Vicario on Tottenham's Europa League win: "Van de Ven saved my life"
"If I'm here celebrating my first international title, I owe it to Micky Van de Ven. His save on the line was something out of the laws of physics, it saved my life." In a long interview with Cronache di spogliatoio , Guglielmo Vicario is keen to underline the importance of the Dutch defender in Tottenham 's historic triumph in the Europa League . His acrobatics in the 68th minute, when Spurs were ahead 1-0 against Manchester United , will forever remain in the memory of fans who have been waiting for a European cup for 41 years. And Vicario will always thank him: "It was a bit of an unfortunate situation: I went for the high ball, I collided with a teammate, the ball fell and stayed there. There was a bit of a lack of communication and he did something incredible, a historic save. He put that leg on the cup," underlines the former Empoli goalkeeper.
"The party without ever taking off the medal"Vicario reveals how he celebrated: "The club organised a party in a hotel with family, relatives and friends. We were all together, it was exciting. I ran out of words but I never took the medal off my neck." But the party had already started at the stadium: "In Bilbao there was one of my best friends, who I grew up with, and taking a photo together with the cup, with the medal around my neck, me and him... indescribable."
The goalkeeper has a special dedication for the triumph: "It's for the coach, Ange Postecoglou. He's the one who wanted to bring me to Tottenham, for this I will be grateful to him for life. He chose me and believed in me straight away, making me responsible, especially this season. I was coming from a different championship and a different environment, as if I were a rookie who had to carve out his own space and earn the shirt. Last year therefore allowed me to arrive at this year with a different awareness. Before the start of the season, he called a meeting with the captain (Son), the two vice-captains (Romero and Maddison) and with me, saying 'Vic, for what you gave to this team last year, I think you should be part of this little group. It's true that you've only been here a short time, but I need the four of you to create the backbone to achieve something historic and special'. The day has come when we can say that we've done it".
"Now I will play the Super Cup in my Udine"Curiously, Vicario will now have the chance to win a second important trophy right in his Udine, given that on August 13th Tottenham will compete for the European Super Cup, against one between Inter and PSG . "It's incredible. I knew it from the beginning of the season but out of superstition I never wanted to think about it too much. It seemed like something unachievable. It's a bit like a sign of destiny. The opportunity to play this final at home is something indescribable. I wouldn't know where to start, because it's a circle that closes, something that I want to enjoy 100%".
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