Byfield thanks Danso after “amazing” first team debut
Thu 22 January 2026, 09:02|
Tottenham Hotspur
Jun’ai Byfield described his first team debut as an “amazing moment” – and was thankful to one of our senior defenders for helping him through it.
The 17-year-old Academy product came on for his first senior competitive appearance in our colours during Tuesday night’s 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund, dropping in at right-back with half-an-hour to go at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The youngster quickly got to grips with the game and played his part in keeping a clean sheet, as we maintained our 100 per cent home record in this season’s Champions League and put ourselves in a solid position to secure progress to the next stage of the prestigious competition.
Kevin Danso was on hand to act as an older head in the back four next to Jun’ai, with the teenager expressing his gratitude to our Austrian international as he reflected on his milestone achievement.
“It’s just an amazing moment for me and my family – it’s a moment I’ve worked hard for my whole life and it’s finally come, so I’m grateful to everyone who has played a role in this,” beamed Jun’ai.
“Kevin Danso has been brilliant with me the whole time I’ve been with the first team. I just knew going into the game that he was going to help me and he was really good with me tonight.
“It’s another game really, that’s what you’ve got to think about. I just took it stride-by-stride and I feel like I progressed into the game quite well. I just hope for many more to come.”
It’s just an amazing moment for me and my family – it’s a moment I’ve worked hard for my whole life and it’s finally come, so I’m grateful to everyone who has played a role in this.
Jun’ai, who has been with the club since the age of eight, underlined how professional preparation helped him to be ready for his big moment.
“I knew quite early that I was going to come on, so I was quite confident,” he said. “I got told a couple of times about my role so it’s just mentally preparing, doing the right things, drinking a lot of water so I don’t get cramp or anything. It’s important that you prepare, even if you don’t know you’re going to come on. Prepare right, sleep well, eat well – those are the main things.”
