sport news PETE JENSON: Sevilla's special relationship with the Europa League is remarkable trends now
There is a simple reason why Sevilla have won more Europa Leagues than any other club – they take the competition more seriously than ever other club. Or as the huge banner unfurled in their semi-final second leg against Juventus read: ‘No one wants it more.’
There are similar levels of obsession at Real Madrid over the Champions League. Domestic seasons get forgotten, even if rivals Barcelona are miles clear in the league table, just so long as the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Champions League are brought home.
At the turn of the century Real Madrid had won the Champions League seven times – they have now doubled that tally. Barcelona had won the competition just once – now it’s four. And Sevilla had never won a European trophy. Now they have seven in the cabinet.
Sporting Director Monchi once told Mail Sport in an interview: ‘Nobody ever had an end of season parade because of positive financial results.’ You can’t hold your balance sheet aloft on the open top bus, fans want silverware – they want memories.
Two months ago the club were mired in a relegation battle, just two points from the drop zone. Their season had ‘too good to go down, but down they went’ written all over it.
Sevilla won the Europa League for a record seventh time after beating Roma on penalties
Their obsession with the competition is similar to Real Madrid's with the Champions League
Sevilla boss Jose Luis Mendilibar deserves enormous credit for taking them from a relegation battle to the Champions League in just two months
The sane thing would have been to bin the European dream and concentrate on staying up. Relegation from the first division in Spain can be a death knell for a club. There aren’t the parachute payments that exist in England. Both Deportivo and Malaga have slid into the third tier while other big clubs have spent years trying to get back.
But Sevilla never blinked. Their focus never shifted. President Pepe Castro told Mail Sport this week: ‘Other clubs would have given up on the Europa League and concentrated on staying up. But not Sevilla. The Europa League has always been very important for us.’
And when asked if new coach Jose Luis Mendilibar needed to be briefed on that priority, he added: ‘We didn’t need to tell him. When you arrive at Sevilla and you go into the home dressing room you see all the Europa League trophies. Everyone tells the new coach as soon as he arrives what the tournament means to this club.’
In the same way when joining Real Madrid the first unofficial induction course you are sent on is the one where you learn what it means to conquer Europe. Real Madrid were founding fathers of the European Cup and won it the first five times it was held. It’s little wonder they feel that other sides are merely ‘borrowing’ it when they win it instead of Real Madrid.
There is no great footballing link between all the successes.
