Drink it in West Ham fans, you are the kings of Europe… of sorts.
That will be decided on Saturday when Manchester City take on Inter Milan, but forget about that right now – this is West Ham’s night.
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They won the Europa Conference League in dramatic fashion as Jarrod Bowen’s 90th-minute strike secured the club their first European trophy in 58 years and their first major title since 1980.
The ‘champions of Europe, we know what we are’ chants sung by those lucky enough to be in attendance at Prague’s Fortuna Arena were done with more than a bit of cheeky chappy cockney humour, but we’ll let them off this time around.
For a number of reasons, this big club that’s produced some greats of English football including Bobby Moore, Trevor Brooking and Billy Bonds has been starved of success in recent years.
But the latest great success story from ‘the academy of football’ in Declan Rice has ended the hurt of an entire generation of West Ham fans, who can now pass on these magic memories to their children and grandchildren.
There will be concerns among the Hammers faithful that their star man will be on his way out the door at the London Stadium this summer, and he had to field questions about his future amid all the ecstasy.
But before any transfer drama happens he’ll be joining West Ham in their open top bus parade on Thursday evening, which will go through the streets of east London from 7pm.
Meanwhile, former player and now club sporting director Mark Noble, who could be seen holding back the tears after the final whistle, revealed that Pablo Fornals has his wedding on Friday…
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The rare old knees up, be it in Prague or back in Blighty, has only just begun.
