Thomas Frank: “It was special... then ‘boom’ you’re in game mode”

Years in the making, Thomas Frank said he could take in and enjoy his first UEFA Champions League game for about a minute.

Thomas first stepped into coaching back home in Denmark in 2005, a role as International Technical University (ITU) football coach at Boldklubben af 1893, before a path leading to the Danish FA (DBU), Brondby (2013), Brentford (2016) and Spurs this summer.

A lot was made pre-match about his first time in charge of a UCL game ahead of our MD1 clash against Villarreal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and speaking on Monday, Thomas knew when it would hit. “I know it will be special when the Champions League anthem is playing, that will be the moment.”

So, after a 1-0 victory thanks to goalkeeper Luis Junior’s early own goal, and a real test against the La Liga side, did the UCL live up to all the hype? How was it for you, Thomas?

“It was the first minute with the Champions League anthem, looking around… that was special. I felt that,” Thomas told us on the Review Show after the win. “That was, ‘ooooo, that was special’. Then the whistle goes and ‘boom’, you’re in game mode, then you forget about everything, ‘oh, it’s the Champions League?’, okay, very happy, of course, but the first moment, that was big.”

So, 20 years, then 60 seconds to take it all in – 20 years for that moment. “It’s crazy, one minute... then it’s painful, we didn’t play well, but we got over the line and we have a team that fights for each other, fights for the club, the fans – I’m very happy.”