Spurs fan Matt chases Super Bowl glory

Spurs fan Matt Gay will take to the field in Los Angeles on Sunday evening hoping to recreate a moment he has played over and over in his head - kicking the winning points in the Super Bowl.

The 27-year-old kicker of the LA Rams has been in impressive form already this NFL season, making 39 of 43 field goals including game-winning kicks in play-off victories over former side Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Francisco 49ers, to book his side’s place in Sunday’s final.

Now he’s gearing up for the showpiece occasion - an event dubbed ‘the greatest show on turf’ – as the LA Rams take on the Cincinnati Bengals with Matt’s team enjoying a distinct advantage as the game is taking place at their spectacular So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles.

And, having already played a huge role in getting the Rams to the Super Bowl, Matt admits the thought of stepping up and kicking the winning points on Sunday is something he’s always dreamed of.

“Any athlete in sport has those dreams,” explained Matt, who visited Tottenham Hotspur Stadium during 2019 even before playing at our new world-class arena with Tampa Bay in the NFL International Series that October.

“You mess around as a kid, you picture yourself in those moments – counting down the shot clock as you shoot a three-pointer or hitting that game-winning kick. Those are the moments you envisage yourself in, so it’s something that you want and look forward to. I’ve made that kick a million times in my head!”

A former ‘soccer’ player in his early college days, Matt’s path to the Super Bowl has had plenty of twists and turns along the way. He played 33 games for Utah Valley University soccer team between 2014-16, scoring eight goals before making the switch to American football at Utah and in 2017, he won the Lou Groza Award as the country’s top kicker after making a nation-leading 30 field goals (on 34 attempts) and all 40 of his extra point (PAT) kicks.

Selected in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers, he endured an up and down rookie season in Tampa and as a result, he was cut by the team before the start of the 2020 season. But, after spending a brief spell with the Indianapolis Colts, he was signed by the Rams in Week 11 of the 2020 season and enjoyed an element of satisfaction in his very first game when he kicked the winning field goal against none other than Tampa Bay.

Since his arrival in LA, Matt’s career has been on an upward trajectory and his form this season earned him a selection for the Pro Bowl, where the best players from each side of the NFL set-up – the AFC and the NFC – are picked to play against each other in an exhibition match. Unfortunately, Matt was unable to feature in that game last Sunday – but only because he was preparing for a Super Bowl instead!

“I’m expecting a great atmosphere and a great environment,” he added. “Credit to the Bengals, they’re a good team, they’re here in the Super Bowl and it’s going to be a good game, a battle just like every single game has been. For us, we’re treating it no differently, we’re coming in and doing the same routine we’ve been doing all year. Things have gone well so you just continue that process.”

But while the sentiment of treating one of sport’s greatest global events is admirable, how will Matt feel should Sunday’s game come down to one swing of his trusted right foot. It’s certainly a possibility as five of this year’s 12 play-off games were decided by a field goal, Matt kicking two of them.

“I’m grateful enough to be in this game, to have this opportunity and you draw on the success and confidence you’ve had in the past, those kicks that have gone through,” he revealed. “It’s something you get better at the more you’re in that situation. You have to want that moment to be a kicker in this league, you have to look forward to it and then, when it comes, just stay consistent with your process.

“You cannot look ahead to the next kick or focus too much on the last, you have to be consistent with your routine, your process, your steps and if you do those things in those big moments, the result will take care of itself.”

As for Matt’s support of Spurs, he’s been a fan for a number of years and that was further boosted when he met his now wife Millie, who was originally born in Kent and hails from a Spurs-supporting family.

After being drafted in April 2019, Matt had only been on the Tampa Bay roster for a matter of weeks when he discovered that one of his first NFL matches would be taking place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and he could scarcely contain his excitement!

Speaking after that match, in which the Buccaneers lost 37-26 to the Carolina Panthers, Matt’s emotions were clear to see.

“It’s been amazing. It’s a fantastic stadium. I’ve been here in the last two years, saw it when it was being built and then when it was almost finished and now to be back here and playing, it’s unreal.

“It’s a dream come true for me. I got here a little early so I could explore and get the giddiness out of me so I could focus in on the game, but it’s fantastic just being here.

“I was more excited when I found out I was playing at Tottenham than I was when I got drafted. That was a special moment.

“Growing up, I watched players. I was a centre forward, so I watched all the strikers in the Premier League. Dimitar Berbatov was an inspiration for me, he was at Spurs first and then United. Harry Kane is one of the best in the world. Then when I was married, Spurs, that completed the whole thing for me.

“Next time I’m over it will be organised specifically around watching the guys play. It’s special to be here and next time I’ll be back as a fan for sure.”

And, with a bit of luck, he might have a Super Bowl ring to show us!