In his autobiography Earning my Spurs, Hugo Lloris, former captain of Tottenham, looks back on the bitterness of the 2019 Champions League final, lost 2-0 against Liverpool.
[EMBED url=”https://video-streaming.orange.fr/sports-extreme/football-lloris-debute-son-aventure-americaine-par-un-succes-CNT000002czPNc.html?pid=”][/EMBED]
This defeat, which the former French international describes as a defining moment in his career, symbolizes for him the lack of winning culture within the London club, a gap which he considers still present. A few days before the final, Daniel Levy, chairman of Tottenham, gave the players luxury watches engraved with the inscription “2019 Champions League finalist“. For Lloris, this registration, made even before kick-off, demonstrated a resigned attitude which already seemed to include the idea of defeat. “Who does such a thing at a time like this?” “, asked the French goalkeeper.
“Real Madrid would never have celebrated a lost final”
Hugo Lloris describes the disappointing atmosphere in the dressing room after the defeat. According to him, the emotional reaction of the club members was not up to the situation, as if the defeat did not weigh on everyone with the same intensity. “ At the post-match reception at the hotel, I got the impression that some of the people at the club and some of the players were not disappointed enough to have lost. Real Madrid would never have celebrated a lost final “, he indicated. This difference in feeling marked the Frenchman, who sees it as a reflection of the lack of a real winning culture within Tottenham, a culture essential to compete with the European giants.
Although critical, Hugo Lloris does not deny the positive development that Tottenham has experienced under the leadership of Daniel Levy, which has allowed the club to climb among the most competitive in the Premier League. However, he believes some insensitivity towards the winning mentality has limited Spurs' potential in Europe. For the Los Angeles FC goalkeeper, the 2019 final remains a symbol of missed opportunity, and a reminder of the cultural changes needed for Tottenham to truly aspire to a place at the top of Europe.
