Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Hugo Lloris has publicly criticised chairman Daniel Levy for an ill-timed and tone-deaf gesture just days before Tottenham’s 2019 Champions League final against Liverpool.
Lloris recently revealed that Levy gathered the entire squad to present them with custom luxury watches engraved with “Finalist” a decision that left players feeling unsettled before the most significant match in the club’s history.
Hugo Lloris slams Daniel Levy for insensitive gesture before UCL final
Reflecting on the moment in an interview with The Guardian, Lloris recalled:
“We do all have one engraved memory, though. Four days before the final, Daniel Levy called us all together to announce that, with the support of a sponsor, we would each receive a luxury aviator watch from the club.”
“At first, we were excited to see the elegant boxes. Then we opened them and discovered that he’d had the back of each timepiece engraved with the player’s name and ‘Champions League Finalist 2019’. ‘Finalist.’ Who does such a thing at a moment like this? I still haven’t got over it, and I’m not alone.
“If we’d won, he wouldn’t have asked for the watches back to have ‘Winner’ engraved instead. I have considerable respect and esteem for the man and all he has done for the club as chairman – I got to know him – but there are things he is simply not sensitive to. As magnificent as the watch is, I have never worn it.”
Tottenham’s incredible Champions League run
Tottenham’s run to the 2019 Champions League final under Mauricio Pochettino remains one of the club’s proudest accomplishments.
After battling through a tough group stage and overcoming Borussia Dortmund with a dominant 4-0 aggregate win in the Round of 16, Spurs faced Manchester City in the quarter-finals. In an intense second leg filled with VAR drama, Tottenham advanced on away goals.
The semi-final against Ajax showcased Tottenham’s resilience as they overturned a 3-0 aggregate deficit, thanks to a last-gasp hat-trick by Lucas Moura, sending them to their first-ever Champions League final.
Despite their fairytale journey, Spurs fell 2-0 to Liverpool in Madrid, leaving the “Finalist” watches a bittersweet reminder of what might have been.
Hugo Lloris fell down the pecking order last season under new manager Ange Postecoglou, who signed Guglielmo Vicario as his replacement.
Although sidelined from the squad, Lloris showed unwavering professionalism and commitment to Tottenham, actively supporting Vicario behind the scenes and helping him settle in at the club.
He eventually left Tottenham in December of last year to join Las Angeles FC after a decade long of service at the North London club, leaving as a modern-day legend.