Pochettino on London Football Awards Honor: 'Finally I Got a Trophy'
Tottenham Hotspur dominated the 2019 London Football Awards, as Mauricio Pochettino and Son Heung-min picked up the Manager of the Year and Premier League Player of the Year awards respectively.
Pochettino beat out Chelsea tactician Maurizio Sarri, Charlton Athletic’s Lee Bowyer, Arsenal Ladies coach Joe Montemurro and Javi Gracia of Watford to the managerial award.
Meanwhile, Son, whose nominated rivals were comprised solely from the Premier League, trumped Eden Hazard, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Andros Townsend and teammate (and last season's winner) Harry Kane.
As quoted by Spurs' official website, the South Korean international was ecstatic with his prize, exclaiming: “It means a lot. For me, it’s special, my first award [of this kind]. Many players have not won this trophy so for me, it’s really, really special, especially because such big names have won this award [in the past]. It means a lot and I’m very happy to win.”
Pochettino was similarly pleased, proclaiming: “I am so happy. For me, it’s a great honor and I know that it means a lot. I want to say thank you to the Willow Foundation, Bob and Megs [Wilson, Willow founders] and I think it’s so important and I am so proud to be here and share this type of event together with a lot of legends and some amazing people.”
The Tottenham boss, who has come under criticism for not being able to win titles or cups despite his overall success, had some fun during his acceptance speech, steering into the skid by joking: "Finally, I got a trophy."
The Argentine finished off by praising his award-winning player, declaring: "I think it’s fantastic. He is doing a fantastic job, he is having an amazing season and we feel so proud.
"I feel so proud of all my squad, of course, but in that case, Sonny won the award, Premier League Player of the Year, and I am so happy for him because he deserves it.”
