Tribal Football

Tottenham fans flood London streets for Europa League parade

Brad Ferguson
Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur high-fives a fan during the parade
Richarlison of Tottenham Hotspur high-fives a fan during the paradeLeon Neal / Getty Images via AFP
Thousands of fans have lined the streets of North London for an open-top bus parade to celebrate Tottenham Hotspur's Europa League victory against Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday evening.

Tottenham's 1-0 victory over United in the final, secured by Brennan Johnson's decisive goal in the first half, marked the end of a 17-year trophy drought and produced the club's first European trophy since 1984. 

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The parade commenced at 18:30 CET from Edmonton Green, weaving through Fore Street, High Road, Lansdowne Road, Willoughby Lane, and concluding at Northumberland Park near the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Fans lined the route, waving flags and chanting, as manager Ange Postecoglou and captain Son Heung-min proudly displayed the Europa League trophy atop the bus. 

At the stadium, festivities continued with live music, a Q&A session featuring club legends, and a formal trophy presentation.

A general view as fans release pyrotechnics prior to the Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Europa League trophy parade
A general view as fans release pyrotechnics prior to the Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Europa League trophy paradeHarry Murphy / Getty Images via AFP

When asked to sum up the atmosphere, a croaky-voiced, sunglasses-clad Son was delighted to finally win a trophy in a Spurs shirt after a series of near-misses.

"Look at this, amazing feeling," the South Korean star told SpursTV.

"I will never forget this moment. The last two days have gone so fast.

"I waited, I dreamt of this moment. It finally happened, and a little bit of the pressure is going away, but I'm so glad I did it here. I did it in a Spurs shirt."

Dutch defender Micky van de Ven, who pulled off a phenomenal goal-line clearance to keep the score at 1-0, said he couldn't be more proud of his teammates.

"It's unbelievable, man," Van de Ven said. "I slept a little bit (in the last 48 hours).

"The season we've had, it was so difficult, but we got the trophy and we're so happy. I'm so proud of the boys.

"If you experience this, you want to do it over and over again. We're going to try to do the same beautiful things next season."

Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur speaks into a microphone as teammate James Maddison holds the UEFA Europa League trophy
Son Heung-Min of Tottenham Hotspur speaks into a microphone as teammate James Maddison holds the UEFA Europa League trophyLeon Neal / Getty Images via AFP

The victory not only added a prestigious European title to Tottenham's history but also secured their qualification for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, offering a silver lining to what has been an otherwise challenging domestic season.

On Thursday, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou said he was "very" hungry to build on his success after winning the Europa League on Wednesday, with speculation still swirling around his future.

The Australian's job is still on the line with the club 17th in the Premier League after a dismal domestic campaign, and he said the decision is not up to him.

"Very (hungry to build on it), we've got a really young group of players and you can talk to them about success and what it means, but until they feel it, it doesn't become real," Postecoglou told reporters.

"I still feel there's a lot of work to be done, and I think that's quite obvious - but not as much work as people may think.

"People can bang on about our 20 league defeats and where we are, but they're missing the point of what we're trying to build here or what I'm trying to do anyway, and I really feel that tonight can be a great platform for us to keep on."