Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has said his side's run to the Champions League final has been the "craziest ever" and there were several moments he thought Spurs were on the verge of exiting the competition.
Lucas Moura's last-minute winner in the semifinal second leg against Ajax had followed a stoppage-time goal by Manchester City which had been overturned by the video assistant referee in the return match of the quarterfinals. Mauricio Pochettino's team also faced the prospect of elimination from as early as the group stages after picking up just a point from their first three matches.
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A draw in the final game away to Barcelona proved enough to secure qualification and, speaking to ESPN FC, Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris had identified that result as the "main moment" for the club in the competition.
"How many games have we played to get here eventually, 12 games? In every single one of them, something crazy happened," Vertonghen said ahead of Saturday's final. "At the end of my career, I'll hopefully look at this and think this was the most beautiful and craziest year of them all.
"In the group stages, we got one point after three games. The Barca away game -- there are so many [moments] I can't tell them all but it's been crazy."
Spurs have also progressed to the final without their talisman Harry Kane, who is in line to make a return on Saturday after declaring himself fit earlier this week.
Kane missed the return against City as well as both legs against Ajax, with Moura, Son Heung-Min and Fernando Llorente delivering crucial goals in the striker's absence. Vertonghen was sidelined for most of the first half of the campaign, and has been passed fit for the final after being rested for the final day of the Premier League season.
"I think every player has been used in the Champions League and played his part," Vertonghen said. "It's been the craziest one ever and being at the end of that crazy campaign now is something unbelievable.
"We all played our parts and hopefully we can hold the trophy at the end of the game."
Vertonghen signed for Tottenham two years before Pochettino's arrival in 2014 and has seen the club transform into Premier League and Champions League contenders.
"The first two years I was here were Europa League nights," Vertonghen added. "But it's what we've been working on [under Pochettino].
"Maybe on the outside they did not expect a Champions League final, and I can understand that. But I think we've got an unbelievable group of players. There's so much quality."