It’s been three and a half years since Lucas Moura joined Tottenham Hotspur on a move from Paris Saint Germain, and without a doubt, the closest he got to a title was when reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
The Brazilian had scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 comeback against Ajax in the semifinals, and obviously hoped he’d have a place in the team for the decisive match against Liverpool in Lisbon.
Manager Mauricio Pochettino, however, left Lucas Moura on the bench, and that’s something the player hasn’t forgotten to this day.
The 29-year-old gave ESPN Brasil an interview which is being aired tonight, and they released a teaser where the Tottenham winger talks about his feelings from that game.
“It was a cold shower, right… Because football is confidence, man. That’s it,” Lucas Moura told ESPN Brasil.
” Of course, you have to have the talent, everything, but when you have the talent and you’re confident there, things flow. And that was a moment when I was feeling very good, feeling very confident, at ease”,
“A historic qualification like that, I was very confident, convinced that I was going to play, that we were going to be champions.”
Asked about when he found out that he wouldn’t start in that final, he said: “On the day, on the day of the game, we were leaving the hotel, in that last speech at the hotel, when we were already leaving and going to the stadium. Even the atmosphere was a little tense between the players, because no one understood anything, there was that silence and such.
“But I’m a very professional guy, with a very calm mind and at that moment I just wanted to be champion. So, I didn’t have any reaction, nothing to say to him. Also because after the game there was that sadness and everyone went to their own house, because we already went on vacation.
“And whether we like it or not, we have to respect it, right? But sometimes we don’t agree with all the coach’s decisions, we have to know how to respect it. And as I said, at that moment I just wanted to be champion, I just I wanted to win the game and unfortunately it wasn’t possible”
Despite the disappointment about that match, Moura claims to be glad of what Spurs managed to achieve that season.
“Liverpool won. And also deserved it for the season they did, anyway. And it was also a great pride for me. To be able to reach the Champions League final, with everything that happened there in the semis. It’s a medal I keep with a lot affection, which I value very, very much. And I’m very proud of everything that happened that season”.
