There was a lot of love for Archie Gray following Tottenham's win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night, that ultimately ended in Spurs being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League - and rightly so.
Tottenham won 3-2 on the night in N17 but went out of the tournament due to a 7-5 scoreline on aggregate, following that 5-2 defeat in the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in the first leg last week.
After a draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday, Spurs built on that performance with a much-improved display of high-intensity attacking football, the like of which has rarely been seen this season.
Gray Led By Example In Spurs' Win Over Atletico
And Gray was at the centre of it.
The 20-year-old enjoyed 57 touches of the ball on the night and had an 88% passing success rate, creating two chances, playing five balls into the final third and coming away with an assist for the first Xavi Simons goal. He also made nine recoveries.
The former Leeds man was everywhere and it was not the first time.
As games have passed and Spurs supporters have grown ever more frustrated with the club's owners, the previous manager, the current manager and the players, Gray has stood out as a beacon of hope and optimism for the future.
While other more senior stars have appeared to hide and fail to take responsibility for the desperate situation Tottenham find themselves in, Gray has stepped up. It is why many people are talking about him as a future Tottenham captain.
Gray leads by example, despite his tender age and will only get more vocal and take more of a leading role the older he gets and the more his teammates look to him to get things moving.
No one is expecting Gray to step into the breach now, given his inexperience, but he could absolutely take on the armband in future seasons.
What Does The Future Hold For Cristian Romero?
There are question marks over Cristian Romero's future in north London beyond the end of this season and Spurs may need to name a fourth different club captain in as many seasons.
It is too early for Gray, but Tottenham do have another two players who can take the armband ahead of him.
Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro have all been part of the leadership group under Igor Tudor, but none will fill supporters with too much confidence moving forward.
Instead, one player who could and should step up is someone who has not been seen on the pitch for some time and that's James Maddison. Maddison will return to action in time for the start of the 2026/27 campaign and has been one of the vice-captains at the club already.
He is a passionate player and will drive his teammates on both on and off the pitch. Not only that but he is happy to front up when things go wrong and is happy in front of the camera, which always helps with skippers.
Centre-Back Can Make The Step Up For Spurs
Another, perhaps more left-field choice, is Kevin Danso.
While van de Ven and Porro have somewhat flattered to deceive in terms of what they have produced on the field and in terms of their leadership, Danso has, perhaps quietly, gone about his business and shown he is up for the fight and ready to do everything he can for the team in their relegation battle.
That mentality is what is required in tough situations like Spurs have now and he with no guarantees that Romero stays in north London beyond this season, Danso could have a bigger role to play moving forward.