One Villarreal star will be going up against his old club on Tuesday night.
Sign up to our LondonWorld Today newsletter
Sign up
Thank you for signing up!
Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to LondonWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you.
Submitting...
Villarreal star Juan Foyth has been speaking ahead of his Tottenham reunion on Tuesday night in the Champions League. Spurs host the Yellow Submarine in their first game of the Champions League group phase, and it will be Foyth’s first time returning to play against his old club.
The defender played for Tottenham between 2017 and 2021, though he spent the last of those years on loan with Villarreal and joined them permanently that summer.
The Argentine went on to play his best football in Castellon, temporarily becoming a right-back as he played a central role in them winning the Europa League and then reaching the Champions League semi-final the following year.
Since then, Foyth has reverted to his old position at centre-back, but his reputation of being one of the most reliable defenders in Spain holds strong, and the Argentine was reportedly being eyed by some top clubs in the summer before he put pen-to-paper on a new long-term deal.
Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s return to London in a pre-match press conference, he said: “It a special game because it’s the Champions League and it’s one one of the beautiful competitions. And also because I was there for three years. I remember this stadium being started and and I had many great moments, and I hope to have more tomorrow.”
Asked about Tottenham’s threat, he added: “Last season wasn’t so great in the Premier League, but they have great players and a big potential. They are very physical, like the rest of the Premier League, strong, fast and they press well. We have to trust in our players and in the quality that we have.”
Foyth also knows Tottenham defender Cristian Romero well, given he plays alongside him for Argentina. “Our strikers are going to have to endure a lot against one of the best defenders in the world,” he said. “We played together in the younger age groups against each other and then together in the under-20s. He is one of the best centre-backs in the world and I’m pleased for him. He is a great player and a great person.”
On the atmosphere he expects at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Foyth continued: “They push a lot in English stadiums. They are very happy to return to the Champions League and I hope that there will be a great atmosphere. It will help us to have an extra motivation. We are going to enjoy it as friends and as a family on the pitch.”
The last time Villarreal were in the Champions League was in the 2021/22 season when they defeated the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus to reach the semi-final, ultimately losing to Liverpool despite a two-goal comeback in the second leg.
“I remember the last Champions League, how we enjoyed it all with our town and it was very beautiful,” Foyth recalled. “Many things and many players have changed, but the dream remains. We want to start from zero and do great things. There is a great opportunity to start off on the right foot.
“The objective is to get as many points as possible and tomorrow is the first step. We have reached the semi-finals twice in different circumstances and we will see what this path holds. We believe we can compete against any team.”