Tottenham defender Ben Davies appeared on "The Tottenham Way," a podcast produced in collaboration between Tottenham's official media team and Sports Illustrated. In the episode, he discussed his career at Tottenham and the Europa Conference League title win, his friendships with Son and Kane, Kane's Ballon d'Or prospects, his Wales international career, and family life. This is part two of the exclusive interview.

Other parts of the interview

Ben Davies: Kane scored 72 goals this season, I can't believe there's still debate about who should win the Ballon d'Or

Next, let's look at this photo of Wales. A genuine smile immediately appeared on his face, and I really liked that. The moment he picked it up, he was smiling.

Playing for Wales has always been a huge honor. I really enjoy it, and I've been fortunate to have had this opportunity throughout my career, and I hope it continues. It's brilliant. We have a wonderful group of people.

You've had a very talented generation of players, haven't you?

A very talented generation. To be honest, everyone knows we're a small nation. To reach this level, we've probably always achieved results beyond what we might have expected, and we've really had a lot of success. It's not easy facing teams like England, France, Germany, and Spain. They can pick multiple starting lineups. We don't have that luxury, but we always feel we're not far behind them. Perhaps the very top level is difficult for us, but we're right there in the tier below. We feel confident competing against many teams in Europe. So playing for Wales is always very, very special to me, and that makes me very proud.

In the next episode, we'll dive deeper into Wales and Tottenham. I want to talk about something I've observed. I was there during the tournament when you reached the semi-finals, which we'll also discuss later. Watching Wales play over many years, I've noticed that while many clubs frequently rotate their players and lineup, you seem to always have a core group of players. It looks like roughly six or seven individuals have started in almost every match for Wales over a long period. I imagine this consistency must have helped you build a very special bond both on and off the pitch.

It's helped a lot. I think you've hit on the key point. Even now, when we gather the national team, it's essentially the same 20 players showing up each time. In that situation, you naturally build those relationships and develop strong bonds with each other.

Some teammates have played with me since we were 14 or 15 because we've come through all the youth levels together. As I said, we don't have many talented players to choose from. So sometimes it feels like playing with schoolmates, and it's also like playing with friends from your club. We always feel that in the professional football world, this is perhaps the closest experience to "playing with friends."

That's wonderful, isn't it? That's great. I really like that.

Yes, and everyone wants to perform well, so they push and encourage each other. It's a very positive place.

I like that. A few more photos.

Alright, let's look at this photo from Bilbao.

Wow. We were both there. What a fantastic night. Both of us.

It was an incredible night. Even looking at this photo now, I still think about all the effort and hard work we put in over the years. I also feel like I've been part of this team for a very long time.

To be honest, it was a massive relief. We finally lifted the burden that had been weighing on us, and at last we won a trophy. Before that, we'd been disappointed so many times, reached semi-finals and finals, but we couldn't get over that final hurdle. So finally achieving it was really special. It was a special night for the club. It felt like a fitting end to the journey, if you know what I mean.

This trophy must mean even more to you than to most other players because you've been here the longest. I found it interesting that you used the word "relief." Because I was in the stands, and I saw grown men crying. When you see what it means to multiple generations, you realize that moment was truly special.

Yes. I've been here a long time, bonded with a lot of people, and become very close with many Tottenham supporters. I know what this trophy means to them. I feel like I've truly experienced all of that. I'm now part of this club. It's become deeply ingrained in my life. So I feel exactly the same way.

It was an emotional night. But as I said, when you've put in so much effort over such a long time, that feeling comes at the end: Phew... you're exhausted, but finally it's all done.

You know? For us fans, the feeling is similar. Finally we also felt relieved. To be honest, I think I barely breathed in the final 10 minutes of that match. The added time felt like the longest ever, didn't it?

It was brutal.

Yes, brutal. Felt as long as this episode.

Someone told me it wasn't a classic match. But when you're in the middle of a battle, you don't feel that way. And it doesn't matter anyway, does it?

Who cares?

Exactly. It doesn't matter. The result is what counts.

But as you say, it was a collective sigh of relief for all the fans. "A sigh of relief" is a perfectly chosen phrase. When the final whistle blew, we needed to find footage of you. What was the first thing you did?

I don't know. I think I just stood there for a moment to take it all in and then realized, "Wow, it's really finally happened." Before that, we'd been disappointed so many times that it felt like it would never happen. But now, finally it has, and I'm very happy.

By the way, I think it's wonderful that you and Son were able to experience that moment together. Two veteran players who've served the club for so many years, lifting that trophy together.

Yes. I think that's something we've talked about for a long time. Basically, as we've just said, it's what we've always wanted to achieve. We just wanted to get it done. Now, whenever we look back, we can recall that moment, and that's really special.

The celebrations afterward must have been a wonderful night, right?

It was a fantastic night.

I was about to ask, did you do karaoke?

Yes.

What did you sing?

Brendan and I sang "Wisemen" by James Blunt.

Oh, really? That's a great song. Would you sing a bit of it for us?

Absolutely not.

Is there any video we can watch?

I really hope not.

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