Luke O’Nien has praised Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and the Sunderland fans after a historic European return
Luke O’Nien admitted he was “speechless” after Sunderland secured European football for the first time in 53 years - before revealing his typically down-to-earth celebration plan.
The long-serving Black Cats defender has been part of Sunderland’s journey from League One to the Premier League and now into Europe, with Régis Le Bris’ side rounding off a remarkable campaign by qualifying for the Europa League. For O’Nien, who has become one of the great modern Sunderland success stories, the scale of the achievement was still sinking in after the final whistle.
“I'm speechless for probably the first time in my life,” O’Nien said. “It's, you know, as a kid you dream of playing in the Premier League. And then you get there, and it's like, oh, now I live in Europe. And yeah, these boys have shown us that you can dream bigger. And I just appreciate all of them for showing me that.”
It has been a season few could have realistically predicted when Sunderland returned to the top flight. The Black Cats had won promotion through the Championship play-offs and then underwent a major summer rebuild, but belief quickly grew inside the group once the squad returned for pre-season.
O’Nien added when asked if he thought this was possible last year: “I think at the start of the season, no. You don't really know what to expect. Even the seasons before we were promoted, you, I think, believe something that you build. And don't get me wrong, the boys showed it quickly. It built very quickly when I saw the boys train every single day. When it came back to pre-season, it was just go, go, go, go, go.
“At the start of the season, no. But then, as you start to train and you start to do pre-season, you build, and you build, and you build, that belief starts to grow. And you know, the boys just showed that throughout the season. So yeah, I did believe it as the season kicked off. I saw what this group was capable of, and it was just trying to find ways to bring it out.”
O’Nien has had to fight for every step of his Sunderland career, and his personal journey made the emotion of the day even stronger. He admitted there have been moments of doubt along the way, including even before stepping out on the pitch.
“I think anybody who says, I knew I was always going to get there. For me personally, I don't think that's completely true. There's times where you don't. You don't. And that's where you have good people around you to keep you on the right track. There's times where you doubt yourself.
“You don't think you can make the level. And it's not spending too long focused on that narrative. And it's just focusing on the right things. You know, today even, there's elements of doubt in my head as I step out there today. And it's just trying to focus on the right things and as good as you can work on, you're trying to bring that home.
“And if it goes well, you enjoy days like this. And when it doesn't, you've just got to keep getting better. And that's the method that's got me to where I am today, and we'll continue to make it better.”
O’Nien also sent a heartfelt message to the Sunderland supporters, explaining the impact the city and the club have had on his family. The defender has built a deep bond with Wearside and spoke emotionally about seeing his young son take in the Stadium of Light crowd.
“I just think it'll be one of the best lives ever. From taking away football, that's just the most incredible time of the year. With my kids, my little man's school, and growing up here and there. That crowd, cheering. I'm never going to forget his face as he looks up and goes up for me. And honestly, the life they've given me is forever in their debt. And we'll always love this place.”
After the emotion of the occasion, O’Nien’s celebration plan was exactly what many Sunderland fans would expect from him. There was no wild promise or grand statement - just family, the kids, a few extra ice creams and a meal out in the city.
“I think I'll be home, and I think I'm on the trampoline tonight with the kids. We've got a little two-a-side match. My mum and dad are up, actually, so it's three-a-side tonight. So I'm just going to go and play with the kids. Yeah, I think they can have a couple of extra ice creams tonight, late at night. And I've got a couple of friends over. So I think I'm going to go for a Bellini's.”
“It's incredible what the owners and the people upstairs have built, and I'm unbelievably honoured that they trusted me to help deliver that. Seeing all the boys come in from all across the world and they trusted the plan, it's special. It's a season I'll remember for the rest of my life. The coolest part? It's just another start.
“We're going to celebrate it, but we've got to keep stepping up. We've got to keep delivering. Now I've seen the last six weeks, the high, high level of the boys have shown. I've got to make sure they have that every single day, including myself. We've got to keep stepping up.”
Continue Reading