Brennan Johnson has now reflected on that surreal Europa League final night, his birthday parade, and how he sees Tottenham through new eyes.
Brennan Johnson has become something of a cult hero at Tottenham Hotspur, with his historic toe poke in the Europa League final sealing a dramatic and long-awaited victory over Premier League rivals Manchester United.
His chant – Johnson Ole Ole Ole – continues to echo around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and rightly so, given the magnitude of his strike and what it represented.
The Welsh international was not just the match-winner in Bilbao; he was also Tottenham’s top scorer across all competitions last season. Now, he has taken time to reflect on some of the standout moments from that campaign.
Brennan Johnson opens up on Europa League final and Tottenham parade
Speaking to football.london, Brennan Johnson has opened up about that unforgettable night in northern Spain, his birthday parade, and the eye-opening realisations that followed.
He admitted with a laugh that it was him again – the man behind the winning goal that ended Spurs’ 17-year wait for European silverware.
While several angles do not often show Johnson getting the final touch of the only goal in the final, the Tottenham winger confirmed that he indeed got the final touch, saying “yeah” with a smile when asked about his toe poke.
Speaking about the feeling of being European champion, he continued: “Still if I see a video back or pictures of it, it does not feel real because it was such a surreal moment at the time. It is definitely weird to look back at it but it is an amazing memory.”
Reflecting on the aftermath, Johnson described how the club’s trophy parade helped him understand the scale of Tottenham’s global support. “I remember a lot. For me, it opened my eyes to how big the club is.
“Obviously, we know about Tottenham and you experience it from the stadium, how it is sold out every week. When you do these parades and you keep going further away, but no one is going anywhere.
“You get more and more people. It really opens your eyes to how big the fanbase is. Just enjoying it with the team, everyone being there. The energy was so high. It was a really special day. It was my birthday as well.”
Johnson on personal growth and Spurs learning curve
Of course, Johnson was not always a popular figure at Hotspur Way last term, with the winger having to deactivate his social media accounts.
Reflecting on the full campaign, Johnson described last season as one that changed his outlook on and off the pitch. The ups and downs shaped him in more ways than one.
“That season was like a rollercoaster, to be honest. So many different emotions. It taught me so much about football,” he explained.
“Not just on the pitch but off it. How you spend your spare time and who you spend it with. How you get on with your team, speaking to people. It takes a while to find a balance.
“I would not have last season any different than it was. I learnt a lot. I improved a lot. Won as a team, lost a lot of games as well. In terms of things that you get in football, I do not think this season will be like last season. Ups and downs, how much I learned. Really important season for my development.
“Now I am much more relaxed about how I see things. I know what I want to do and how I want to be as an individual. In terms of dealing with other things outside of football, I know who I like to spend my time with and the people around me. I just work hard and if it happens, it happens.”
Have something to tell us about this article?
