The 2024-25 UEFA Europa League final, against Manchester United, marks an important opportunity for Tottenham Hotspur. They carry the weight of one of the longest trophy droughts among Europe’s top clubs. While they’ve come close in recent years, their last major title win came over 17 years ago.
Spurs last lifted a trophy on February 24, 2008, when they defeated Chelsea 2-1 after extra time in the League Cup. The match was played at Wembley Stadium. It was Tottenham’s first trophy since their 1999 League Cup triumph.
The 2008 final saw Chelsea take the lead in the first half through a Didier Drogba free kick. Tottenham equalized in the 70th minute with a penalty from Dimitar Berbatov. In extra time, it was defender Jonathan Woodgate who became the unlikely hero, scoring the winning goal in the 94th minute after his header rebounded off Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Juande Ramos was the manager during that campaign and he was able to lift a title despite only overseeing the team for 54 matches. Among the players of that final, we can mention Paul Robinson, Alan Hutton, Ledley King, Pascal Chimbonda, Robbie Keane and Berbatov.
Tottenham’s finals in recent years
Since then, Spurs have made it to two finals: the 2019 Champions League against Liverpool and the 2021 EFL Cup versus Manchester City, but came up short on both occasions. They lost 2-0 to Liverpool, and were defeated 1-0 by City.
The club’s major honours include eight FA Cups, four League Cups, and three European titles, the last of which came in 1984 when they won the UEFA Cup. Their most recent FA Cup title dates back to 1991. With a Europa League final now at hand, Tottenham are aiming to end their long wait for another addition to the trophy cabinet.