Micky van de Ven is enjoying his hero role in the Europa League final won against Manchester United. In the second half, the Dutch international prevented the equalizer with a half-overhead kick on the goal line, after which Spurs secured the victory.
“I haven’t seen it back yet, but I hear from people that it was good,” Van de Ven said to Ziggo Sport immediately after the match. “This is very nice. I even fell on my back on the artificial turf. That did hurt, but it was worth it.”
Tottenham Hotspur was under heavy pressure when Van de Ven acrobatically cleared a header from Manchester United striker Rasmus Højlund off the line. Spurs had taken the lead just before half-time through a lucky goal from Brennan Johnson.
Even after Van de Ven’s heroic save, Tottenham mainly had to defend, but the Londoners miraculously held their ground in the San Mamés in Bilbao. As a result, Spurs are winning a prize for the first time in seventeen years. This happened after a dramatic season in the Premier League.
“This is not normal,” said Van de Ven. “When you come to Spurs, everyone jokes that you are not going to win a prize. And now we are showing them the opposite. I am incredibly happy and proud after a tough season. This is an incredible feeling.”
For Van de Ven, the Europa League win is also a reward after a season with many injuries. “This is what I rehabilitated for,” he said. “I’ll be honest, I hadn’t even thought about the Champions League yet. Next year we naturally have to do better, but today we only have to party. They won’t see me again until tomorrow morning, when we fly back.”