Perhaps it’s only fitting that the first all-English European final in four years is taking place in Bilbao, where Tottenham will take on Manchester United in the Europa League final.
The Basque city’s own football team — Athletic Bilbao —has a deep history with Britain, going back to the 19th century. Football was introduced to Bilbao by workers from England who travelled over for jobs in the famously industrial city. Not only that, a footballer named Alfred Mills from Cornwall was one of the original founders of the club in 1898 and its name has an unusually English spelling (as opposed to the Spanish Atlético).
