SUMMARY
- Despite the perception of Tottenham Hotspur having an almost empty trophy cabinet, the club has made significant strides in the last decade.
- Spurs' fans found solace in the team's victory in the Audi Cup in 2019.
Tottenham Hotspur has transformed itself into one of the biggest English soccer entities. The club with its a modern stadium and state-of-the-art training facilities. Spurs have mastered the art of producing world-class talents that have gone on to represent their nations in some of the biggest global competitions. Tottenham Hotspur is a commercial giant with annual profits running into millions.
#thfc in 8th place in the ‘The Deloitte Football Money League’ for 2024 (richest clubs in the world by revenue) above Chelsea + Arsenal. 💰
1⃣ €831m: Real Madrid
2⃣ €826m: Man City
3⃣ €802m: PSG8️⃣ €632m: Tottenham
A breakdown is below. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ZogtGiZurF
— Spurs Army (@SpursArmyTweets) January 25, 2024
However, the club has earned a bad reputation for being a club with a nearly empty trophy cabinet. While, the stats tell the same picture, in truth Spurs have made a giant stretch in the last decade. The English club, for a few times, has come very close to winning some of the biggest trophies in club soccer.
Tottenham Hotspur’s last trophy win
Spurs spent nine trophyless years to finally win a trophy in the 2007-08 season. The North London team won the EFL Cup in that edition beating their cross-city rivals Chelsea. The final ended 2-1, with an extra-time winner from the club’s central defender and former Real Madrid player, Jonathan Woodgate. The famous Wembley win would resonate through the memories of the Spurs fans as it is the only prominent trophy the club has won ever since.
Chelsea were pretty unfortunate not to win the trophy that time around. Their talismanic striker Didier Drogba, gave ‘The Blues’ the lead in the 39th minute. However, the two-time Champions League-winning team could not defend the early advantage. A penalty by former Manchester United player Dimitar Berbatov and the extra-time winner by Jonathan Woodgate sealed Chelsea’s fate on the day.
Audi Cup winners
Spurs fans in 2019 took solace when their team won the Audi Cup. The tournament was held in the Allianz Arena and featured four teams namely, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Bayern Munich, and the Turkish club Fenerbahce. The 35-time La Liga winner Real Madrid also featured in the tournament. However, it was a pre-season tournament and did not hold much significance.
We win the Audi Cup on penalties! 🙌#AudiCup ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/Q645xpMnbf
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 31, 2019
Tottenham Hotspur faced home team Bayern Munich in the final of the tournament. The final held on August 1, 2019, was a nail-biting one that finished 2-2 in regular time. However, Tottenham Hotspur managed to not lose their cool and went on to win 6-5 on penalties. The team has no other trophies to show ever since but has come agonizingly close to winning one in the last couple of years.
List of consolation awards Spurs have won in the last 10 years
Tottenham Hotspur with their soccer excellence has gone very deep into some notable tournaments. The one that still hurts their fanbase would be the loss to Liverpool in the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League final. The North London team were on a fairytale run throughout the tournament, which also included their miraculous comeback against AFC Ajax in the semi-final. However, Liverpool turned up big time in the final, sealing a convincing 2-0 win, and taking home the 6th UCL trophy in the club’s history.
José Mourinho has labelled his dismissal as Tottenham manager as “ridiculous”, admitting “it’s the one which doesn’t smell well” 👀
Was Spurs Chairman, Daniel Levy right in sacking Mourinho days before the 2021 Carabao Cup final? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/VB3okbR8P5
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) December 18, 2023
The 2021/22 Carabao Cup final too would continue to be a heartbreak for the club’s fans. Spurs lost to the mighty Manchester City 1-0 in the final of the tournament. While, Harry Kane and co. tried all their might to win the club’s first major trophy since 2008, ‘The Cityzens‘ were just too good for them. Interestingly Spurs coach at the time, the legendary Jose Mourinho was fired as the manager just a few days from the final.
Spurs also finished 2nd in the Premier League in the 2015/16 season, famously losing a title decider at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea. Leicester City had their miraculous run towards the PL title in that same season.
While trophies are indeed a good metric to judge a club’s success, they shouldn’t be the only reason to follow soccer. The beautiful game is much more than a few trophies, and the loyal fanbase of Tottenham Hotspur has continuously tried to prove this.