When Tottenham won the Europa League last season, it was the club’s first piece of silverware for 17 years.
The victory over Manchester United in the final came against the backdrop of a disappointing Premier League campaign, one which ultimately cost Ange Postecoglou his job.
But with the dust having settled on the Australian manager's reign, one of his former players is able to look back fondly on what they were able to achieve.
James Maddison on winning the Europa League
“Winning a trophy with Spurs was special,” James Maddison tells FourFourTwo when asked about his proudest achievements in the game. “And playing for England, walking out at Wembley for my country with my family there.
“It’s hard to top those two. Being part of the team that won the Europa League means a lot.
Tottenham have had their fair share of near misses in recent history, and Maddison believes that Postecoglou’s approach to embracing the club’s history and using this a catalyst to change was key in delivering a long-awaited trophy.
“Ange [Postecoglou] always used to say that there are pictures on the wall everywhere of teams that have won trophies at this club and they’re all in black and white, but we could be the group to change that.
“And we did.”
Former Celtic boss Postecoglou was dismissed less than three weeks after the Europa League final in Bilbao and would go on to last for just 39 days and eight games at Nottingham Forest in his next managerial stint.
But for Maddison, Postecoglou’s presence looms large on his recollection of Spurs’ first European trophy win since the 1984 UEFA Cup.
“He was a powerful guy, really powerful. You grabbed onto anything he said – and we did it, we changed it.
“The parade was very special, to see how much it meant to the Tottenham fans – it was really nice to be part of that.”
Maddison was speaking at PUMA’s new store on Oxford Street in London, the brand’s first European flagship store.
