Which current Eagles have previous experience of European finals?
Crystal Palace will make history next Wednesday (27th May, 20:00 BST), when Oliver Glasner’s side face Rayo Vallecano in the 2026 UEFA Conference League Final at the Leipzig Stadium.
Crystal Palace will make history next Wednesday (27th May, 20:00 BST), when Oliver Glasner’s side face Rayo Vallecano in the 2026 UEFA Conference League Final at the Leipzig Stadium.
It will be the club’s first-ever appearance in a major European final – but while Palace are newcomers to this stage collectively, several members of Glasner’s squad already know what it takes to compete under the lights of a continental showpiece.
From UEFA Europa League triumphs to Champions League finals and unforgettable winning goals, experience of Europe’s biggest nights runs throughout this history-making Eagles squad...
Check out the six Eagles with previous European final experience below – listed in chronological order from 2016 through to 2025!
Nathaniel Clyne brings valuable experience of European finals from his time with Liverpool. Clyne played the full 90 minutes in the 2016 UEFA Europa League Final in Basel, where Liverpool were beaten 3-1 by Sevilla.
Three years later, Liverpool went on to win the UEFA Champions League against Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid, although injury ruled Clyne out of involvement during the latter stages of that campaign.
The defender, who recently made his 250th appearance for Palace during the Conference League semi-final second-leg win over Shakhtar, is now preparing for another major European occasion nearly a decade after first reaching a continental final!
Although injury sadly looks set to rule Eddie Nketiah out of this year's Conference League Final, the striker will undoubtedly be sharing his experience of the latter stages of the continental competition in the Palace dressing room.
The Eagles' No. 9 was an unused substitute in the 2019 Europa League Final, when Arsenal fell to defeat against Chelsea in Baku.
This season, Nketiah has played a key part in propelling Palace to Leipzig, with important goals against Dynamo Kyiv and Shelbourne in the league phase.
Yeremy Pino experienced European final success remarkably early in his career.
The Spaniard enjoyed a breakout campaign with Villarreal CF during the 2020/21 season, making his professional debut before rapidly establishing himself in Unai Emery’s first-team plans.
That rise culminated in the aforementioned 2021 UEFA Europa League Final against Manchester United, where Pino started at just 18 years and 218 days old. In doing so, he became the youngest Spanish player ever to start a major European final, surpassing the previous record held by Iker Casillas.
Villarreal went on to win the trophy after a dramatic penalty shootout in Gdańsk, with Pino also becoming the youngest player ever to win the UEFA Cup / Europa League.
Dean Henderson also has previous experience of a European final, having been part of Manchester United’s squad for the 2021 UEFA Europa League Final against Yeremy Pino’s Villarreal.
Although Henderson was an unused substitute in Gdańsk, the occasion represented another milestone in his rise at elite level following impressive performances for both Manchester United and Sheffield United, the latter of course on loan.
Daichi Kamada arrives in Leipzig with extensive European pedigree – much of it earned under current Palace manager Oliver Glasner.
The midfielder was a central figure in Eintracht Frankfurt’s memorable UEFA Europa League triumph in 2022, producing decisive contributions throughout the knockout stages.
Kamada scored important goals against Olympiacos, Real Betis, VfL Bochum and West Ham United, while also helping Frankfurt eliminate FC Barcelona in a famous quarter-final victory at the Camp Nou.
In the final against Rangers, Kamada converted his penalty in the shootout as Frankfurt lifted their first European trophy in more than 40 years.
Indeed, Brennan Johnson already has his own place in European final history.
The Wales international scored the winning goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s UEFA Europa League Final victory over Manchester United in Bilbao last season.
Meeting a cross from Pape Matar Sarr just before half-time, Johnson diverted the ball home from close range to secure a famous European triumph for Spurs. It capped an impressive European campaign for the winger, who scored four goals during Tottenham’s run to the trophy.
Interestingly enough, Johnson has also already scored in the UEFA Champions League this season, finding the net in a 4-0 win over Copenhagen.
A goal in the UEFA Conference League Final for Palace would see him score across all three major UEFA club competitions.
Crystal Palace v Rayo Vallecano
