22-05-2025
Ange Postecoglou completely unrecognisable as skinny footballer in playing days
Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is celebrating after guiding Spurs to Europa League glory, but he looks markedly different now compared to his time with South Melbourne
Ange Postecoglou proved to be the right man to end Tottenham Hotspur's trophy drought after guiding his side to victory in the Europa League final. Spurs defeated Manchester United 1-0 on Wednesday night with a more cautious game plan than the team ordinarily deployed in the Premier League.
Spurs were wholly different from the front-foot side that were on the cusp of a top four spot last season. And the tweaks from Postecoglou helped lead the club to its first major trophy for 17 years, as well as their first European success since 1984.
In celebration of Tottenham's Europa League triumph, Postecoglou's former side South Melbourne shared a video on social media, documenting his playing days and coaching journey, in which the Spurs boss looked practically unrecognisable.
Postecoglou rose through the youth ranks at South Melbourne and became a title-winning captain before being forced to retire through injury. He also started his coaching career with his boyhood club, but Postecoglou – who turns 60 in August – looked markedly different from the man who would later lead Spurs to European glory in Bilbao.
In the video shared by South Melbourne, Postecoglou is shown as a no-nonsense, yet attack-minded, full-back, with a mop of hair, distinctive moustache, and wiry frame. His career was cut short by a knee injury, retiring aged 27, but not before he had spent several seasons being coached by football legend Ferenc Puskas.
He won two National Soccer League titles as a player and lifted the trophy as captain in 1991. Postecoglou, who also earned four caps for Australia, joined the club's coaching staff after hanging up his boots and was named South Melbourne head coach in 1996.
In his first managerial job, Postecoglou ended the club's seven-year trophy drought and won back-to-back NSL titles. He also won the Oceania Club Championship, which led him to face off against Sir Alex Ferguson's United in the 2000 Club World Cup.
Although his appearance may have changed over time, Postecoglou has consistently won trophies in almost every job of his coaching career. Upon leaving South Melbourne in 2000, he won silverware with Australia's U17 and U20 sides before returning to the A-League with Brisbane Roar, where he clinched consecutive league championships.
After a short spell with Melbourne Victory, Postecoglou was named Australia manager, a post he held for four years, claiming the 2015 Asian Cup. He subsequently won the J1 League with Yokohama F. Marinos in 2019. Postecoglou was appointed by Spurs following his trophy-laden spell at Celtic, earning five major honours during his two-year stint in Glasgow.
Following an encouraging first season in north London, Postecoglou has come under scrutiny due to Spurs sitting 17th in the Premier League after choosing to prioritise their Europa League campaign. However, speaking after his side's win on Wednesday, the Tottenham manager claimed he had not worried about losing his job in the build-up to the final.
"I've had such a laser focus on winning this thing that I didn't... whatever happens happens. I said yesterday that we are still building this team. It's still a very young team and we need to add some experience to it," he told TNT Sports.
"We're in the Champions League and my thought process, and what I've been doing this year is trying to build a team that can be successful for four, five, six years. Now, I'm the manager of a football club. That decision is not in my hands. It doesn't affect me. If it was going to affect me then you would have seen it in the build-up to here.
'All that I cared about was this thing [the medal]. You know, having this thing around my neck means this football club has won a trophy."
When asked if he planned to walk away from Tottenham on a high, Postecoglou added: "No. I've said that and I don't feel like I've completed the job yet. We're still building.
"The moment I accepted the role I had one thing in my head and that is to win something. More than anything else. We've done that now and I want to build on it."
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