Jan Vertonghen hopes for glorious end to ‘craziest Champions League ever’
Tottenham’s Jan Vertonghen is hoping for a successful end to the “craziest Champions League ever”, as the countdown to Saturday’s final with Liverpool continues.
The Belgian has been a mainstay of Spurs’ success in Europe, in a season where the club have been on the brink of elimination several times.
Vertonghen says he can think of as many as 16 uncanny moments during the 12 matches Spurs have played but believes the run is the fruition of the changes brought to the club by Mauricio Pochettino.
“It’s been the craziest Champions League ever and being at the end of that crazy campaign now is something unbelievable,” Vertonghen said. “I think every player has been used. We all played our parts and hopefully we can hold the trophy at the end.”
Vertonghen’s stand-out performance came against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley in the last 16. Starting at left wing-back, he scored and assisted in a 3-0 win, which resulted in a return of his customary Superman celebration.
“How many games have we played to get here eventually?” Vertonghen said. “Twelve games? In every single one of them something crazy happened. There were like 16 times, maybe.
“At the end of my career, I’ll hopefully look at this and think this was the most beautiful and craziest year of them all. I don’t know about destiny. We have to win it, if it is to be destiny. But we feel very confident because of our campaign.”
If Spurs do win in Madrid it will be Pochettino’s first trophy in his five years at Spurs, and for Vertonghen, a vindication of the Argentinian’s approach.
“Five years ago he picked this club up and brought us to the level we are at now,” he said. “He’s done some unbelievable work. We have a great group of players, lots of young guys from the academy, lots of English internationals and guys from abroad who have a proper connection with the club now.
“All the guys together, here for so long with the manager, it’s got us to this level. This is what we all hoped for.”