Watch: Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Bale react to Brennan Johnson's goal in the Europa League final

The goal that finally ended Spurs' 17-year wait for a trophy brought out totally different reactions from two football legends watching live. While Bale couldn't hide his excitement, Ferdinand looked like he wanted to disappear. Their reactions caught on camera have now gone viral across social media.

Contrasting emotions as Johnson secures historic win

You could see the whole story in just one camera shot from Wednesday's Europa League final. The moment Brennan Johnson scored in the 42nd minute, the TNT Sports broadcast caught Gareth Bale and Rio Ferdinand sitting side by side with completely opposite reactions. Former Spurs player Bale broke into a huge grin and started clapping wildly, while ex-Man United defender Ferdinand just stared ahead in total disbelief.


In the clip that's now all over the internet, Bale can't stop smiling and applauding as his old team grabs the lead. Meanwhile, Ferdinand looks like someone just told him terrible news, his face dropping as he watches United fall behind at Bilbao's San Mames stadium.


"Can we get off air now?" Ferdinand said half-jokingly, clearly struggling to keep it together as a professional pundit while watching his team lose the biggest game of their season.

Also read: Who is Brennan Johnson? The Spurs star who overcame mass abuse to win the Europa League final

Welsh winger writes his name in Spurs history

It wasn't a pretty goal, but Johnson won't care about that. After Pap Matar Sarr sent in a cross that bounced around in the box, the Welsh forward just managed to get a touch on it before it crossed the line past United keeper Andre Onana.

The 21-year-old has had a tough time this season. Back in September, he got so much online hate after losing to Arsenal that he had to shut down his Instagram account. But on Wednesday night, he completed his comeback story on the biggest stage by scoring the goal that won Spurs their first trophy since beating Chelsea in the 2008 League Cup final.

"I knew I touched it," Johnson told reporters afterward, making it clear the goal was definitely his and not an own goal. This moment capped off his season perfectly - he'd fought through both the fan criticism and a nasty calf injury in January to end up as Tottenham's top scorer with 18 goals.

Ange Postecoglou delivers on trophy promise

When Ange Postecoglou took over as Spurs manager in 2023, he didn't shy away from making big promises. He said he would end the trophy drought. And now, two years later, he's actually done it by leading the team to a European trophy that puts them in elite company.

"He said he would win something, and he has," said Liverpool star Mohamed Salah after watching the game, giving credit to what his Premier League rival had achieved.

This win gives Spurs their third Europa League title, putting them alongside big clubs like Inter Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, and Atletico Madrid. Only Sevilla has more with seven wins. It's also good for English football, bringing their total to nine Europa League trophies, tied with Italy and behind only Spain's fourteen.

While Spurs fans celebrated like crazy in Bilbao, that split-screen of Bale smiling and Ferdinand looking devastated perfectly summed up what football is all about - pure joy for some, total heartbreak for others. But for Tottenham fans who've waited 17 long years, the wait for a trophy is finally over.

Get IPL 2025 match schedules, squads, points table, and live scores for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.