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Tennis legend Rafael Nadal, who is also a huge fan of Spanish football, had sent a video message to Sevilla Futbol Club ahead of their UEFA Europa League final on Friday. The support and encouragement - from Nadal as well as the thousands of other fans - clearly helped, as Sevilla beat Inter Milan to win the title.
Those who follow football need no introduction to Sevilla's unending romance with the annual club competition organised by the UEFA. The Spanish outfit edged Inter 3-2 in a nail-biting contest to bag a record sixth trophy at the event.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Sevilla's history and dominance in the Europa League is not unlike the dominance of Rafael Nadal at the French Open, where he will be bidding to win an astonishing 13th title next month.
In his video message, Nadal acknowledged just how big an achievement Sevilla were battling for - especially given the circumstances the club had been through over the previous two years.
Rafael Nadal's message for Sevilla and Julen Lopetegui
On a stage as big as the final of a year-long European club tournament, it certainly helps if you have one of the best Spanish athletes in history on your side. For the younger Sevilla players, it would have been calming to have someone as legendary as Rafael Nadal trying to fire them up just before the most important 90 minutes of their life.
The video by the Mallorcan tennis great, who maintains a special relationship with Sevilla's coach Julen Lopetegui, was played in the Sevilla dressing room right before the final. And on Saturday, the Spanish club posted Rafa's message with the entire world - after Sevilla had already won the match.
Although Rafael Nadal is primarily a supporter of Real Madrid and his hometown club Real Mallorca, he has no ill-feelings towards the local rivals of his favorite teams; he only wants Spanish football to prosper. Nadal was also seen rooting for Real Madrid's bitter rivals Atletico Madrid when they won the Europa League title back in 2018.
In the video, the 19-time Slam champion said that he was confident of Sevilla winning the match despite their opponents being Italian football giants Inter Milan. He also said he was eagerly waiting for Sevilla to send him a signed shirt emblazoned with the name of the Europa League champions.
"In the finals there are always difficult moments, but from the conviction and knowing that there are options until the end you will be able to achieve the objective," Rafael Nadal said.
Rafael Nadal exhorted the Sevilla players to fight till the end and not feel defeated in the difficult moments, a motto the Spaniard has himself followed throughout his own tennis career. And the Sevilla players did just that, as they came back from an early setback to win the final courtesy of a superb overhead kick by defender Diego Carlos - which eventually turned out to be the winner.
Rafael Nadal's special friendship with Julen Lopetegui
Rafael Nadal has always held Sevilla's current manager Julen Lopetegui in very high regard.
The former coach of the Spanish national team was shockingly sacked just two days before the 2018 World Cup despite having a perfect record in the qualifying round. He then had another career setback when he was fired from the role of Real Madrid's head coach within three months of taking up the coveted job.
Rafael Nadal understood just how big this match was going to be for his friend, who was later seen shedding tears of joy after the final whistle. Nadal also congratulated Lopetegui for rebuilding Sevilla FC from scratch after taking over their managerial role in 2019.
"I wanted to congratulate you on the great year you are having. You have given a great example of overcoming and growing in every way throughout the year. The last effort remains, a worthwhile effort, it is a very complicated final but what you can do is go out and enjoy it with the peace of mind that you have already achieved the priority objectives. That will give you confidence and peace of mind, you are more than prepared to fight it," Rafael Nadal said.
Rafael Nadal also has a business relationship with Lopetegui as the two Spaniards have a joint investment in a Mexican resort.
What is the foot injury that has troubled Rafael Nadal over the years? Check here
