Evann Guessand's Unique Journey to European Glory

On a night when Aston Villa finally stepped back into European royalty, one of the most remarkable storylines unfolded far from the pitch, far from Istanbul, and far from the celebrations.

Villa swept aside Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final at Besiktas Park, a ruthless, controlled performance that ended a 28-year wait for a major trophy. Youri Tielemans set the tone with a gorgeous strike, Emiliano Buendia doubled the lead before the interval, and Morgan Rogers killed off the contest on 57 minutes. Unai Emery, the master of this competition, climbed to yet another summit, drawing level as the most successful manager in Europa League history with a fifth triumph.

But the most unusual chapter in this story belongs to a player who never kicked a ball in the final and wasn’t even in the stadium.

Evann Guessand.

A Season Split in Two

The Ivory Coast international forward arrived at Villa last summer with relatively little fanfare, one of only two permanent senior signings, joining from Reims for an initial £30.5 million. He walked into a squad already packed with attacking talent and, for much of the wider football public, slipped almost immediately into the background.

Yet his fingerprints are on Villa’s Europa League run. Guessand made seven appearances in the group stages, scoring twice and doing enough to qualify for a winners’ medal under UEFA regulations. His contribution came early, before the spotlight sharpened, but it counted. It still counts.

Then January changed everything.

Villa sanctioned a loan move to Crystal Palace, a switch that looked routine at the time but has turned his season into something unprecedented. At Selhurst Park, Guessand helped Palace march all the way to the Conference League final, making five appearances in the competition as the London club set up a showdown with Rayo Vallecano next Wednesday.

Two clubs. Two European campaigns. Two finals.

No player in European football history has ever won two different continental competitions in the same season.

Guessand is close enough to touch that record.

Between Injury and Immortality

The journey has not been smooth. In March, during the Conference League quarter-final against Fiorentina, Guessand suffered a knee injury that threatened to derail everything. The dream of a unique double suddenly hung by a thread.

He fought his way back. On Sunday, he returned to action, coming on as a stoppage-time substitute in Palace’s 2-2 draw with Brentford. It was only a brief cameo, but it mattered. It proved he is fit enough to be involved again, just as the season reaches its sharpest edge.

If Palace beat Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final, Guessand will stand alone in the record books: a Europa League winner with Aston Villa and a Conference League winner with Crystal Palace, both in the same campaign, both earned through genuine involvement in each run.

He did not play a minute in Istanbul. He might not start in the Conference League final. Yet his season, scattered across two clubs and two competitions, could end up defining a new kind of European success story.

A Future at Palace, A Place in History?

Away from the medals and the milestones, Guessand’s career is at a crossroads. Reports suggest he is set to sign permanently for Palace this summer, as the club prepares for life after departing manager Oliver Glasner and searches for a new figurehead in the dugout.

For now, though, the bigger picture is clear.

Villa have their first major trophy since 1996. Emery has another Europa League crown to add to an already glittering collection. And in the shadows of those achievements, a 24-year-old forward stands one game away from doing something no player has ever done in European football.

He has already collected one medal.

Next Wednesday will decide whether this “forgotten” signing finishes the season as a footnote to Villa’s triumph, or as the name attached to a piece of history that might never be repeated.