Mykhailo Mudryk arrives for Conference League final – to surprise of Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca admitted he did not know that Mykhailo Mudryk, the banned Chelsea winger, had travelled to Wroclaw for the club's Europa Conference League final against Real Betis.
Mudryk spent time with Chelsea supporters in the Polish city on Tuesday and posed for pictures in a steak restaurant, having travelled separately from Maresca's team.
Mudryk singing his chant with some fans in Poland! 🤣💙#CFC pic.twitter.com/B3qMI9ytea
— ChelseaReport (@chelsreport_) May 27, 2025
Mudryk has hardly been seen in public since December, when he was provisionally suspended by the Football Association after testing positive for a banned substance. He denies knowingly breaking any rules.
The 24-year-old last played for Chelsea in November, in their 2-0 Conference League victory at Heidenheim, and is believed to be eligible to receive a medal after the match against Betis.
It remains unclear whether Mudryk, who cost an initial £62 million when he joined the club from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023, will be allowed onto the pitch and the podium.
The circumstances of Mudryk's appearance in Poland are also unclear, with no clarity on whether Chelsea paid for his travel or if he is staying with the team at their hotel. The Ukraine international was wearing Chelsea training kit in the city centre.
Asked how pleased he was that Mudryk was able to watch the final and potentially receive a medal, Maresca was visibly confused and initially lost for words. 'To be honest, I just… I don't know,' he said. 'He is here, or he is coming? He is here? I'm happy for Misha to be here.'
Meanwhile, Maresca said one of his biggest challenges this season has been to convince his players of the importance of the Conference League.
Chelsea have been strong favourites since the start of Europe's third-tier competition, but Maresca has never allowed them to become complacent as they look to become the first team to win all of Uefa's major tournaments – and to secure the club's first trophy of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital era.
'Probably the most complicated thing this season about the Conference League has been to convince the players that for us it was the best competition in the world,' Maresca said. 'And the reason why was because it was the competition that we were in. So every game has been difficult, especially because I needed to convince the players that we were not able to drop anything, because you can lose points against any team.
'For us it was the most important competition and we need to try to win it. If we are able to win, I think it's a good thing, especially because we continue to build the winning mentality.'
Real Betis (4-2-3-1) Adrian; Sabaly, Bartra, Natan, Rodríguez; Cardoso, Fornals; Antony, Isco, Ezzalzouli; Bakambu.Chelsea (4-2-3-1) Jorgensen; Gusto, Tosin, Colwill, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Madueke; Jackson.Referee Irfan Peljto (Bosnia-Herzegovina).
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