Ricky Villa's FA Cup final replay performances will always be one of the best comeback stories from a player. From being benched early on the first game because of a poor performance, to scoring twice, with the winner being a fantastic goal. What a legend.

For some context, the world transfer record at the time was Paolo Rossi who signed two years previously with Juventus for £1.75M.

The most expensive British player at the time was Gordon McQueen, who had cost Manchester United £500,000 earlier in 1978.

QwR wrote: ↑08 Nov 2021, 11:38 Atsisiunčiau pažiūrėt All or Nothing Spursų ir esu sužavėtas, kad 4 mėnesius iki Pochetino atleidimo sugebėjo sukišt į pirmas 20minučių. Tiesiog wow.

The Belgian gushes about his fondest memory, the Champions League semi-final at his former club Ajax. Like every Spurs fan, he has watched the footage back over and over again, devouring every fresh angle of Lucas Moura’s second-half hat-trick.

“We were finished: 2-0 [down], in total 3-0,” Alderweireld says. “If you think about, where do we get hope from there? But Pochettino said we have to change, we go all or nothing. When I think about it now, it’s like, ‘3-0...impossible!’ But for some reason we were like, ‘Yeah, let’s go!’ It was very special. I think one of the best games in the history of football.”

Six months later, in November 2019, Pochettino was out of a job, sacked by Spurs and replaced overnight by Jose Mourinho.

Alderweireld, who was on international duty at the time, says the news came as a “big shock” but with hindsight he feels the curtain really came down on Pochettino’s reign with defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League Final.

“That would have been the trophy for our golden generation. With the money we spent – almost nothing – and the way we played, it would have been an unbelievable achievement, especially if you saw the teams we beat,” says the 32-year-old, who also lost the 2014 Final with Atletico Madrid.

“Afterwards the tank was empty. After a couple of seasons, it was one too many. When I look back now, we needed a bigger break to really have the desire to go again. The disappointment was too fresh.

“It was the same for everyone, even Poch. A manager’s career is different but the opportunity of Champions League Finals is [rare].

“I know for sure he loves Spurs, even to this day, and to achieve it with the club at the time would have been maybe the biggest achievement ever in Spurs’ history. So it’s logical. He needed time to refresh himself and get the desire to go again.”