The trophy was raised high, but there was no championship medal. Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) had to celebrate the victory without a medal due to a mistake by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA).

Tottenham Hotspur won the UEFA Europa League (UEL) final against Manchester United 1-0 on the 22nd (Korean time) at Estadio San Mamés in Bilbao, Spain.

With this victory, Tottenham lifted a trophy for the first time in 17 years since the League Cup in 2008. Winning in European competitions came after 41 years since clinching the title in the UEFA Cup, the predecessor of this tournament, in the 1983-1984 season.

Son Heung-min also achieved his first championship and broke free from being trophyless. It had been 15 years since he made his professional debut in Hamburg, Germany, before he lifted a major trophy with his team. After two attempts and three failures, he shed tears of joy instead of sadness in the final.

Tottenham also secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League for next season. Despite plummeting to 17th in the Premier League, marking their worst season, they turned everything around with a single victory in the UEL. Manchester United, in 16th place in the Premier League, dreamed of the same but fell short in a winner-takes-all match worth £100 million (about 186 billion won).

The Tottenham squad, led by captain Son Heung-min, conducted the victory ceremony. They first took turns stepping onto the podium, where UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin personally placed the championship medals around their necks.

However, it was not Son Heung-min's turn. The UEFA had not prepared enough championship medals, so the last three players, including Rodrigo Bentancur, Vice Captain Cristian Romero, and Captain Son Heung-min, did not receive one. Their necks were bare even when they lifted the trophy high.

‘Football London’ reported, "When the final whistle blew, Tottenham fans exploded, and the entire bench rushed onto the field. All that was left was to hold up the heaviest European trophy with the championship medal. However, things did not go as planned," adding, "Injured players also went up to receive medals. The ones who waited until the end were Son Heung-min and Romero. Romero was completely flabbergasted when he did not receive a medal."

The media also noted, "Romero gestured that he didn't have a medal while talking to Dominic Solanke, wearing a look of disbelief. Bentancur and Son Heung-min also missed out on medals. At first, the three were surprised, but Son Heung-min quickly forgot the chaos as he proudly lifted Tottenham's trophy for the first time in 17 years," adding, "Son Heung-min later received a medal in the locker room. However, he held the trophy without the medal around his neck."

The reason Son Heung-min did not receive a medal from President Čeferin was that more Tottenham players came onto the field than expected. UEFA brought 30 championship medals for the Tottenham squad. While they usually present 50 medals to the winning team, they thought 30 would be sufficient for the ceremony.

However, not only injured players but also those who were essentially excluded from the team came to receive medals. Unlike the Premier League, UEFA does not have specific eligibility criteria for medal distribution. Thanks to this, even James Maddison and Lucas Bergvall, who could not participate in the final due to injuries, along with Sergio Reguillón, who was not even registered for the tournament, received medals.

It is reported that UEFA delivered the remaining 20 medals to Tottenham only after the ceremony. In videos of Tottenham players enjoying their victory in the locker room, Son Heung-min was also seen wearing a medal.

Later, UEFA issued an official statement apologizing to Son Heung-min. UEFA stated, "We deeply regret that we did not secure enough medals due to more players participating in the trophy presentation than expected. More players, including injured ones, took to the podium," adding, "The missing medals were quickly delivered in the locker room. We sincerely apologize for our mistake."

Only when he entered the locker room did Son Heung-min hang the championship medal around his neck. Nevertheless, this posed no issue for him to enjoy his first championship. He wandered around the field holding the UEL trophy, the heaviest of the European competing trophies, weighing 15 kg, savoring the best moment.

Son Heung-min said, "This is something I have always dreamed of. Today is the day that it happened. I am the happiest person in the world," adding, "I also felt pressure. I really wanted to win. I dreamed about this match every day for the past week. I finally achieved it, and now I can sleep comfortably. I want to make today an unforgettable day. I might just miss my flight tomorrow!" expressing his overwhelming emotions.

Fortunately, Son Heung-min did not miss his flight. He was spotted leaving the hotel in Bilbao wearing a medal around his neck and the Taegukgi draped over his body. Son Heung-min also embraced the trophy tightly on the plane returning to London, relishing the joy of victory.

[Photo] 433, Tottenham, Europa League social media.

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