The Tottenham Hotspur team, including Son Heung-min (30), started the game with the recently deceased coach Gian Piero Ventrone in mind.
Tottenham Hotspur players applauded for a minute before kick-off during the away match between Brighton and Hove Albion and England’s Premier League (EPL) in 2022-2023 at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, England on the 9th (Korean time) Honoring Coach Ventrone.
The players of the opposing team, Brighton, and fans who visited the stadium also participated, and Tottenham manager Antonio Conte brought tears to his eyes.
Tottenham Hotspur announced the death of physical coach Ventrone on the 6th.
The club did not disclose the cause, but local media reported that the cause of death was leukemia.
Coach Bentrone joined the team with Conte, who took over the helm of Tottenham in November last year.
He was famous for his intense ‘hell training’, but he gained trust from the players.
Son Heung-min, who suffered from goal silence at the beginning of this season, recorded a hat-trick once morest Leicester City last month and said, “Coach Ventrone, who has the wisdom of life, is someone who gives me a lot of good advice.
He was a really big help.
He always hugged me with ‘big hugs’ when I was having a hard time.”
Until recently, coach Ventrone had an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy, explaining how he managed his players and his training philosophy.
Regarding Heung-Min Son, he said, “Heung-Min Son already has a large quadriceps muscle, so there is no need to develop it further.
Heung-Min Son’s greatest strength is speed, and we want to strengthen his balance rather than strength.”
However, this was Coach Ventrone’s last interview.
The players might not hide their sadness over the sudden breakup.
The players warmed up in T-shirts with the words ‘Always in our hearts, Gian Piero’ on the day, and wore black armbands around their arms.
Players also left messages and autographs on uniforms with the name ‘Gian Pierrot’.
Tottenham’s 1-0 win over Brighton was dedicated to coach Bentrone.
After the match, Harry Kane, who scored the winning goal with the help of Son Heung-min, confessed that he had had a difficult week following the match and shed tears as he revealed that he would dedicate a goal to coach Ventrone.
“I played for coach Ventrone today,” said Ryan Sessegnon, and Matt Doherty said, “Coach Bentrone was more than a coach.
It was a friend,” he recalled.
Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris lifted coach Ventrone’s jersey on the ground following the game to mourn.
“To be honest, it was really difficult to focus on the game,” Conte said.
The players despaired of pain, but there are times in life when things aren’t good.
He will always be with us.”
/yunhap news
