OTD: Jose Mourinho celebrates leading Man Utd to Europa League win after Tottenham defeat

On this day, former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho took to Instagram to mark the anniversary of his iconic 2017 UEFA Europa League victory with the Red Devils. 

That night in Stockholm, Mourinho’s side secured a historic win over a youthful Ajax team, with goals from Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan sealing the triumph. 

Pogba’s 18th-minute strike, which took a deflection off Davinson Sánchez, gave United an early lead, while Mkhitaryan’s clever finish from a corner early in the second half clinched the victory.

The win completed Manchester United’s set of major UEFA club competition trophies, making them only the fifth team, alongside Ajax, Bayern München, Chelsea, and Juventus, to achieve this feat. 

Mourinho’s team dominated the match, powered by a formidable midfield trio of Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini, and Pogba, leaving Ajax, whose starting lineup averaged just 22 years old, unable to respond effectively.

This win was Mourinho’s fourth major UEFA club knockout competition win, placing him joint second in the all-time coaching standings. 

He became the first coach to win both the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League multiple times. 

Additionally, Mourinho joined an elite group of managers, Nereo Rocco and Sir Alex Ferguson, who have won more than one major UEFA club competition twice each, according to UEFA.

Posting simply, he wrote on his official page:

“24 May 2017…Manchester United 2 Ajax 0.”

At 54 years and 118 days old, Mourinho also became the oldest coach to lift the Europa League trophy under its current format, surpassing Rafael Benítez, who won it at 53 years and 21 days with Chelsea in 2013. 

Mourinho is also the third coach to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League with two different clubs, joining Giovanni Trapattoni and Rafael Benítez.

Mourinho’s celebration comes shortly after Tottenham’s recent defeat, a reminder of his successful tenure at Manchester United and the lasting legacy of that memorable night in Stockholm.