing day and medical check, my best friend was with me. There were the three of us back then, then some others we were close with as well. We saw that number [37] become available and it was a special number to our deceased friend. My friend and I looked at each other and we thought this was the moment to pick that number. I promised I would make him proud and try to make it big in football for him. It was a great moment to do this for him.
Tottenham belongs there. For myself, it’s really nice because I haven’t played in it yet. It will be the first time I’ll be playing in the Champions League. That’s a milestone for me, a box I can check. For the club and for the fans, those are the nicest games. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in the stadium; dark with the lights. Those are the nicest games, the ones you live for, to play on the biggest stage. I always watched the games with my dad and my best friends. We’d say to each other, “Let’s all have an evening watching the Champions League.” It’s really beautiful. They’ll probably do that now, but the only difference is that I’ll be playing.
If Brennan Johnson’s winning goal in the Europa League final lacked something of the spectacular, Micky van de Ven’s goal-line clearance off Rasmus Højlund’s header midway through the second half more than made up for it. The 24-year-old had to stretch every sinew of his 1.93m frame to somehow hook the ball away with his right shin above his head as it flew towards the roof of the net. Here, Tottenham’s Dutch centre-back recalls the moment and how it has special resonance for a friend who died when he was just 15. “I promised I would try to make it big in football for him,” he says. Mission accomplished.
Nervous of course. Nerves running through your body. It was the biggest match I have ever played in. The nerves leading up to the match were just really intense. Your friends and family are there, and the club has been longing for a trophy for a long time. Those are things that go through your mind before the match. The moment I went outside for the warm-up, a certain mode kicked in, like I’d fully switched into focus. But before the match, it’s mostly just nerves. With the pre-match meal three hours before the game, you really feel the stress. You feel the tension and you don’t feel hungry. You’re really just living towards that game the entire day. You just want the game to be over and for it to have gone well. But it’s also a great thing to experience.
They had played a long ball, a free-kick from [Bruno] Fernandes, I believe. [Guglielmo] Vicario came out to catch it, but it didn’t quite work out that way. He more or less collided with [Cristian] Romero and that’s when I thought I have to go towards the goal line because if the ball goes over and past Vicario then it is a goal. I wanted to head it and then do everything I could to prevent the ball from going over the line. At that moment, that was the best I could do. Fortunately it all worked out.
It had been a really hard season with the injuries, and I had not really played that much. So for me personally, it was really important to finish on a positive note. All of the players had also had a difficult season because we had received a lot of criticism from outside the club. It was a sort of release of emotions that flowed from everyone – being so happy to have been able to save our season, to have given the club and our fans exactly what they have earned and deserved over all those years.
My family finally came over to the pitch and my best friends were still sitting in the stands. My four best friends, there they were, still in the stands. I saw where they were sitting, so I ran down past the fans towards where they were. That was a really nice moment.
What I like the most is to be on my PlayStation. Sitting at home with my headphones on, playing on the PlayStation with my friends. Those are the moments I can fully switch off from football.
Yes, but you don’t really think about it. It's different.
When I was 15, we had a close group of friends. One of our best friends became ill, and he sadly did not survive. I played at Wolfsburg with my usual number 5. Then when I was here at Spurs for my signing day and medical check, my best friend was with me. There were the three of us back then, then some others we were close with as well. We saw that number [37] become available and it was a special number to our deceased friend. My friend and I looked at each other and we thought this was the moment to pick that number. I promised I would make him proud and try to make it big in football for him. It was a great moment to do this for him.
Tottenham belongs there. For myself, it’s really nice because I haven’t played in it yet. It will be the first time I’ll be playing in the Champions League. That’s a milestone for me, a box I can check. For the club and for the fans, those are the nicest games. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, in the stadium; dark with the lights. Those are the nicest games, the ones you live for, to play on the biggest stage. I always watched the games with my dad and my best friends. We’d say to each other, “Let’s all have an evening watching the Champions League.” It’s really beautiful. They’ll probably do that now, but the only difference is that I’ll be playing.
