Harry Winks: ‘I would never have dreamt I’d get to the Champions League final with Tottenham’

Harry Winks’ connection with Tottenham Hotspur was established when he first trained with the academy when he was five years old. Little wonder, then, that the midfielder suggests his association with the club makes a career-high Champions League final appearance “ten times more special”.

To say the midfielder is steeped in the club is an understatement having been taken to White Hart Lane as a six-year-old by his Spurs-supporting dad, Gary, and then witnessed the changing fortunes of the club first hand while coming through the ranks as a player.

Winks can contrast the upward trajectory of recent years with less successful periods at the club and knows as much as anyone about the significance of Saturday’s meeting with Liverpool. Now, having recovered from the groin injury that forced him to miss the semi-final against Ajax, he acknowledges that he is on the verge of being part of something he never thought possible.

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“To be part of a team that has got to the Champions League final with Tottenham is something, honestly, I would never have dreamt of doing,” said the 23-year-old. “To have the opportunity to say that. But to have been a part of the team and to have played as many games as I have done in the Champions League, to be part of this amazing side and this incredible era for Tottenham, honestly, it’s a true privilege. I am humbled to have the opportunity to do that and if we can go all the way then we’ll make history and it will be fantastic. It’s something that we believe we can do as well.”

He added: “It’s my club. I’ve known the club since I was five years old [when he joined them], it’s the only club I’ve ever played for. To be part of a Champions League final with Tottenham, it feels crazy to say it. It hasn’t really sunk in.”

Transition

The Tottenham Winks grew up watching was a by-word for inconsistency with the Uefa Cup and Europa League the club’s natural home before the recent transformation under Mauricio Pochettino, who handed Winks his Premier League debut three years ago. “I’ve been there, I’ve watched them from the stands at White Hart Lane and been to the games when I was a kid so I know exactly how the transition of Spurs has been,” he said.

“The only thing you can say about Spurs is that over the years, we’ve been a bit mixed. We’ve had seasons where we’ve been excellent and others where we have underperformed and since the gaffer has come in, he’s made us a solid top four side and one to be taken very, very seriously in Europe. As a Spurs fan, growing up from a little boy, I’ve seen that transition, what the manager has done to the club and how far he has taken everyone and not only as players but as people. Honestly, it’s incredible to have seen.”

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Now, having battled through a dramatic campaign to reach the final, Winks and his teammates must overcome one last barrier if they are to deliver the Champions League to the club for the first time. “The way the manager has instilled this belief in us, to never give up and always go until the end,” he added. “It’s only over when the referee blows his whistle. The boys constantly believe we have got quality in the team and if a chance comes at any time in the games, we have the quality to take that.”