Manchester United emerged from the final in Stockholm with a 2-0 victory over Ajax, with Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan getting the goals to see United win their first Europa League crown and clinch a spot in next year’s Champions League.
Mourinho makes history at United
The big midfielder won 15 aerial balls in the contest – a record for not only for a Europa League final, but for the entire competition since it transitioned from the UEFA Cup in the 2009-10 season.
The 29-year-old Belgian international, who joined the club from Everton during the 2013-14 campaign, played in 11 Europa League games for United this season, starting seven and scoring a goal.
It was a night for records, as Wayne Rooney equalled Ryan Giggs’ Manchester United mark of appearing in four major European finals.
Ajax also set a record of their own as the Dutch side fielded a team that had an average age of 22 years and 282 days – the youngest group ever to start a major European final, with Matthijs de Ligt becoming the youngest player to ever feature in a European final at 17 years and 285 days.
