Pape Matar Sarr has opened up on the emotions of the famous night in Bilbao and just what winning the Europa League meant to him and his Tottenham teammates, particularly given that it came on the back of a season filled with hurt.
Tottenham Hotspur finally managed to break their 17-year drought on May 21, securing their fourth victory over Manchester United in a single season.
The trophy parade in North London a couple of days later saw an outpouring of emotions from a fan base which had been starved of success and endured countless heartbreaks.
However, Tottenham did have their worst Premier League campaign in history, losing 22 matches, and the Europa League win was not enough to save Ange Postecoglou’s job.
Cristian Romero has already admitted that Tottenham prioritised the Europa League, but not all of his teammates agree with that sentiment.
Pape Matar Sarr insists that Tottenham did not throw the Premier League
The Spurs midfielder denied suggestions that the squad prioritised the Europa League, insisting that everyone at the club was desperate to turn around their league form.
The Senegal international revealed that the players were hurting at their inability to move up the Premier League table, but confessed that the night in Bilbao was the best one of his life.
Sarr told The Sun: “Everyone thinks we sacrificed the league for the Europa League, but believe me, we wanted to be good in the league too. We were hurting when we lost games; it had nothing to do with playing in Europe.
“Everyone gave everything to change our league form but if I’m honest, we just weren’t good enough in the league. But winning the Europa League, that was really something special. It was the greatest night of my life.”
Sarr confesses emotions of the season made the Europa League win even more special
Fans will remember that the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder had his back turned to the action in the final moments of the final as the Lilywhites were holding on for dear life.
Sarr explained that it was at that moment that the struggles across the season were playing in his mind, and admitted that he and his teammates were over the moon to prove doubters wrong.
The 22-year-old added: “When I turned my back to the game at the end, I was just praying. Thinking about how hard the season was for all of us, for the fans, and for our families.
“The road to the final. The people who doubted us, the injuries, the meetings, the belief we built. To do it together was just amazing. Those emotions, seeing everyone, the people you grind with every day, finally get their reward. That’s why we play football.”
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