It will be an accolade that West Ham United will be grateful of which to get rid. History will be made in Bilbao on Wednesday evening and the, rather ignominious, honour will pass to either Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United.
Whoever wins the Europa League will become the lowest placed team from any nation ever to win a European trophy. West Ham were 14th in the Premier League when they claimed the Conference League in 2023 but, with United 16th and Spurs 17th, a new sort of ‘low’ will be reached in the Basque Country.
Of course, that overlooks the point that the winner — despite the depths they will have plumbed domestically — will have salvaged something from this season: a trophy and a bite-your-hand-off route into the Champions League.
Being one of the ‘worst’ winners of European silverware will not be a concern for United, who need the finances of Europe’s elite competition to press ahead with the rebuild under Ruben Amorim.
And neither will it be for Bruno Fernandes, who would lift his second trophy as United captain — having led the team to FA Cup success last term — and just the third of his five-and-a-half-year spell at the club.
“I’m not here thinking I [could be] one of the captains lifting a European trophy,” said Fernandes, who would become only the fifth United captain to lift such a piece of silverware.
“*Obviously, it’s a very good feeling and I’m very proud of it but, at the same time, for me, the main thing is that our team gets to bring the trophy back to Manchester.*”
The 30-year-old has played as big a part as any of his team-mates in getting United, unbeaten, into the final.
Getty: Alex Livesey-Danehouse
Getty: Alex Livesey-Danehouse
**Harry Maguire**’s dramatic extra-time winner in the quarter-final second leg against Lyon might have been the standout moment of this journey to northern Spain, but Fernandes has been the consistent presence guiding them through.
The midfielder has started each of United’s 13 matches in this competition, scored seven goals and created a further four. Such statistics even usurp his relatively impressive figures of eight goals and nine assists in 35 league appearances.
United may have had a lot to be concerned about during a campaign in which Amorim and his predecessor, Erik ten Hag, have struggled to make the team a consistent outfit capable of being strong at the back and enterprising up front. Yet, Fernandes’s level of performances have been one positive.
Team-mates have often looked to him for inspiration. Only **Mohamed Salah**has had more goal involvements in the Premier League this season than Fernandes’s 36 (19 goals and 17 assists) and he is probably the only United player who would stand a chance of getting into any side in the division.
Across his United tenure, no midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues has had more goal involvements than Fernandes’s 112; **Manchester City**’s Kevin De Bruyne is second with 100.
Fernandes conjures decisive moments
It is not just the numbers that stand Fernandes apart, but also the quality that he is capable of bringing. One only has to look at the last final Fernandes played to see that clearly evidenced.
Last season’s FA Cup final was won by a Kobbie Mainoo goal that came as a result of a beautifully deft and clever assist from his captain. Such moments of magic are lapped up by United supporters who have had to face too much dismal fare from their team recently.
United fans also know they can rely on Fernandes. Despite the club’s struggles, he has always been determined to play and make a difference. Some would say that, at times, he tries too much and his histrionics can become a hindrance.
But his willingness to fight, availability for every match, and readiness to front up and face difficult questions from the media are key traits that have endeared him to every manager that has come through the doors at Old Trafford.
Fernandes has made the most appearances (288) of any outfield player across Europe’s top five leagues since his £47 million move from Sporting Club in February 2020. His 63rd game of the season will come in Bilbao.
Two finals with United won, two of them lost — including the 2021 Europa League final on penalties to Villarreal — Fernandes’s fifth is seismic in how his club move forward.
Getty: MB Media
Getty: MB Media
“Obviously, we talk about the Europa League and the Europa League is everything in our minds,” Fernandes said. “We play the final tomorrow and we can be successful in this competition.
“I know the Premier League has not been as good as we want. And all the other cups the same because our aim is always to get to the end of the competitions and win the trophies.
“The manager has been very clear on that; we want to be on the top of everything. We want to be fighting for everything. It’s not always possible to be in the final and winning trophies but our aim, the goal is always to be at the end of competitions, fighting for the possibility of winning trophies.
*“That is what we want. Tomorrow is a big chance, where our aims at the start of the season was being in Bilbao for the final. We have to focus, we have a big game, a big goal and the opportunity to get silverware.*”