Tony Parks` penalty save against Anderlecht is etched into Tottenham history. The image of him diving to his right and then sprinting around White Hart Lane, arms raised, being mobbed by his celebrating Spurs teammates is iconic.
However, while he is forever linked to the dramatic 1984 UEFA Cup final shootout, Parks admits the sudden prominence came too early for him.
Parks was just 21 when his save against Arnor Gudjohnsen – father of future Chelsea, Bolton, and Spurs player Eidur – secured Tottenham`s third European trophy under manager Keith Burkinshaw.
Spurs could potentially win their fourth European trophy 41 years later if Ange Postecoglou`s team defeats Manchester United in Bilbao on Wednesday. Yet, even if the match goes to penalties and Guglielmo Vicario mirrors Parks` saves, it`s unlikely to have the same impact as that night in 1984.
Parks, who was in the team because Ray Clemence was injured, recalled on The Spurs Show podcast: “The intensity of it was incredible. I watched it back later. But, for me, it happened too soon. I mistakenly thought this would be a regular occurrence, that it would happen every year.”
“That`s how you think as a young player, isn`t it? But I started to act out a bit. I made every mistake I possibly could.”
He wasn`t entirely to blame initially. Parks added: “For about six weeks after, beer was free in every pub I entered. Seriously, I could walk into any place and get whatever I wanted for free.”
“I recall going out for a meal. Rod Stewart was in the same restaurant and apparently thought I`d only saved one penalty; his friends corrected him, saying it was two.”
“So the waiter came over and asked, `I`d like to clarify, how many penalties did you save?` I said, `Two,` and he responded, `Would you care for a bottle of wine from Rod Stewart?`”
“It was all astonishing. But if you`re mentally vulnerable, as I was, these things can push you over the edge. You need to be stronger than that to succeed as a professional athlete. Instead, I got arrested for drink-driving and returned for pre-season training injured.”
“Ray [Clemence] ensured he came back fully fit and focused, ready to play – while I had been living like a careless youth.”
Parks remained at Tottenham for another four seasons but only appeared in 19 more matches before moving to Brentford. His career took him to a total of 14 clubs, including West Ham and Falkirk in Scotland, but he concedes things were never quite the same.
Parks explained: “As a youth player breaking into the first team, my contract was expiring that season. I only got a new contract after the final, so my wages weren`t high before that. But once you`re in the first team, you get appearance money and bonuses, and at 21, that was enough money to be reckless.”
“Today`s players arrive at the training ground at 7 am and stay until 4 or 5 pm. Back then, we`d be in the pub or the snooker hall by noon. The saying was `win or lose, on the booze; if we draw, we`ll have some more.` It was absolutely wild.”
“It didn`t matter how old you were, if someone like Steve Perryman said you were coming out, you were coming.”
“Keith [Burkinshaw] was a brilliant manager who trusted young players, and maybe things would have been different for me if he had stayed. But he had a major disagreement with the chairman, Irving Scholar, and was leaving at the season`s end.”
“I didn`t really enjoy working under David Pleat or Terry Venables afterwards. It wasn`t their fault – it was entirely my own doing. Venables eventually let me go. It`s only when you leave a club like Tottenham that you truly grasp, `Wow – what have I done?`”
“People call me a legend, but I don`t see myself that way. For me, the goalkeeping legends of this club are Pat Jennings and Ray Clemence. They are my heroes, my true Tottenham legends.”
Looking back at the final night, he said: “It was a magical night, truly brilliant. When we were given the trophy, a UEFA official handed me a replica. I thought it was the Man of the Match award and put it in my bag in the dressing room.”
“But Irving Scholar came in, sitting in a wheelchair because he`d broken his leg. Nobody really wanted him there as he was letting our manager go. But he demanded to know where the trophy was and took it out of my bag – that was the actual replica the club would keep!”
“We celebrated for hours and even stood on the roof near the car park. There were still thousands of fans waiting for us below. I will never forget that moment.”
