Time at Spurs 'more than football' for Michel

It’s goodbye, again, from Michel Vorm, who certainly played his part in six years at Spurs – on and off the pitch.

Such a popular member of the squad, Michel made 48 appearances for us in all competitions in two spells, 2014-2019, and then re-joining us in October for the rest of this season as additional cover after Hugo Lloris' serious injury at Brighton.

Now 36, Michel’s daily work with skipper and number one Hugo over the years cannot be underestimated, as well as his influence on our younger goalkeepers, the likes of Alfie Whiteman, Brandon Austin and Jonathan De Bie.

Indeed, it’s away from matchdays and friendships forged over those six years that have left a lasting impression on the former Dutch international from Ijsselstein, Utrecht – he’s made friends for life.

“This is a big thing in life,” reflected Michel. “You are so caught up in playing football, the pressure is massive, and I think people can see we are all human beings and we all have our own way of living.

“I’ve met so any different people, medical staff, people working in the restaurant or at the Lodge, and I always find it interesting, as everyone has their own story. In the end, we’re all the same, and we all do a job here, and you respect everyone. I always say, ‘how you want to be treated yourself, treat each other’ and this is something I think the people also like, I’m quite down to earth and interested in everyone’s story.”

Michel captained the team during 2017/18, when he also made his debut in the Champions League and played in the semi-final of the FA Cup. The emergence of Paulo Gazzaniga saw him play less in 2018/19 and last season, but as explained above, he has always been such a valuable member of the squad.

“We’ve been through a lot together, ups and downs, but definitely more ups in the sense of when I came to the Club and where we ended, even though this season wasn’t what we expected,” he reflected. “It’s all a form of learning and you see how high the standard is where we want to be.

“I’ve seen guys grow from Academy players to full internationals, playing in World Cups, a player like Harry Kane, I’ve seen him come through and players in my position, look at Hugo, World Cup winner, and a great captain.

“Obviously, this last season has been very difficult in every way, but you only learn from that, grow from that and I’m 100 per cent sure things will go upwards from now.”

Michel will ‘see what happens’ in terms of his future in football, but for the time being, this family man will do what means most to him. “I’m just happy to go home and breathe for a second with my family around me, to be closer to my family, to see my parents, this kind of thing. I know I’m always welcome here and for me, that’s very important.”

We wish you luck, Michel.