Rory McIlroy poses with Man United legends and rival fans in Bilbao ahead of Europa League final
Rory McIlroy has arrived in Bilbao ahead of tonight's Europa League final where he will cheer on his beloved Manchester United as they face Tottenham.
The 35-year-old lifelong United fan made a quick pitstop in Northern Ireland on Wednesday morning as his Gulfstream G650ER private jet was spotted at George Best Belfast City Airport at around 6.41 am before departing again at 7.26 am.
It wasn't long before the World Number 2 was spotted by fans as he checked into his hotel in Bilbao ahead of the all-England clash at the home of Athletic Bilbao, the Estadio de San Mamés
READ MORE: Rory McIlroy's private jet makes Belfast pitstop on route to Europa League Final destination
READ MORE: Inside Rory McIlroy's new £38M private jet he used for Masters scouting mission
Tottenham fan and season ticket holder Ricky Rix shared a picture on X, formerly Twitter, after bumping into the Grand Slam Champion in their hotel.
He tweeted: "Good start to the morning in Bilbao. staying in the same hotel as @McIlroyRory."
Good start to the morning in Bilbao staying in the same hotel as @McIlroyRory pic.twitter.com/4SrBDQcXFO
— Ricky Rix (@rickygeorgerix) May 21, 2025
And it wasn't just regular fans he was meeting and greeting after arriving in Spain, a smiling McIlroy was later pictured chatting to Man United legends RIo Ferdinand and Paul Scholes.
Sharing a post on his X profile, footballer turned pundit Ferdinand tweeted pictures of himself alongside McIlroy, Paul Scholes and McIlroy's friend and caddie Harry Diamond.
YANITED @McIlroyRory pic.twitter.com/f27WxLamSV
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) May 21, 2025
Following McIlroy's Grand Slam victory, Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim sent the invitation to McIlroy via video message inviting him personally to visit Old Trafford with the green jacket.
McIlroy cut a relaxed figure having just arrived in the city days after his disappointing weekend performance at the US PGA Championship.
The five-time Major winner struggled to make the cut on Friday and never got into contention over the weekend with consecutive rounds of 72 leaving him finishing the tournament at three over-par, some 15 shots behind Scheffler and tied 47th.
On Friday, it emerged that the Holywood man was forced to switch driver after his first-choice driver was found to be non-conforming after tests conducted by the US Golf Association.
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