Son Heung-Min admits that Wednesday's Europa League final against Manchester United could represent his last chance to win a big trophy with Tottenham.
Spurs and United are 17th and 16th in the Premier League table respectively, but they will be confronted in Bilbao for a piece of European silverware and Champions League qualification for 2025-26.
While a return to Europe's Premier Club competition is described as a must for United, the most important focus of Spurs is on ending their long waiting time on a trophy.
Tottenham last lifted a piece of large silverware 17 years and 86 days prior to the final of Wednesday, after he defeated Chelsea in the EFL Cup final of 2008 under Juande Ramos.
Son has been present for the majority of that painful drought, which arrived at the club in 2015.
The South Korean superstar has lost two finals with Tottenham-in the Champions League in 2019 and the EFL Cup in 2021 and also ended as a Premier League two in 2016-17.
Now 32 and just over a year after the expiry of his contract, Son knows that it can be a case of now or never.
“We never know in the future. We can play the Champions League of next year … We can play in the final,” he told reporters at Tuesday's press conference.
“We never know, but the chance I have now is real, it's a fact. Tomorrow is a final, a Europa League final.
“This can be my last chance or there can be another chance, but I just want to concentrate on tomorrow, winning and lifting the trophy with the boys, celebrating together.”
The most recent European trophy from Spurs was won 40 years and 363 days before the final of Wednesday, because they defeated other attachments on penalties in the UEFA Cup final of 1984.
Asked what it would mean to supplement a trophy-winning Tottenham team, Son said: “It would be very special and be a historic moment.
“I have been here for 10 years and I just want to win the trophy, which nobody did in the 10 years that I have been here.
“Tomorrow will be a huge day for the club and the boys, and also for me.”
Son returned from an injury to appear in the last two Premier League matches of Spurs – defeats for Crystal Palace and Aston Villa – and the attacker has reassured fans that he is now completely fit.
“I'm ready,” he said. “Of course back from an injury, it was my first game against Crystal Palace and then I played against Aston Villa.
“I didn't expect to play that long, but I succeeded. I am physically ready to go. The rest of the boys are also ready to go for the biggest game of the season.”
Son played for 3,166 minutes this season in all matches. That is more than he added in 2023-24 (2,965), but is also a post-feeling in one campaign since 2016-17 (2,973).
His 11 goals are the least in every season since eight times in his first campaign with Spurs in 2015-16, but only in 2020-21 (17) did he improve this period of 11 assists.