Football London

Cristian Romero has shared his delight after being named the UEFA Europa League Player of the Season.

The centre-back was a rock at the heart of the Tottenham defence throughout the European campaign, with the defender playing seven times, most of which came in the knockout stages due to the Argentine suffering with injuries during the league phase.

The 27-year-old led out the team in Bilbao on Wednesday night and, alongside Micky van de Ven, helped shut out the Manchester United attack to ensure the Lilywhites won their first piece of silverware since 2008. Romero was named Wednesday's Player of the Match and on Thursday UEFA confirmed the defender had been named as the competition's Player of the Season. Romero, Pedro Porro, Guglielmo Vicario and Dominic Solanke were all named in the Europa League Team of the Season.

Clearly delighted with the personal achievement, Romero shared details of his award on his X account alongside a smiley face emoji. The defender also shared two snaps of himself lifting the Europa League trophy in a separate post, with the Spurs star tagging Tottenham's account alongside a white heart emoji.

It comes ahead of a busy summer for Romero, with the Argentina international linked with an exit from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A number of clubs are believed to be monitoring Romero as the summer transfer window approaches.

With only two years left on his contract come the summer, Tottenham may face a difficult decision regarding Romero's future amid interest from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Last month, Romero revealed that he wants to play in La Liga during his career.

Speaking to the Argentine journalists Esteban and Gaston Edul for Los Edul, he explained his motivations and career plan. "I try, above all things, to always live day to day," Romero said, his words translated into English from Spanish.

"There are almost two months left of the season, and I want to perform at my best and try to finish it in the best way possible. We are in the semi-final of the Europa League, which is an important step for the club after so many years that it has not reached this stage.

"After that, we'll see. In the end, I would like to win it, but it depends on many things.

"The truth is that I have not spoken with my agent yet, but I am willing to do anything. My focus is always on growing and looking for new places to continue developing, but I don't want to talk about that yet because there are a few months left to finish the season."

Asked which leagues he has yet to play in that he would like to, Romero acknowledged: "La Liga is a league I would love to play in and need to play in because it is the league that I would lack [to play in all the major leagues]."

Celebrations are in full swing following Tottenham’s momentous Europa League triumph over Manchester United earlier this week.

Despite an underwhelming Premier League campaign, everyone associated with the club is in party mode after Brennan Johnson’s solitary goal in Bilbao on Wednesday night ended the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy. Ange Postecoglou had vowed to win silverware in his second season, and the manager duly delivered, rounding off a fantastic European campaign.

Although the North London club still have a final Premier League fixture this weekend at home to Brighton, the Europa League success will be marked with a trophy parade this evening. Here, football.london brings you all the key details on the route, timings and how to watch.

The Route

Spurs have confirmed that the open-top bus parade will begin at Edmonton Green at 5:30pm, heading southbound down The Broadway/Fore Street, before continuing along High Road and past the stadium. The bus will then turn east onto Lansdowne Road, followed by Willoughby Lane and finally onto Northumberland Park.

The parade will conclude at the stadium’s service yard, located adjacent to the Sainsbury’s on Northumberland Park. A stage will be set up outside the stadium, above the High Road on Paxton Terrace, where a presentation involving players and coaching staff will take place once the bus parade has finished.

Timings

The club has announced that the parade is expected to last between 60 and 90 minutes after its 5:30pm departure from Edmonton Green. A DJ, live music and a Legends Q&A session will begin in the staging area from 3pm.

Road closures have been in effect from around midday on Friday and will last until midnight on Saturday morning. Full details of road closures and timings can be found on the club’s website.

How to Watch

Supporters hoping to secure a good view of the stage on High Road are advised to arrive early, as the club anticipates the area will reach capacity quickly. Several large screens will be positioned along the route to broadcast the presentation.

Tottenham Hotspur are 2024/25 Europa League winners – and by doing so have ensured their place in next season's Champions League.

Ange Postecoglou made the stunning vow that he 'always wins in his second year' with a club and then made good on that with Spurs on a triumphant night in Bilbao.

Brennan Johnson's first-half goal was ultimately the difference as the Londoners kept Premier League rivals Manchester United at bay, collecting the silverware desired for 17 long years.

In the context of this season alone, in many senses, it was all left to rest on that Europa League final.

Sitting 17th in the Premier League table, there was no other route available for Postecoglou's side to qualify for Europe and gain access to the riches that come with it.

It is just to their disadvantage that entering next season's Champions League, a 2024 rule change is going to make their task that much more challenging to deal with.

For the 2024/25 campaign, UEFA changed their competition formats to begin with a 'Swiss model' league phase, where all 36 teams are in the same points table and the results of eight fixtures - each against different opponents - compile together.

Part of this deviation from the traditional group stage format was to alter how seeding in the competition works.

In the past the Europa League winners, i.e. Spurs, would have been put into pot one of the draw - the highest in the competition, meaning they would face what would be weaker opposition, at least on paper.

Now in the new format, they are put into pot two so have an increased pool of tougher sides, again at least on paper, who they can draw.

There is also now no chance for a do-over if they get it wrong, as Champions League teams eliminated at the league phase of play-off stage do not enter into the Europa League as some previously used to.

Still, when the alternative was losing the final and succumbing to a league finish one place above the relegation zone, it is not as if Spurs will be complaining.

Participation in next season's Champions League will come with a £15.6m prize just for qualifying. There is also £1.7m for every league phase match won or £580,000 for a draw.

That is without considering the even greater prize funds unlocked through advancement to the knockout stage.

And lastly, as 2024/25 finalists Paris Saint-Germain have proven, you don't have to be the best in the league phase to have a chance of winning the entire thing.

Luis Enrique's side finished 15th in the standings and were required to play a play-off, but now are on a match against Inter Milan away from continental glory.

Micky van de Ven is 'really happy' that Ange Postecoglou said he always wins trophies in his second season so the Tottenham players could help him continue that trend.

Postecoglou was asked earlier in the season about usually winning something in his second campaign at a club, to which he replied that he always wins in his second one after joining a team. That answer brought plenty of scorn from rival fans and pundits, especially as Spurs struggled in the Premier League with injuries and inconsistent performances.

However, Postecoglou can keep using that line because on Wednesday night he became only the third manger in the club's history to win a European title as Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 in Bilbao in the Europa League final.

“The gaffer said this and I think he proved he’s done it," said Van de Ven. "He won again something in his second year and everyone who was doubting him, everybody that was doubting us, we all proved them wrong this year.

“Of course it was a really tough season. In the league we didn’t perform well, it was really poor from us. I can’t say anything else but that. But in Europe, we did so well.

"To be honest I’m really happy he said he always wins something in his second year. We made sure he can keep saying this. We’re happy for him and happy for the team."

The 24-year-old Dutch defender was excellent against United and made a crucial acrobatic clearance off his own goal line from Rasmus Hojlund's header late in the game and football.london asked Van de Ven what was going through his head in that moment and how much the landing in the goal clearly hurt.

“I can tell you it was painful! Vic came out, the ball bounced on his head. I don’t know how to be honest. The ball came to Hojlund and I was like 'I need to go to the goal line because if he heads over Vic, that’s going to be a goal'," said the centre-back.

“I saw the ball coming and to be honest the ball was high and I was like 'I don’t know how I’m going to do this', but I just tried everything I could and I saved it. It was all worth it because we kept the clean sheet. Some back issues afterwards but it’s all worth it!"

So what is it like to end 17 years of waiting at Tottenham for a trophy?

"An unbelievable feeling, of course. In the league we didn’t do really well, everybody was doubting us, but I think we all proved them wrong," said Van de Ven. "Today we’re here, we’re lifting a trophy and have made some history, so of course that’s an unbelievable feeling.

"Every time we played in Europe, we showed our quality, we showed how we can play. The gaffer had a big role in this, he kept believing in us, the whole staff kept believing in us. He just made sure we stayed together and as a group we stayed together. We kept believing that we could create history with this group and we did it."

Van de Ven was asked whether he believes this group of Tottenham players can build on this first trophy under Postecoglou with Champions League football now on the table next season and a place in the UEFA Super Cup in August.

"Yeah of course we want to build on it. To be honest now we just want to celebrate and enjoy this moment," he said. “Of course we want to do something special also next year. Every year you want to be successful and achieve something. But I really haven’t thought about it to be honest. Now we want to celebrate and we want to do beautiful stuff."

With three key creative players missing from Tottenham's midfield in Bilbao in James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall, Postecoglou set up his side in a compact, industrious 4-3-3.

As they did in the previous knockout games on the road in the Europa League, Spurs took a more pragmatic approach to the game

"Of course we have a plan beforehand but everybody changed. You can say what you expect from the game but the game is always going to be different," said the Dutchman. "We wanted to play our own game and you saw in the first half we created some chances, they created some chances.

"The game was 50/50, we scored our goal, and in the second half, of course, they pressed us more backwards. I think that’s normal when you’re 1-0 up and they needed to score. I think we defended it really well.

“I have to think about the header from Shaw and Hojlund. But I think we defended it really well. We kept a clean sheet like in the last couple of games in Europe.

“We proved to everybody we are a really good side. We played so well. Of course the AZ Alkmaar away game was a tough game but all the other games we played so well and showed everybody what we could do and we did the same today in the final."

Van de Ven had explained ahead of the final that when he joined Tottenham, 'banter people' on social media had told him that he was choosing to be trophy-less and he was asked whether this victory would silence such people.

"Probably they will continue but I don’t care anymore. We proved them wrong. We won a trophy so they can say whatever they want," said the young defender. "We lifted a trophy and that’s the most important for us and the fans and for the club."

The celebrations went on long into the night in Bilbao. And rightly so. The Tottenham Hotspur players will go down in history as the ones to have ended a 17-year trophy drought and a 41-year wait for a European title.

Tottenham beat Manchester United 1-0 in the final in San Mames, Bilbao, to be crowned Europa League winners and claim a place in next season's Champions League to boot.

Brennan Johnson bagged the only goal, but there were plenty of big performances across the board from the Tottenham players.

One player not even in the squad for the final was everywhere on the night, interviewed at least four times by TNT Sports and then taking centre stage on the pitch in the celebrations too, wearing his full kit, as he was allegedly told to do.

James Maddison is the man in question, playing a vital role in Spurs' run to the final before a knee injury against Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final first leg curtailed his season.

Videos emerged on social media showing the playing squad out on a night out singing along to Freed From Desire and Wonderwall, with Maddison at the forefront, leading the karaoke for the Oasis tune.

A classy Ange Postecoglou speech to the players and their families also came out as the players celebrated well into the night.

Send your messages of congratulations after Tottenham's Europa League triumph here

Son Heung-min had joked on TNT Sports' coverage that he might miss the plane due to the celebrations that would be going on after the final whistle, but all appeared present and correct as the squad boarded the plane to fly home on Thursday afternoon.

And Maddison was front and centre of the video Spurs released of the players boarding too.

The England man, with his pillow in tow, led the players up the steps to the plane and, without anyone joining in, decided to have another sing-song.

As Maddison boarded, he could be heard singing 'Championes, championes, ole, ole, ole'. Johnson, following him up the steps had a smile on his face, while Yves Bissouma was clearly struggling to hoist his cabin bag up, holding all the players up behind him.

There's going to be a party atmosphere in N17 over the next few days following the return home of Ange Postecoglou's triumphant Tottenham team. Spurs' 17-year wait for a trophy finally came to an end on Wednesday evening after they were crowned Europa League champions following a 1-0 win over Manchester United.

Not only have Tottenham won a trophy and Postecoglou has kept up his record of winning silverware in his second season at a club, the north London side will be back in the Champions League come September. It was a very special night in Bilbao following their European success and it promises to be the same on Friday with the team embarking on a victory parade through north London.

The trophy will then almost certainly make an appearance at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday in the team's final Premier League game of the term. Brighton & Hove Albion are the visitors and Spurs have to try and ensure that they don't finish the league season 17th in the table.

Whether or not it proves to be Postecoglou's last game at the helm will become clear in the weeks ahead. There has been an awful lot of speculation regarding his future over the course of this season but his Europa League victory may well keep him at the club for the long-term future.

That will all come down to Daniel Levy and his Tottenham masterplan. Postecoglou certainly deserves the chance to take the club forward and the playing staff will no doubt feel the same way due to the close bond they share.

On the latest episode of the Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham podcast, Spurs writers Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest are joined by Lee Wilmot, football.london's head of football, to discuss the critical decision facing Levy. The trio also reflect on Spurs' win over Manchester United, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven's huge roles, Richarlison's big performance and Brennan Johnson's incredible ability of arriving at the perfect time to score.

You can listen to the latest episode by clicking here or alternatively watch on YouTube right here.

They only went and did it! Click here to listen to a special episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' Europa League triumph.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has suddenly become a much more attractive destination for the world's best players this summer. By securing qualification to the Champions League, Ange Postecoglou has got his hands on the most valuable bargaining chip in football.

Now, it's up to Daniel Levy to bolster their squad. Fortunately for the Spurs chairman, Postecoglou already has a clear idea of who he wants to bring to north London in an effort to build on the European triumph.

"We're still building this team," said Tottenham's boss following their UEFA Europa League final. "It's a young team, we need to add experience. My thought process has been about building a team that can be successful for five or six years.

"But I'm the manager - that decision is not in my hands. It doesn't affect me. You would have seen that in the build-up. All I care about is [the medal] as this means this football club has won a trophy.

"I don't feel like I've completed the job. We're building. The moment I accepted the role, I had one thing in my head - win something. We've done that now, and I want to build on it."

So, with that being said, football.london has looked at what players Tottenham could attract this summer;

Kevin De Bruyne

If Postecoglou wants experience, then Levy must do whatever it takes to sign Kevin De Bruyne. The 33-year-old midfielder will depart Manchester City when his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires later next month, making him available on a free.

De Bruyne would significantly strengthen Spurs' starting line-up, while he'd also be a great mentor for the younger players, especially the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to secure the Belgian's signature but, with Champions League football on offer, Spurs have a ticket in the raffle.

Martin Zubimendi

Alternatively, Tottenham could try to throw a spanner in the works and go for Martin Zubimendi. The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal for a while now ,as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his options in the middle of the park.

Zubimendi would be a good addition to Postecoglou's side. The Gunners also have Champions League football on offer, so it would be down to Levy to pitch the Real Sociedad star a better deal than what's (seemingly) on offer at the Emirates Stadium.

Rafael Leao

Alternatively, if Tottenham wanted a winger, then they could always try their luck with Rafael Leao. The 25-year-old forward has been linked with a move to the Premier League on numerous occasions in the past following his eye-catching displays for AC Milan.

Had Spurs not secured qualification for the Champions League, they'd have been lucky to sign Dwight McNeil. But, with the most valuable bargaining chip on the table, they have a seat at the table if Leao decides to leave the San Siro.

Xavi Simons

A more realistic option for Tottenham would be Xavi Simons, who could be available after RB Leipzig missed out on Champions League football. It's the first time the German outfit haven't finished inside the top-four in six years, and the first time they've missed out on Europe since their promotion to the top-flight in 2016.

The 22-year-old attacking midfielder would be an excellent addition. Postecoglou would be spoiled for choice in attack!

Rayan Cherki

Last, and by no means least, Rayan Cherki. The 21-year-old maestro was heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge a couple of years ago before Chelsea decided to sign Cole Palmer instead.

He's already announced that he'll be leaving Olympique Lyonnais in the summer, and he could be available for a cut-price fee. Cherki lifts fans from their seats, so his arrival would certainly be welcomed by the home faithful.

Cristian Romero is one of several Tottenham Hotspur players to be recognised by UEFA for their efforts along the way to winning the Europa League. Romero played a crucial role in helping Spurs overcome Manchester United in the Europa League final in Bilbao on Wednesday night.

Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game, in Spain, as Ange Postecoglou picked up his first major trophy as Tottenham manager in his second season at the club.

And, hours after the match, it was confirmed by UEFA that Romero had been named as 'Player of the Tournament' for the Europa League this term.

Tottenham's defender made seven appearances across Spurs' run to glory - where he played every minute across the quarter-final and semi-final stages - as well as the final.

Romero was named Player of the Tournament for the Europa League by a the Technical Observer Group for UEFA.

A technical observer was in attendance at the San Mames Stadium, praising the Tottenham captain - at least on the night - for his performance in the showpiece. "It was a dominant performance from start to finish by Romero," the technical observer is quoted as saying.

The announcement from UEFA sees Romero get the last laugh after being sent a dig by Harry Maguire during the final. The United centre-back could be seen saying: "You're the captain, come on!" to Romero after the Tottenham star was holding his face while on the floor after an inadvertent collision with Rasmus Hojlund.

Romero was also included in the Europa League team of the tournament by UEFA.

The Argentina international was joined by Spurs teammates Guglielmo Vicario, Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke in the line-up, with captain Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro the only inclusions for United.

Ange Postecoglou's run of winning silverware in his second season at a club goes on. Despite Tottenham's Europa League final triumph over Manchester United on Wednesday evening, question marks remain over the Australian's long-term future in N17.

Tottenham may have got their hands on the Europa League trophy but it has been a season to forget in the Premier League with the team currently languishing in 17th position. Postecoglou's future will no doubt prove to be a big talking point in the weeks ahead and clarity over the situation is needed with chairman Daniel Levy required to make a decision one way or another.

Even though things may not have gone to plan for Tottenham in the Premier League this season, the post-match celebrations at San Mames Stadium on Wednesday evening highlighted the incredibly strong bond Postecoglou has with his playing squad. That was also very clear in his speech after their semi-final win at Bodo/Glimt as many noted that the players would run through a brick wall for him.

Ahead of the final, a number of the squad vowed to win the trophy for the 59-year-old and that's exactly what transpired. At a time when the Tottenham squad were stood on the podium waiting for Son Heung-min to collect the trophy and proudly hold it aloft in front of those watching on in the Basque Country, Postecoglou took himself to the side.

It very much looked like a move that would allow the players to enjoy their moment in the spotlight together and celebrate a remarkable achievement as one. However, a number of his first-team squad weren't having it and they duly ensured that Postecoglou was in the middle of them for the trophy lift.

Pedro Porro noticed the boss over his shoulder and called for him to join the players, with the pair going on to share a long embrace. Guglielmo Vicario was next to signal for Postecoglou to come over, before Micky van de Ven grabbed him and pushed him right into the mix and that resulted in Lucas Bergvall putting his arm around the Australian's neck as they celebrated their achievement.

After Bissouma had lifted the trophy, the midfielder and Porro made a beeline for Postecoglou so he could have his moment with the grand prize. It said an awful lot about the players' affection for their head coach and his smile said everything as he got his hands on the trophy he was determined to deliver to the football club.

What comes next with Postecoglou remains to be seen amid all the unanswered questions in regards to his future. One thing that has been evident during this run to winning the Europa League trophy is that the squad are fully behind him, they love his approach and, most importantly, they want to play for him.

An exit for Postecoglou ahead of the new season after guiding the club to silverware would surely not sit well in the Spurs dressing room considering the bond shared between players and manager. That in turn may work against the new man coming in if that is to be the case.

Speaking after the game, Son made his feelings clear when it comes to Postecoglou and the current speculation.

"He won the trophy. Nobody did it, so …. look, it’s not up to me or the players, but we just have to look at the facts, at the fact that we haven’t won in 17 years, today is the day we finally won it," he said. "It’s the manager who wins the trophy. So we see what’s going to happen."

The decision ultimately rests with Levy but Postecoglou has reiterated that he is hungry to take the club forward.

"Very. Because we've got a really young group of players. And you can talk to them about success and what it means, but until they feel it, it doesn't become real," he explained. "I've got no doubt that all those boys tonight, having this feeling will want it again. And to get it again they're going to have to make similar sacrifices. They've climbed the mountain now. They know what it takes to get to where we are. I think that does, it accelerates the opportunities to build a team who can be successful, and play at a high standard for years to come.

"As I said yesterday, I still feel there's a lot of work to be done, I think that's quite obvious. But not as much work as people may think. People can bang on about 20 league defeats and where we are, but they're missing the point of what we're trying to build, or what I'm trying to do anyway. I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to kick on."

Postecoglou deserves that opportunity to take Tottenham forward and ensure that their Europa League triumph is not a one-off. Spurs players will undoubtedly feel the same way after guiding them to their greatest achievement in decades.

They only went and did it! Click here to listen to a special episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham on Spurs' Europa League triumph.

Son Heung-min has been dreaming of lifting a trophy with Tottenham for years and that dream finally came true on Wednesday night.

The South Korean has given 10 years of his footballing career to Tottenham and has spent the last two seasons as the club captain. He more than, most, deserved a special night.

And, by winning the Europa League on Wednesday night, the 31-year-old went down in Spurs history, becoming only the third player in the last 34 years to lift a major trophy in the Lilywhite colours of Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking after the game, he said: "Let's say I'm a legend. Why not?

"Seventeen years - nobody has done it, so let's say with amazing players, [I am] probably a legend of the club.

"This is what I've always dreamed for. Today is the day it happened. I am the happiest man in the world."

It is something the Spurs supporters have been dreaming of for years, but for Son, things did not quite go according to plan.

Send your messages of congratulations after Tottenham's Europa League triumph here

First of all, the Spurs skipper was not given a winner's medal. UEFA ran out, by virtue of the number of Spurs players who went up to collect one, and the skipper was left without one, alongside Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur, as he went to collect the trophy.

Then, having collected the trophy, he walked over to his teammates, and after lifting it above his head, in the celebrations his teammates behind him pushed him forwards slightly and the Europa League trophy jolted back and hit him on the head.

Son did not make a fuss, enjoying the celebrations too much, but in the aftermath a bump emerged on his forehead. The skipper proceeded to show all his teammates who were interested his freak injury, with his best friend in the squad seeing it and saying "Oh my God".

We're sure the captain will be absolutely fine, although with that and a potential hangover from the after party, he might be feeling a little the worse for wear.