MICKY VAN DE VEN has revealed the tragically heartwarming story behind his Tottenham shirt number.
The Dutch defender, 24, has endured mixed fortunes since joining Spurs from Wolfsburg for £42million in 2023.
Van den Ven quickly established himself as a key player in Ange Postecoglou’s bizarre tactical system.
But the giant centre-back, who is also blessed with rapid speed, has since suffered numerous injury problems.
And as a result, he has played just 49 times across two seasons.
Despite the setbacks, Van de Ven remains a popular figure with Tottenham fans.
He is hoping to reward their faith when Spurs take on Manchester United in Wednesday’s all-English Europa League final.
And his popularity is only sure to increase after he revealed the meaning behind his shirt number.
Van de Ven wears the No37 for the north Londoners – an unusual choice for any first-team star, let alone a defender.
However, the 10-time Dutch international has now explained that he chose the number in tribute to a deceased friend.
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Van de Ven revealed that when he was just 15 years old, his best friend tragically passed away.
The number 37 had been his pal’s favourite number since a young age.
And therefore the decision to select it as his Spurs squad number came easily to Van de Ven.
The star explained: “When I was 15 years old, my best friend Dimitri passed away. He was really sick and I always promised to make him proud.
“He was the person I always played football with, so the day before he passed away I promised him I was going to make sure I became a professional football player.
“When I made this beautiful transfer to Tottenham, they said, ‘These are the numbers you can pick for your shirt’.
“Number 37 was there, it was Dimitri’s favourite number when he was younger. So straight away I knew 37 had to be my number here.”
