Former Tottenham Hotspur player Gareth Bale has joked that 'Spursy' -- a term used for the club's habit of getting to the brink of victory only to lose -- will become "Unitedy" after their Europa League final win over Manchester United.
Spurs beat United 1-0 in Bilbao on Wednesday to win their first trophy in 17 years. The north London club immediately took to social media, posting a picture of the trophy celebrations with the caption "Spursy."
Bale, who played for Tottenham for six years before joining Real Madrid, reacted by joking: "It could be a 'Unitedy' thing now, I'm telling you."
While his comments may have been in jest, Bale said it will be a huge relief to have finally claimed some silverware.
"It gets rid of that stigma now for sure and hopefully they can build on it," he told TNT Sports.
"It's amazing for the club, it's been a long time coming. Now, Ange goes down as a legendary manager, winning a European [trophy].
"Now they've finally got it off their backs, hopefully this is a stepping stone to build off. They'll have a cash injection with the Champions League, they'll be able to get players in and strengthen from there."
Spurs goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario also said he hopes the win can help the club move past the "Spursy" tag.
"All the jokes, all the stuff about being Spursy and this kind of stuff, now I don't know, maybe we've stopped that," he told a post-match news conference.
"We are very happy for ourselves for what we've been through this season. Now see next season, we are in Champions League is a massive achievement, it's where this club has to stay."
