2019, THE YEAR THAT BROUGHT A EUROPEAN FINAL BACK TO NERVIÓN

It was already a stadium with European pedigree, but the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, built in 1957, continues to grow, not just in facilities but also in what it means for the footballing world. 24th September 2019 was a crucial day for the club and the stadium, as it was announced it would host the UEFA Europa League Final in 2021.

Despite the fact that Nervión's Bombonera had already hosted World Cup matches in 1982, including a semi final, and the European Cup Final of 1986, the recent growth of the club in the last few years made it deserving of another huge encounter. The club felt the same way, and with the help of the RFEF, made a bid to host the UEL Final in 2019. At the end of the day, what better stadium for a Europa League final than the home of the club who has won it most?

The 2019 final bid was beaten by the bid from Baku

However, the structural and logistical requirements demanded by UEFA have become even more demanding, and the final was played in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Logically, no one at the club was happy with the decision, but instead of it being a setback, it was a call to continue working, meet the necessary conditions, and make another bid. Works on the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, both inside and out, have been carried out since 2015 and are still continuing now.

Since then, the seats in the stand have been changed, the outside of the ground has been modernised with a metal exterior complete with LED lights, the bars and toilets have been upgraded, two new video screens were introduced, the latest floodlights were installed, the dressing rooms were redeveloped, and the lower tier of the Fondo was remodelled. In fact, since the end of last season the inside of the Preferencia stand is being renovated, which meant that near enough all of the club's offices were moved to the training ground.

Since 2015 the Sánchez-Pizjuán has been experiencing huge change

This work means that there will be significantly more space, and the majority will be used for hospitality. A job which began before the final was awarded to the club, and soon it will join a series of reforms that continues and will continue to be carried out. These reforms, together with the importance that the club has placed on its standing in Europe, meant that UEFA gave the green light for the 2021 final at its Executive Committee in Slovenia on 24th September. The project, with a helping hand from the RFEF, was able to beat Tbilisi's bid.

This means that the Sánchez-Pizjuán will become the third Spanish stadium to host more than one European final. The Santiago Bernabeu has hosted four European Cup Finals, while the Camp Nou has hosted two, as well as two European Cup Winners' Cup Finals. Sevilla follows with one European Cup Final and one Europa League Final. The other stadia to have hosted a final are the Wanda Metropolitano (European Cup Final 2019) and La Cartuja, better known to some as the Olympic Stadium of Seville, hosted the UEFA Cup Final in 2003.