Guglielmo Vicario has insisted that he and his Tottenham Hotspur teammates are fully aware of how special it will be for the supporters and everyone associated with the club if they win the Europa League final.
Most Tottenham fans would have woken up this morning with a spring in their step, but that would have almost immediately turned into nervousness as it dawned on them what their side could achieve this evening in the Europa League final against Manchester United.
Almost an entire generation of Spurs fans have never seen their side win any silverware, with the club’s last trophy coming all the way back in 2008 with a League Cup win against Chelsea.
However, given all the heartbreak that they have experienced over the last two decades, there is no doubt that their anxiety will get worse as kick-off gets closer.
Guglielmo Vicario is determined to make history for Tottenham
Guglielmo Vicario is aware that the opportunity to play a European final does not come frequently in a player’s career, with the Italian admitting that he is proud to get the chance to walk out in Bilbao in Tottenham’s colours.
However, the 28-year-old made it clear that he and his teammates are not resting on their laurels and are determined to make history and write their names into Spurs folklore.
The Tottenham number one said (via Football.London): “I cannot be more proud of what my journey has been until this point. Now it is just about trying to finalise the last step we have. When I signed for this football club, to imagine about 22 months later, I would have the opportunity to play a European final, it is something I am very grateful for.
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“Of course, the hard work has been put in, so I am very glad about that. It would be massive for the players, for the staff and especially for the fans. We know we can create history for this football club.
“We know that probably next year when we walk through the corridors into the dressing room we will see some photos of us lifting that trophy, but now it is not certain, so we have to keep working as best we can to try to arrive on the day as ready as we can to create history.”
Vicario speaks on his role as a leader
Postecoglou added Vicario to Tottenham’s leadership group last summer, and the Australian has repeatedly praised the Italian for the way he carries himself.
Vicario’s Tottenham teammates spoke glowingly about the goalkeeper’s influence in the dressing room, and the Tottenham number one will thus have a huge role to play this evening.
When asked what he feels his role is as one of the most influential voices at the club, the former Empoli man responded: “It is just to try to lead them because I think words can sometimes, you speak a lot, but it is the way you act.
“In the way you behave in the dressing room, or during training and being the first to go to the gym and last to go away from the training ground on a daily basis is a good commitment because people can see how committed you are and how much you embrace the challenge.
“I think that is a big part of my journey, of my life, and then try to just give them the best example of how to behave on the pitch, off the pitch and try to be the best human being you can be.”