A little-known Aston Villa player is about to make football history after their Europa League final win!
A player many have forgotten still has a chance to make amazing football history after Aston Villa’s 3-0 win over Freiburg in the Europa League final. Villa took a 2-0 lead by halftime in Istanbul, with beautiful goals from Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia. Then, Morgan Rogers added a third goal in the 57th minute to seal the victory for Unai Emery’s team.
Villa was in control for most of the game against their German opponents, winning their first big trophy since 1996. Emery also matched a record by becoming the most successful manager in Europa League history, winning it five times. But this win might be extra special for one player who wasn’t even at the match.
That player is Evann Guessand, an Ivory Coast forward. Guessand was one of only two main signings Villa made last summer when he joined from Reims for £30.5 million. However, he was loaned out to Crystal Palace in January and has been playing at Selhurst Park since then. Guessand has made five appearances for Palace, helping them reach the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano next Wednesday.
The 24-year-old also played seven games for Villa in the Europa League group stage and scored two goals. This means he qualifies for winners’ medals in both the Europa League and Conference League this season. No one in European football has ever won two continental trophies in the same year!
Guessand had a knee injury during the Conference League quarter-final against Fiorentina in March but returned as a late substitute in Palace’s 2-2 draw with Brentford on Sunday. It’s expected that he will sign permanently with Palace this summer, as they look for a new manager after Oliver Glasner’s departure.