The Blues boss saw his shoes play a starring role in the locker room antics that accompanied a memorable European triumph
Thomas Tuchel has revealed why his coaches featured prominently in the celebrations following Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the 2021 Champions League final.
The Blues returned to their locker room after a memorable European triumph to revel in their success away from prying eyes.
When Tuchel joined in the fun, with a bottle of champagne in hand, events took an odd turn as his shoes became the center of attention.
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What happened?
Olivier Giroud, Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma quickly got involved with Tuchel’s coaches when their manager arrived for the post-match celebrations.
The German’s shoes were doused in champagne as they suddenly became the focus of a party that should have focused on a famous continental piece of silverware.
What was said?
Explain the surprising scenes in Chelsea official site Former Paris Saint-Germain boss Tuchel said: “I had exactly these sneakers in Paris and I promised that we would wear these shoes when we reach the Champions League final.
“It was a gift from the president of PSG and I promised my staff that I would wear them in the final.
“I didn’t wear them that day, and we lost [to Bayern Munich]. I made sure to wear them this year and they worked! ”
The bigger picture
Tuchel was barred from wearing his lucky coaches in a 2020 showpiece because he suffered a sprained ankle and a broken metatarsus while preparing for the match, forcing him to don a protective boot.
History has been written, however, in the campaign which has just ended as he became the first man to appear in back-to-back Champions League finals with different clubs.
He also got his hands on the ultimate prize, with a lone strike from Kai Havertz proving sufficient for Chelsea as they edged out Premier League rivals in Porto.
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