In a season that will be etched into footballing folklore, Tottenham Hotspur have ended a 17-year wait for a major trophy, lifting the Europa League in a dramatic 1-0 victory over Manchester United in Bilbao. The triumph, sealed by a late Brennan Johnson goal, marks Spurs’ first major silverware since their 2008 League Cup win and their first European honour since 1984. This remarkable achievement is part of an extraordinary wave of long-awaited successes across Europe, with Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, Bologna, Go Ahead Eagles, and former Spurs talisman Harry Kane all breaking their own trophy curses in a year of emotional redemption.
For Tottenham, the Europa League final was a gritty affair, far from the flair promised by manager Ange Postecoglou, whose job hung by a thread after a dismal 17th-placed Premier League campaign. A deflected cross from Pape Matar Sarr, turned in by Johnson, sparked pandemonium among the travelling Spurs fans. Captain Son Heung-min, substituted into the match, lifted the trophy, his voice breaking as he spoke of “carrying the hopes of generations.” Fans flooded X with raw emotion, one writing, “17 years of pain, gone. Son lifting that trophy is everything,” while another posted, “Spurs did it! No more ‘Spursy’ jokes!”
Elsewhere, Newcastle United ended a 70-year domestic trophy drought, clinching the League Cup with a 2-1 win over Liverpool. Dan Burn’s towering header and Alexander Isak’s clinical finish secured the Magpies’ first major honour since the 1955 FA Cup, sending Tyneside into raptures. “70 years. SEVENTY. And we’ve done it,” tweeted a Newcastle fan, capturing the disbelief.
Crystal Palace, after 119 years of existence, finally claimed their first major trophy, stunning Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final. Eberechi Eze’s first-half strike and Dean Henderson’s penalty save ignited Selhurst Park, with fans chanting through tears as the club’s long wait ended. “Palace have done the impossible,” one supporter posted on X, “this is our miracle.”
In Italy, Bologna defied the odds to win the Coppa Italia, their first major trophy in 51 years. The Rossoblù’s triumph, celebrated wildly in Emilia-Romagna, marked a resurgence for a club that had long lingered in the shadows of Italy’s giants.
Across the North Sea, Go Ahead Eagles pulled off a fairy-tale upset, winning the Dutch Cup—their first trophy in 93 years. The Deventer club’s victory was a testament to perseverance, with fans flooding the streets in jubilation. “93 years of waiting, and we’re champions,” one Eagles supporter shared on X.
Meanwhile, Harry Kane, Tottenham’s record goalscorer, finally claimed his first career trophy with Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga title. The England captain, who left Spurs in 2023 after years of near-misses, expressed mixed emotions, posting on Instagram, “So proud of my old club, Son, and the lads. But this one’s for me too.” His 26 league goals were pivotal, and fans on X noted the poetic irony: “Kane and Spurs both ending their droughts in the same season? Football’s wild.”
The collective weight of these triumphs has sent shockwaves through football. “Newcastle, Palace, Bologna, Go Ahead Eagles, Kane, and now Spurs,” one user tweeted, “this is the season the underdogs roared.” For Spurs, the victory offers more than silverware—it secures Champions League football and a chance to rebuild. For fans across these clubs, the scars of decades, even a century, of heartbreak have begun to heal. As one Palace fan put it, “We waited forever, but it was worth it.” Football, in 2025, has reminded us why we love it: for moments of pure, unscripted joy.