Ange Postecoglou, the humble son of Greek immigrants, grew up in the working-class suburb of Prahran in Melbourne, Australia. He supported South Melbourne Hellas and dreamed of one day playing for his boyhood club. Today, he stands as the first Greek and the first Australian coach to win a major European trophy. And he didn’t win it at a traditional European powerhouse club either—he won it at trophy-cursed Tottenham Hotspur.
Ending the curse, elevating the status
Now, what is the significance of such a victory? Let us put this into context.
Ange lifted the Tottenham trophy curse of 17 years. The last time they won a European trophy was the 1983–1984 season, over 40 years ago, managed by the now 89-year-old Keith Burkinshaw. Many of the world’s greatest managers have recently failed to win anything at Tottenham—legends of the game like Antonio Conte and José Mourinho.
This significant victory now elevates Ange to another level in the caste system of European and world football history. He is now not only an EPL coach but a trophy-winning manager—and not of a domestic trophy, but a major European one. All of this was achieved during a period of struggle and intense scrutiny, and at times, a constant source of online criticism and ridicule.
The old saying in football is, “the ladder doesn’t lie.” Currently sitting 17th on the EPL ladder out of 20 teams, with 11 wins, 5 draws and 21 losses, would get most managers sacked. In Ange’s defence, his team experienced a bad run of injuries to star players like Cristian Romero for extended periods. His steadfast commitment throughout the year to playing his attacking, high-line pressing, positive football—combined with familiar patterns of playing out from the back—made results very difficult to manufacture.
Adaptability over aesthetics
Football management, like the ruthless ecosystem of business and species survival, challenges you to adapt and question every belief, rule, and tactic you’ve ever tried to execute. If you don’t adapt in this wonderfully evolving game, you simply die. And adapt Ange did.
The final will never be remembered for anything Postecoglou has typically stood for in terms of his approach to the game. It was a scrappy affair between two lowly placed EPL teams, won by a scrappy goal, with Tottenham playing the second half with five at the back—hanging on for dear life, defending as deep as they could against the once-mighty Manchester United.
This was not a time to do anything but win. And Big Ange did what he always does—he won.Winning and Postecoglou go hand in hand like any great partnership. The partnership doesn’t stay apart for long. He is a serial winner, even at a club that has been a serial loser.
There are strong reports that Chairman Daniel Levy has been planning to sack Ange at the end of the year. Yet how can one game change the direction of one manager and one club? It may just change his mind.
Cultural shift and the stakes ahead
Postecoglou achieved two major milestones last week: he delivered Tottenham Hotspur a long-awaited trophy and began shifting the mindset of the club, its supporters, and the football media. It was more than just silverware—it marked the start of a cultural and perceptual transformation.
Winning a trophy is critical to changing the DNA of a football club. It builds belief inside the dressing room, among stakeholders, and within a global fanbase shaped daily by relentless media scrutiny. In the high-stakes world of elite football, perception matters almost as much as performance.
Just as crucially, Ange secured Tottenham’s place in the Champions League—a gateway to the prestige and revenue vital for staying competitive in Europe. Without that status, it becomes increasingly difficult to attract, retain, and afford the calibre of players required to challenge at the top level.
Daniel Levy and his board now face a critical decision regarding Ange: does he trust him to take this team—and its Champions League budget—forward? Legacy decisions like this make or break clubs for years.
Letting him go now would be madness. Postecoglou has carved out an extraordinary career through ingenuity, a relentless work ethic, self-belief, and elite football intelligence. And the best is yet to come.
Time is the ultimate currency
The past two years—arguably the toughest of Postecoglou’s career—have only sharpened his resolve and deepened his experience. That should worry the rest of England and Europe.
He has the vision to make Tottenham stronger. But like Bill Shankly, Sir Alex Ferguson, and Jürgen Klopp before him, he needs what every great manager deserves: time.
Regardless of the outcome, Postecoglou cut a vindicated figure as he spoke about his achievement, referencing an old comment from Levy that he hadn’t forgotten.
“I remember even when I signed, the club—and even Daniel—sort of said, ‘We went after winners, it didn’t work, and now we’ve got Ange.’
“Mate, I’m a winner. I have been a serial winner my whole career,” he said.
How many times does this man have to keep proving people wrong? He’s done it his whole life. At every step along his journey, there’s been someone doubting him—and he just does what he always does: shrugs them aside and proves them wrong.
Ange Postecoglou is now a giant of world football. We salute him once again—and something tells me it won’t be the last time we bow to him in the not-too-distant future.
Peter Kokotis is South Melbourne FC (Hellas) Men’s Senior Football Director – the football boss was a FIFA Agent and lifelong Liverpool tragic.
