Mauricio Pochettino Says Tottenham's 'Dream Came True' After New Stadium Opens

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has said the club's "dream came true" after their new stadium opened on Sunday.

Pochettino was a special guest as Tottenham under-18s defeated Southampton 3-1 on Sunday when his son, Maurizio, was a late substitute. The first-team manager spoke to supporters at half-time and illustrated his emotions approaching the end of what's been a difficult development, via Spurs' official Twitter account:

The Argentinian said:

"My feeling is unbelievable. It's so difficult to explain with only a few words. We all feel the same, so excited. I think I got the same feeling when we left the last day White Hart Lane.

"We were crying, now the first day here at the new stadium we feel the same emotion. We are going to cry. Our dream became true.

"We need to say thank you to first [chairman] Daniel Levy. In 2001 when he first realised that dream, it made it possible to be here today. He deserves a round of applause."

The ground—temporarily known as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium—was forecasted to open closer to the beginning of the 2018-19 season but is now on the verge of its official opening after numerous delays. The total cost of the project has also risen above £1 billion, per the Evening Standard's George Flood.

Pochettino continued and said a lot of people had worked to make "the dream a reality," adding that he was thankful for the fans' patience and said the ground would have "a huge impact for the club."

A little less than 29,000 were in attendance for Sunday's under-18 fixture, where J'Neil Bennett scored the first goal at the new stadium:

Sometimes referred to as New White Hart Lane, the north London location is an impressive feat of architecture, per Goal:

Tottenham's victory took them up to second in the under-18 Premier League table and within one point of leaders Arsenal. However, they hold a game in hand and could climb to the top if they beat Fulham on Saturday.

That fixture served as the first test event for the club's new stadium, and a clash between Tottenham Legends and Inter Milan Legends next Sunday will be the second.

Pochettino's remarks added a joyful touch to what's been a long and at times difficult journey for Spurs, via the Guardian:

Tottenham have played their home games at Wembley Stadium this season and lost four times there in the Premier League. Each of the other teams in the top six have lost at most one home match apiece—Liverpool are yet to lose at home in the league this term.

The north Londoners will meet Manchester City in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League, and Pochettino will hope the excitement of their stadium completion can spur them to victory over two legs.