Ange Postecoglou's touching family moment amid sad side note to historic triumph
Ange Postecoglou shared a beautiful moment with his family before giving a bullish response to questions over his coaching future at Tottenham, after becoming the first Australian manager in men's football history to win a trophy in a major European club competition. Postecoglou's Spurs defeated English giants Manchester United 1-0 in Thursday morning's (AEST) Europa League final in Bilbao to end the club's long wait for silverware and potentially save the Aussie's job.
A scrappy first-half goal from Brennan Johnson proved decisive as Spurs won their first piece of silverware since 2008 and first European trophy in 41 years. Socceroos legends Mark Bosnich and Craig Foster - whose scathing 2006 interview with Postecoglou has become the stuff of legend - both agreed Tottenham's victory marked the greatest achievement by an Australian coach in world sport.
Remarkably though, it still might not be enough to save the Aussie's job, amid widespread reports that Postecoglou faced the sack regardless of the result in Spain. Spurs are currently 17th in the Premier League - above only the three relegated sides - with just one game to play and their woeful league form has left many critics certain that even victory in the Europa League final would not be enough to spare Postecoglou from the axe.
Crucially though, Thursday's victory means Spurs have now qualified for Europe's top club competition, the UEFA Champions League, next season. And Postecoglou is adamant that his journey with Spurs is not over yet after addressing questions about his managerial future with the English club after the final.
'All I've done in my career is win,' he said. 'Even Daniel [Levy, Spurs chairman] said: 'We've gone for winners [in the past] and now we have Ange.' Mate, I'm a winner. We're still building this team. We need to add some experience to it. I'm the manager of the football club, that decision is not in my hands. All I care about is this thing [his medal]. There are no meetings planned – no one has said anything to me.
'All I know is I'm going to go back to my hotel room, open a bottle of scotch, have a couple of quiet ones and prepare for a big parade on Friday. I don't feel like I've completed the job yet, we're still building. The moment I took the job, I wanted to win something. We've done that. It's the toughest thing I've ever done."
Postecoglou's promise that "I always win things in my second year" at clubs dominated much of the narrative around Thursday's final and the Aussie delivered on his bold call. The Spurs manager was swarmed by his players after the match in a sign he still has the respect of the dressing room and he shared a wonderful moment with his wife and kids after the game.
Fans had long cleared out of the stadium in Bilbao when cameras captured Postecoglou in a beautiful embrace with his wife and two children on the pitch. The elation on the faces of the Aussie coach and his family were priceless as they huddled together on the field and celebrated the enormity of the achievement from the former Socceroos coach.
This moment for the Boss. What a night. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/T5vOhRobB9
— Ben Haines (@benhainess) May 21, 2025
Goalscorer Johnson paid tribute to Postecoglou, saying: "He's done his job. He says he wins in his second year and he has - and if there's ever a time for a mike drop, it's now." But referring to his now-celebrated early season observation that he always wins a trophy in his second season, Postecoglou reflected: "It wasn't me boasting. It was me just making a declaration — and I believed it.
"I know our league form's been terrible (finishing 17th), nowhere near good enough and unacceptable, but us finishing third wasn't going to change this football club. The only thing that was going to change this football club is us winning something, and when I said that, that was my intent. If I fell short. I was happy to cop it, but I believed it inside me. That was my ambition. I wanted it stated - and I was prepared to wear it if it didn't happen."
Ange, a man of his word... 🏆✔️#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/DnhMXeOTZi
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 21, 2025
The streets of Bilbao belong to Ange Postecoglou's men 🔥🏆 ↳ UEFA Europa League. Live & Exclusive. #StanSportAU #UEL #UELFinal pic.twitter.com/ArHAlZZDXs
— Stan Sport Football (@StanSportFC) May 21, 2025
with AAP
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