Kanouté earns his spurs at Sevilla

Frédéric Kanouté believes Sevilla FC s UEFA Cup success vindicated his difficult decision to join the club from Tottenham Hotspur FC last August. A half-time substitute, the Mali striker capped a fine 4-0 victory against Middlesbrough FC with his sixth goal of the campaign as the Andalusian outfit claimed a maiden European triumph. Difficult decision Kanouté was preparing for what looked like being a pivotal campaign at White Hart Lane last August. Manager Martin Jol had brought in a number of promising new faces for what would be his first full season at the helm and, having registered 21 goals over the previous two campaigns, the French-born forward looked destined to be a part of a new direction for the north London team. But when Sevilla came knocking on the eve of start of the season he could not refuse. Little choice A €6.5m switch resulted, with a jaw-dropping €25m buy-out fee inserted into his four-year contract, as he was given the task of stepping into the sizeable void left by the departure of Julio Baptista to Real Madrid CF. "I had never won a big trophy before and felt I had to leave England to achieve success," Kanouté told uefa.com after completing the scoring in a comprehensive UEFA Cup final victory. Better side won The 28-year-old has been hampered by a foot injury over the past three weeks, meaning he was considered fit enough only to start from the substitutes bench in Eindhoven. "I was disappointed not to be in the starting lineup, but I understand the coach s decision," said Kanouté, who was in no doubt that the 23rd name to be engraved on the trophy was the correct one on the night. "The better side won. It was a very difficult game, but we deserved the victory." Key to success The manner of the triumph appeared to surprise the Spanish side s captain Javi Navarro, however, despite his pleas for "cool heads and hot hearts" in the build-up to the game. "To be honest, I was surprised how focused we stayed following the first goal," said the 32-year-old, who relished lifting the first trophy of his career. "We kept true to our game until full time and it s this that has been the key to our success throughout the season." Should they keep the faith for two more league matches, they could yet crown a memorable campaign by securing a UEFA Champions League berth.