In exclusive excerpts from his autobiography, Hugo Lloris reflects on a poignant moment that made him realize Tottenham Hotspur's acceptance of mediocrity, triggered by a well-intentioned gift from club chairman Daniel Levy before the 2019 Champions League final. Just months after competing in the World Cup final, I found myself facing Liverpool in the Champions League final. This achievement placed me among a rare group of players who have participated in a Euros final, a World Cup final, and a Champions League final in consecutive years. The day before the match in Madrid, I bumped into Dejan Lovren, a defender for Liverpool and a former teammate at Lyon. He jokingly said, “Hey, Hugo, you’ve got the World Cup; you can let me have the Champions League!” Unfortunately, I couldn’t grant him that wish. The match slipped away from us almost immediately. A penalty was awarded by referee Damir Skomina just 24 seconds into the game when the ball hit Moussa Sissoko’s body and then his hand. This early decision effectively derailed our chances. It’s worth noting that a rule change implemented the following day would have meant that such a handball wouldn’t have resulted in a penalty. But on June 1, 2019, that decision sealed our fate before the match had truly begun.