Tottenham last won silverware in 2008.
Micky van de Ven celebrates during Tottenham’s Europa League semi-final victory over Bodo/Glimt (John Walton/PA)
Micky van de Ven celebrates during Tottenham’s Europa League semi-final victory over Bodo/Glimt (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)
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Micky van de Ven believes this Tottenham squad are ready to silence long-standing detractors and end the club’s 17-year trophy drought in Bilbao.
Spurs face Premier League rivals Manchester United on Wednesday night in the Europa League final with silverware and Champions League qualification on the line.
Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008 and this week’s showpiece at San Mames is only their second European final in 40 years.
Several near-misses over the past decade, including defeat to Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final, have led to widespread mocking from rival fanbases and the creation of the term ‘Spursy’ – a reference to the club’s lack of recent silverware.
Even Van de Ven was confronted with jibes upon signing for Tottenham in 2023, but revealed the determination of Ange Postecoglou’s group to change the narrative.
“I think it will be a big thing of course because everybody knows that when you join Tottenham, you get the words through of ‘ah, you’re not going to win a trophy’, that you will be trophyless the rest of your career,” Van de Ven explained.
“It’s these people on social media, you know? These banter people that you don’t take really serious.
“It was the gaffer and the whole squad who said, ‘we’re going to come here and change something’. For us, it’s the job now to make this happen in Bilbao.
“We all know we play for a big club. This club deserves trophies. That’s the truth.
“If you look at the quality in the squad, we deserve a trophy. It has been a tough season but we can end this perfectly by winning a prize.”
Spurs will require Van de Ven and centre-back partner Cristian Romero to be at their best to earn them silverware.
Long-term injuries to the duo did not help Spurs but they have combined for four wins out of five Europa League knockout ties since they returned to fitness.
Van de Ven added: “You can see that ‘Cuti’ of course is an unbelievable player.
“We just feel each other in the game. If he does something, I know how I need to cover him, how I can help him. On the other side it’s the same — when I have the ball, he knows how to cover me.
“It’s an unbelievable connection that I have with him now.”
Both had doubters earlier in their careers and Spurs boss Postecoglou is no stranger to criticism.
Every European knockout tie has been billed as make-or-break for the Australian but Van de Ven insisted: “We have all been standing behind the gaffer since day one, since he joined here.
“He showed also his quality, he brought us to a European final. Of course, he’s getting a lot of doubt from the media and we see these things.
“But I think he proved all you guys wrong and we’re standing in a European final, so hopefully we can lift the trophy. Not only for us, but also for him.”