Why Manchester United won’t take part in 98-year tradition at Europa League final stadium tonight but Tottenham will

Tottenham will emulate Manchester United’s Busby Babes in honouring a 98-year tradition in Bilbao tonight.

Spurs will battle the Red Devils for Europa League glory, live on talkSPORT, with the historic San Mames Stadium hosting the final.

Spurs and Man United will meet in the Europa League final at Bilbao’s stadiumCredit: GettyThe Lilywhites will make their first trip to the home of Spanish side Athletic Bilbao, who were eliminated by Ruben Amorim’s men in the semi-finals.

As such, Ange Postecoglou’s side will become the latest club to honour a touching tradition for every new team to San Mames.

For nearly a century, first-time visitors leave flowers in homage to Athletic icon Rafael Moreno Aranzadi, better known as Pichichi.

The forward, who La Liga’s top goalscorer award is named after and has been won by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, passed away aged 29 in 1922.

read more on the europa leagueFour years later, local sculptor Quintin de Torre Berastegui was commissioned to make a bust of Pichichi for Bilbao’s stadium.

On January 1, 1927, Hungarian side MTK Budapest became the first to make the now iconic floral offering, as these archive images show.

All captains of newcomers to San Mame – or ‘La Catedral’ as Athletic’s home is known – have made the same gesture of respect since.

This includes former Man United skipper Roger Byrne, who wore the armband under Matt Busby for a 5-3 defeat away to Athletic Club in the 1957 European Cup quarter-final.

“Excellent football, excellent game and excellent supporters,” Red Devils icon Busby said post-match.

After the new San Mames opened in 2013, the Pichichi statue was placed at the entrance to the players’ tunnel.

The ritual has been carried out over 200 timesCredit: GettyThe bust was originally put in place in the north stand before moving to the main stand before the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain.

The Red Devils, who had returned to the old site a year earlier, made their debut in the remodelled venue earlier this month.

Bruno Fernandes scored twice after Casemiro headed in the opener as Amorim’s United ran out 3-0 winners en route to a 7-1 aggregate Europa League semi-final triumph.

Tottenham have never played Athletic Bilbao at their home, with their only meeting coming in a 2011 friendly at White Hart Lane.

The 98-year-old tradition has been honoured by all teams visiting the stadium for the first timeCredit: Getty

Man United played at the 53,000 capacity arena earlier this monthSpurs captain Heung-min Son will be the club’s representative tasked with laying the flowers in front of Pichichi’s statue this evening.

He will follow in the footsteps of numerous football icons, with Real Madrid legend Raul doing so as Schalke skipper in 2012.

“This will be a very special moment for me,” Raul told UEFA’s website ahead of his side’s Europa League visit to San Mames.

“It has been an honour to play at this stadium, where I’ve always enjoyed the intense atmosphere.”

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Europa League Final 2024/2025

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