Across every previous edition of this competition, even in its previous guise as the UEFA Cup, just one finalist has sat below 15th place in a 20 team domestic league at the time of the final. This year, there are two.
Over the last 40 years, there have been five finalists sat 13th or lower in their leagues, with one of those - Inter Milan in the 1994 final - 13th of 18.
Bordeaux remain the lowest-placed finalists in history, finishing 16th in Ligue 1 while reaching the 1996 final. They were soundly beaten on that occasion, losing 5-1 to Bayern Munich when the final was still played over two legs.
This has led to the 2025 final being dubbed shambolic, with one source telling [The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/man-united-tottenham-europa-league-final-b2753824.html) the competition has been weakened with the change to the new league phase.
Spurs sit 17th after their Friday night defeat (Getty Images)