Stevens was a key member of the last Spurs’ side to win a continental trophy when he played all 120 minutes and converted a spot kick as the Londoners beat Anderlecht on penalties after extra-time in the 1984 UEFA Cup final.

“It’s a big ask for any player to hit the ground running when coming back from injury. But Harry Kane is not your average player, and is very strong mentally, too,” Stevens said.

“With it being the UCL final, the occasion will override and mask any remaining discomfort, pain or doubt that his ankle injury might be problematic. Harry makes an impact more often than not. I expect him to do so, if he starts or comes on during the game.”

Kane has not played since April 9 when he suffered ligament damage to his left ankle against Manchester City in the UCL quarterfinals. In his absence, Lucas Moura, Song Heung-min and Fernando Llorente have led the line, with mixed results.

The Bangkok-based Stevens looks back fondly on his European glory 35 years ago when Spurs squeaked past Belgian giant Anderlecht over two legs. After a 1-1 draw away, Graham Roberts sent the second leg into extra-time with his 84th minute equalizer for a 2-2 aggregate score.

After 30 minutes of extra time, Tottenham won the penalty shoot-out 4-3, with Stevens slotting home the third spot kick. Tony Parks was the Spurs’ keeper who saved two of the Anderlecht attempts, with England international Ray Clemence on the bench, alongside Argentine midfielder Ossie Ardiles.

Given the white-knuckle ride of the 2019 semifinals, Stevens agrees that it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the final will go down to another test of will from 12 yards.

“Since our 1984 final, the laws have been amended for penalties. The keeper has to stay on his line, until the penalty is struck, although most don’t. However, he can legally move along his goal-line prior,” 57-year-old Stevens said.

“In 1984, the keeper was not allowed to move left or right until the ball was struck. The job of the keeper back then was more difficult because of the additional restrictions on him.

“But, in my opinion, missing a penalty is invariably down to poor execution by the player taking it, as opposed to the skill of the keeper.”

Comparing the two eras of soccer is “like chalk and cheese”, according to Stevens. But he agrees that both the 1984 and 2019 Spurs’ sides adopted an attractive style.

And his team narrowly averted an all-English final, with Anderlecht having beaten Nottingham Forest in the 1984 UEFA Cup semifinals.

Three-and-half decades ago, Spurs had limited knowledge about their continental opponents. But there will be few secrets when Mauricio Pochettino’s men line up against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds.

“Spurs and Liverpool know each other inside out,” Stevens said. “Personally, I like European finals to be between sides from different nations, so I was pleased that 1984 was not against Forest, nothing against them, of course.

“It’s absolutely not easier that Spurs will face Liverpool, instead of Barcelona. The two semifinalists were excellent sides, huge challengers for the 2019 UCL title, so now the biggest test of all for Spurs is the final against Liverpool.”

Since he moved to Thailand five years ago to coach Thai club Army FC, Stevens has observed an increase in Tottenham’s popularity across Southeast Asia. Working as a Premier League TV pundit for Astro in Malaysia, he’s set up his own website, garystevens.co, and Twitter account @GaryStevensUK to share his views on topical soccer matters.

Stevens earned seven caps for England, including two appearances at the 1986 World Cup. The tournament in Mexico saw Diego Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal power Argentina to a 2-1 quarterfinal victory over the English before winning its second title.

For the 2019 UCL final in Madrid, Stevens will be home in England. He’s planning to join 62,000 fans at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium who’ll be watching the final on four enormous screens.

In addition to his Tottenham days, Stevens played more than 200 matches in all competitions for Brighton & Hove Albion and Portsmouth as a defender or midfielder. But it was his 147 league games in North London that defined his career, and he’s unashamedly pro-Spurs.

“The buzz will be amazing,” Stevens said. “I had seven good seasons at Spurs so they are important to me as a club.

“We became the best team of the UEFA Cup in 1984 and today’s team needs to prove the same thing in the UCL by winning the final.”

— Jason Dasey is CEO of Singapore-based Cockatoo Media and the emcee of corporate events in Jakarta.

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