Tottenham captain Micky Van de Ven recently participated in ESPN's latest "20 Questions" interview series. In the first part of the interview, Van de Ven discussed his childhood idol Carles Puyol, his crucial goal-line save in the Europa League final, which former Tottenham player he'd most like to see return to the club, his contract extension with Tottenham, and his hopes for the team's future.

Interviewer: Hello everyone, I'm your old friend Ralph, and I'm back. And of course, I've brought a brand new installment of "20 Questions." This time, sitting next to me is Micky Van de Ven himself. How are you doing, my friend?

Van de Ven: I'm doing well, my friend. How about you?

Interviewer: Everything's good, my friend. It's great to see you. You're looking sharp today, best dressed in the room. I walk in and see your outfit, and I think, "Damn, I'm always getting outshined—I need to step up my style game."

Van de Ven: No way. You look good in that, don't you?

Interviewer: Dressing casual is too simple, my friend. It's just...

Van de Ven: Sometimes simple is good, my friend. You don't need to overthink it.

Interviewer: Good point, good point. Enough with the small talk—let's get straight to it. I've got 20 questions for you. Are you ready?

Van de Ven: I'm ready.

Interviewer: Great. First question: Who was your favorite player growing up? Who was your idol?

Van de Ven: Growing up, my answer has always been Carles Puyol.

Interviewer: Have you ever had the chance to meet him in person? Have you met him before?

Van de Ven: No, I've never met him, not even once.

Interviewer: If you met him, do you think you'd immediately become a fanboy?

Van de Ven: Maybe a little bit.

Interviewer: Just a little bit though, right?

Van de Ven: Yes, maybe just a little bit.

Interviewer: Second question: How memorable was your goal-line save in the Europa League final? What are your memories of that moment?

Van de Ven: It was truly an incredibly important moment. Mainly because so many people have come up to me and kept reminding me about that goal-line save.

Interviewer: It must have felt like scoring a goal, really—it was worth a goal, wasn't it?

Van de Ven: Yes, I think in terms of importance, it was quite similar. But the situation at the time was that when I made the goal-line save, I was still on the pitch, and the match was still going on, so in that moment, you don't even have time to realize what's happening...

Interviewer: Oh right, because you were injured at the time, weren't you?

Van de Ven: Yes, in that moment you don't feel anything. But looking back, it was truly a very important save.

Interviewer: Third question: Who is your closest friend in football? Will this question get you into trouble?

Van de Ven: No, no, no, I don't think so. Jerdy Schouten. He currently plays for Derby County.

Interviewer: Fourth question: Who in sports, past or present, would you most like to meet?

Van de Ven: Michael Jordan.

Interviewer: Really?

Van de Ven: Yes, I watched the documentary "The Last Dance" a while ago. Have you seen it?

Interviewer: That's an ESPN documentary, by the way—thanks for the shout-out.

Van de Ven: No problem, my friend. After watching that documentary, I just felt that this man was truly unique.

Interviewer: Fifth question: Describe Roberto De Zerbi in one word.

Van de Ven: Elite.

Interviewer: Elite. I agree with that answer. Sixth question: What's your favorite Call of Duty map?

Van de Ven: Well, I only play Verdansk and Warzone Rebirth. I play Rebirth a lot.

Interviewer: Really?

Van de Ven: Yes.

Interviewer: I'm terrible at Call of Duty—I've never been good at it. It's a game for real hardcore gamers.

Van de Ven: That's right, that's right.

Interviewer: What kind of player are you?

Van de Ven: I like to push forward and engage in combat.

Interviewer: You like to push forward?

Van de Ven: Camping on rooftops is too boring, you know what I mean?

Interviewer: Seventh question: Which teammate of yours do you think is most likely to camp?

Van de Ven: Let me think. On the national team, I'd pick Jerdy Schouten. He never moves—he just camps in one spot the entire match. At Tottenham, everyone is pretty aggressive.

Interviewer: All-out attack?

Van de Ven: Yes, I often play with Maddison, and he's also the type who likes to push forward and engage.

Interviewer: Eighth question: Who's the most famous person in your contacts?

Van de Ven: I'd say that has to be Virgil van Dijk.

Interviewer: Ninth question: If you could bring back one former Tottenham player from any era, who would you choose?

Van de Ven: I'd bring Kane back.

Interviewer: Harry, right? Absolutely dangerous—he's definitely a formidable player. The crazy thing is...

Van de Ven: Yes, guaranteed 30+ goals every year.

Interviewer: Very strong. No doubt about it. But I'm an Arsenal fan.

Van de Ven: (laughs)

Interviewer: Last week I asked him which goal from his career with the club was his favorite. I asked him to pick three, but he didn't mention this one amazing strike from an impossible angle. I remember it was at White Hart Lane against Arsenal, and he was wearing a protective mask. A rocket of a shot flew straight into the top corner, and when I brought it up, he said, "Oh, I guess that did happen." I thought that goal absolutely ruined my day, and it still haunts me to this day, and he didn't even care.

Tenth question: You recently renewed your contract with Tottenham and captioned your social media post "To be continued." What are your expectations for this new chapter? Did the club have to convince you much to stay?

Van de Ven: Clearly, I've always loved Tottenham. So when I saw the club's competitive ambitions, the manager's leadership, and the long-term plan to sign new players and everything they're trying to build, it was a natural decision and very easy for me to convince myself to stay at Tottenham long-term. I hope we can achieve great results. We won the Europa League, and clearly we're very eager to win more trophies. But I can't say too much at this point because there have been some disappointing moments in the competition over the past two seasons. So we need to stay calm, give our all this season, and build on that steadily.

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