Where are they now? The Tottenham XI that dumped Man City out of the Champions League in 2019

Quick Reads
Fernando Llorente of Tottenham Hotspur
  • Ben Stewart
  • 3rd December 2023

On April 17, 2019, Tottenham enjoyed one of their greatest-ever European nights as they managed to dump Manchester City out of the Champions League following a thrilling two-legged tie.

Despite Tottenham losing the second leg 4-3 on the night, they still managed to advance to the semi-finals thanks to away goals. Pep Guardiola’s side thought they’d won it late on too, but Raheem Sterling’s late goal was promptly disallowed by VAR.

We’ve looked back at the Tottenham XI from that famous night in Manchester and checked out what those players are up to today.

GK: Hugo Lloris

We’d almost forgotten that Lloris is still on the books at Spurs. The Frenchman hasn’t featured under Ange Postecoglou and he looks set to leave the club in 2024.

Lloris has been a loyal servant to Tottenham since 2012 and while his performance levels have dipped in recent years, Spurs fans will forever treasure some special memories of the shot-stopper. We’re eagerly awaiting his next move.

RB: Kieran Trippier

The England international was a solid performer for Tottenham, but he managed to take his game to the next level with Atletico Madrid and now Newcastle.

Trippier is now considered one of the best full-backs in the league and is equally as strong in defence as he is going forward. The England international departed shortly after the Champions League final and he hasn’t looked back since.

“As a footballer, you’re trying to do your best and sometimes things don’t go your way,” Trippier told The Athletic. “It just wasn’t happening, but I was still getting picked by Mauricio Pochettino.

“After the Champions League final, it felt like the right time to move on. The media weren’t really on my side at the time and maybe I needed to get out of England for a bit just to clear my mind. I never looked back.”

CB: Toby Alderweireld

The Belgian defender spent his prime years at Tottenham and racked up over 200 appearances for the club. Now 34, Alderweireld is back playing in Belgium for Royal Antwerp.

On the final day of the 2022–23 season, Alderweireld sealed the league title for Royal Antwerp with a 94th-minute equaliser against Genk. Now that’s what you call clutch.

CB: Jan Vertonghen

The other half of the Belgian defensive duo, Vertonghen also plays back in his native country these days. After spending a couple of years with Benfica, the 36-year-old joined Anderlecht last year.

LB: Danny Rose (Davinson Sanchez, ’90+1)

During his peak, Rose was one of the best left-backs in the Premier League. However by 2019 his performances had started to dip as a result of several injuries.

The left-back only played 16 matches for Tottenham after the Champions League final and he failed to get his career back on track with short spells at Newcastle and Watford. Although not officially retired, Rose has been without a club since September 2022.

Sanchez also fell down the pecking order during his final years at Spurs and he departed in the summer to complete a move to Galatasaray.

By all accounts, the 27-year-old seems to be enjoying life at his new club.

CDM: Victor Wanyama

Like many of the other Tottenham stars from the time, Wanyama moved on not long after the Champions League final. The midfielder completed his move to MLS outfit CF Montreal in 2020 and he still plays there today.

The 32-year-old has now made 118 appearances for the Canadian club, meaning he has now played more matches for Montreal than any other club during his career.

CM: Moussa Sissoko (Fernando Llorente, ’41)

The French midfielder was deemed a flop during his first couple of years with Tottenham, but he eventually managed to turn things around in north London.

Sissoko played a crucial role in Tottenham’s European run in 2018-19 and he was harshly penalised for handball in the final. Now 34, the Frenchman is back playing in Ligue 1 and now plays for Nantes.

Tottenham fans will always be thankful to Llorente as he scored the goal which ultimately secured their spot in the semi-final. After enjoying a career which spanned 20 years, the Spanish forward hung up his boots in February.

CM: Dele 

At his peak under Pochettino, Dele was a force to be reckoned with. The 27-year-old was a natural goalscorer in his younger years as he scored 67 goals for Tottenham across 269 appearances.

He is now on the books at Everton but is yet to feature this season as he continues his recovery from a hip injury. Fingers crossed he manages to come back stronger than ever.

CAM: Christian Eriksen

The Danish playmaker is one of the best technical players that Spurs have had in the Premier League era. Eriksen produced a total of 90 assists during his Tottenham career which is some going.

After leaving Tottenham, Eriksen managed to get his hands on some silverware with Inter Milan before he then made his Premier League return.

ST: Lucas Moura (Ben Davies, ’82)

The Brazilian winger undoubtedly produced the most iconic moment in Tottenham’s 2018-19 Champions League run with that iconic hat-trick away at Ajax.

Lucas stepped up in the absence of Harry Kane and Spurs fans will forever treasure those memories. After six years with the club, Lucas departed in the summer and moved back to Sao Paulo where his football career began.

Davies is still hanging around at Tottenham, although he has only played a bit-part role under Ange Postecoglou so far.

https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/1223197182641233925

ST: Son Heung-min

With 153 goals across 387 appearances, there can be little doubt that Son is a modern-day Tottenham legend. The sharp-shooting South Korean forward continues to deliver the goods for Spurs to this day.

Postecoglou handed the 31-year-old the captain’s armband over the summer and Son has thrived with the extra responsibility. We’ll never tire of watching his exquisite goal catalogue.

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