Sir Alex Ferguson spotted making classy gesture ahead of Europa League final - 13 years after his Man United side were outclassed by Athletic Bilbao at San Mames

Daily Mail​

21-05-2025

Ahead of the Europa League final, Sir Alex Ferguson made time for the San Mames museum and left a couple of priceless mementos before his former side Manchester United take on Tottenham.
The legendary former Red Devils boss signed the match ball used when his side took on Athletic Bilbao in 2012.
United were stunned by Marcelo Bielsa 's side at Old Trafford, losing 3-2, before suffering defeat in the Basque country a week later.
In addition to the signed match ball, Ferguson also left the pennant from the last-16 second leg clash, when goals from Fernando Llorente and Oscar de Marcos condemned the Premier League outfit to an early European exit.
Bilbao highlighted the classy gesture in a social media post on Wednesday that showed the 83-year-old all smiles in the museum at San Mames.
The Scot's mood could be markedly different in a matter of hours after the Red Devils' all-English Europa League final against Spurs is complete.
Ferguson's United were thoroughly outclassed by Bilbao in the last-16 of the Europa League in 2012
Around 80,000 supporters have flown out to Spain for the game, despite the San Mames having a capacity of 52,114.
Both sets of clubs were allocated 15,000 tickets for the final, with thousands of ticketless fans still opting to descend on the city.
United come into the tie as favourites, though neither themselves of the north Londoners can take much confidence from their domestic campaigns.
Spurs and United sit 17th and 16th in the top flight respectively, with victory in Wednesday's final the only chance for either side to qualify for Europe next season.