ALAN MULLERY wrote himself into history when he scored the winning goal in the first all-English European final.
Tottenham’s captain lifted the 1972 Uefa Cup, with his early header in the home second leg proving decisive against Wolves.
His reward was to be SOLD by boss Bill Nicholson weeks later.
No wonder Mullery, now 83, remembers it with mixed emotions.
Spurs and Manchester United will meet in Bilbao for the Europa League — the sixth all-English Uefa final.
Incredibly, it will be the THIRD involving Tottenham, who lost to Liverpool in the Champions League final in Madrid in 2019.
But that first one, 53 years ago, was a bitter-sweet affair for Mullery.
He recalled: “I will never forget that night — because it was the last game I ever played for Tottenham.
“I thought I was going to stay but Bill had a different idea!
“I guess it’s not a bad way to go out, to score the winning goal in a European final in your final game.”
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Tottenham edged the first leg at Molineux 2-1, courtesy of a double by centre-forward Martin Chivers.
And Mullery said: “People don’t remember what I did for that second goal, mind.
“I did an overlap outside him and was screaming for him to give me the ball. I’d run 40 yards shouting, but then he smashed it in and all I could say was, ‘Great goal’.
“Afterwards Martin told me it was the best dummy run he’d ever seen. It meant we were in a really great position going into the second leg, with those away goals.
“We certainly put in a better performance at Molineux than we did in the home game.”
Mullery put Spurs ahead on 29 minutes at White Hart Lane — but ended up pole-axed.
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Man Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clash
He said: “My goal was a header — and they were very few and far between — and from six yards out as well, when I didn’t really get that close to goal too often.
“I got knocked out but I recovered enough.”
Dave Wagstaffe got a leveller but it wasn’t enough and legendary Molineux striker John Richards, 74, remembered: “When it finished we just headed for home afterwards as though it was just a usual top-flight match.
“I still have the medal, which is incredibly bland. Like one of those Esso petrol football silver tokens you got in the Seventies!”
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Man Utd vs Spurs – Europa League final: Kick-off time, TV channel and live stream info for Bilbao clash
And Mullery says boss Nicholson acted as if his side had LOST.
Mullery added: “Bill wasn’t happy. He came in after, while we were celebrating, and told us, ‘The best team lost’.
“It was a bit of a killer to come into a dressing room and get a rollicking after winning a cup.”
Just weeks later, Mullery was in for an even bigger shock.
He added: “I was out of the door. I was 32, Bill was looking to the future and he didn’t see me in it.”
Adapted from White Hart Lane, the Spurs Glory Years 1899-2017 by Martin Lipton.
