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Opinion
Tottenham fans say £43m player deserves a statue outside their stadium after winning Europa League final
Tottenham Hotspur have triumphed in the Europa League final, beating Manchester United 1-0 to lift their first major trophy since 2008.
Brennan Johnson’s goal proved the difference between the two sides, the Wales international scoring just before the break to clinch victory for Spurs.
Tottenham held firm in the second half and got over the line as Ange Postecoglou delivered on his pledge of winning a trophy in his second season at a club.
A number of Spurs fans felt one of their players deserves a statue outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – indeed, some rival fans also felt the same way.
READ MORE: Mohamed Salah shares 10-word verdict on Tottenham beating Manchester United to win Europa League
Fans call for Micky van de Ven to get statue outside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
The player in question is Micky van de Ven, who produced a simply wonderful goalline clearance to deny Rasmus Hojlund a near-certain goal.
In the 69th minute, Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario dropped a simple ball into the box, and Hojlund looped a header towards the empty net.
Somehow, Van de Ven managed to get back and acrobatically cleared the ball off the line – prompting fans and neutrals to call for a statue to be built.
“VDV they need to build you a statue I swear,” one fan wrote on X.
Another said: “Van de Ven’s statue in front of the stadium must start being built as early as tomorrow.”
The praise kept coming, with one supporter writing: “Spurs should build VDV a statue if they win this.”
Another said: “Build Van de Ven a statue for that save.”
Even neutrals praised Van de Ven and called for a statue, with one rival fan saying: “Tottenham should be building a statue as we speak for Micky van de Ven.”
A Liverpool fan, likely rejoicing in Man United’s defeat, even said: “Build Van de Ven a statue outside Anfield.”
Micky van de Ven caps off difficult season with heroic role in Europa League triumph
Van de Ven has shown he’s one of the best defenders in the Premier League since his £43million move from Wolfsburg in 2023.
However, Van de Ven has had his fair share of injury issues, including this season – he has made just 21 appearances for Spurs this term.
Nonetheless, Van de Ven saved his best for the biggest occasion, making a goalline clearance that will be talked about by Spurs fans for decades to come.
Ange Postecoglou previously said about Van de Ven’s injury issues and desire to return to action: “I guess he just wanted to keep going but I said to him he’s still got a 10-year career ahead of him.
“Once he’s well into his career and flying, this period will seem insignificant, an extra two or three weeks, for the benefit hopefully of him coming back and playing to the levels [required].
“Look, he’s a big part of this football club, not just now but for the future as well. It’s in our interests, you’ve always got to protect your assets and he’s a major asset to this football club.”
That is certainly another prediction Postecoglou has got right.