Harry Kane scored the game-winning goal at Brighton and paid tribute to Gian Piero Ventrone who passed away last week.
The Spurs fitness instructor passed away on Thursday at the age of 61 following a brief battle with acute leukemia, and the Tottenham talisman was visibly moved as he spoke about him.
Before the start of the game, there was a minute of silence, and Spurs warmed up wearing shirts that read, “Always in our hearts, Gian Piero.” sported dark armbands during the contest.
After being grieved by Ventrone’s passing, Spurs players and manager Antonio Conte were obviously moved during the moment of silence.
After scoring with a superb header at the Amex to give Spurs a 1-0 victory, Kane then pointed upward.
Kane paid respect to Ventrone after the game, his voice trembling as he spoke.
As he talked about a “tough week” for the club, he also cast a glance at the ground.
What did Harry Kane Say?
“It’s been a difficult week, to say the least, and it was nice to get a win today,” Kane told Sky Sports as he inhaled deeply.
Kane said when asked if his goal was intended for Ventrone: “Sure, that’s true. Obviously, Sonny [Son Heung-min] just blasted one in with a lot of speed, so it was a bit of a scrappy goal.
“And yeah when you’re feeling good it just kind of comes off you and goes in and that was the case.
“Really proud of the boys today, it’s been a tough week and to come here away from home, a really difficult place to come.
“[We] didn’t play as well as we know we can but we dug deep when we needed to, and a great clean sheet from the boys, and a really important win.”
After the game, Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris went over to the visiting Spurs supporters with a shirt featuring Ventrone’s name.
“There’s only one Gian Piero”, the away end chanted in response.
Reporters also asked Tottenham’s Ryan Sessesgnon whether the win over Brighton was for late coach Ventrone, the football star said: “Yeah 100 percent”.
Then he added: “We knew we had to perform today and obviously wanted to win because of him, and yeah thankfully we did that today.”
Since Ventrone’s playing days at Juventus in the 1990s, Conte had known the man he called “The Marine.”
Last year, he introduced Ventrone to Spurs, and the fitness expert instantly forged close bonds with the players.
Following Ventrone’s passing, a number of athletes paid tribute to him on social media. Among them was Kane, who wrote: “A man of true distinction. The loss of our coach Gian Piero breaks my heart. At this time, my love and strength are with his family.
“His words and wisdom will live on with me for the rest of my life and I’m just grateful I had the opportunity to spend time with him. Rest in peace Prof.”
While Son said: “The world has lost a truly special person. Gian Piero, you helped me get through the hardest times, and together we celebrated some incredible memories.”
Who is Coach Gian Piero Ventrone
Gian Piero Ventrone was an Italian athletic trainer who lived from 14 April 1960 until 6 October 2022.
Ventrone, who was born on April 14th, 1960 in Naples, earned the moniker “marine” due to his extremely demanding and draining workouts.
Many professional athletes were defeated by his rhythms and workloads. During a summer rehearsal in Seoul, pictures of Harry Kane collapsing and throwing up and Son Heung-min nearly passing out and lying in agony on the ground quickly went viral.
Beginning in 1994, Ventrone worked as an athletic trainer for Marcello Lippi’s Juventus from 2001 to 2004 and from 1999 to 1999.
After his time at Juventus was up, he worked alongside Lippi to help Italy prepare for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which they ultimately won. From September 2009 to January 2010, he remained with Atalanta.
On the evening of October 4, 2022, Ventrone was transported to the Fratebenefratelli hospital in Naples and put into a coma for artificial ventilation.
He discovered he had acute myeloid leukemia a few days ago. On October 6 at 6:45, he passed away from a brain hemorrhage.
He was 62 years old, despite some English publications claiming he was 61. His funeral took place three days after his demise. On the day of his passing, Conte did not attend a press conference prior to the match against Brighton out of respect for the late coach.
