West Ham United’s journey to Europa Conference League glory was certainly not short of picturebook moments.
Gianluca Scamacca’s late winner away to Anderlecht, at a time when European glory still felt like a distant pipe dream. Those thumping finishes from Said Benhrama and Jarrod Bowen in the return fixture against the Belgian giants.
The sight of Declan Rice turning into Diego Maradona in the 4-1 quarter-final crushing of Gent. And, during a tense last-four victory over AZ Alkmaar, Pablo Fornals’ finest moment in a West Ham United shirt.
With AZ pushing for an equaliser in the return leg four minutes into stoppage time, Fornals broke clear, nutmegged one unwitting defender and surged through on goal.
Slotting into the bottom corner before wheeling away in the most jubilant of celebrations, Fornals may have been limited to a cameo role in the final triumph against Fiorentina but his contribution to The Hammers’ first continental trophy in 58 years earned the likeable Spaniard a special place in the hearts of all supporters.
Pablo Fornals played a major role in West Ham United’s Conference League win
Conference League-winning manager David Moyes admitted, when Fornals secured a return to Spain a few months later down the line, that West Ham couldn’t stand in the now-Real Betis playmaker’s way at a time when he was largely being restricted to a back seat role.
Fornals’ tear-jerking West Ham departure twinged the heartstrings of even the most hard-nosed and dry-eyed supporters.
Sixteen months on, and two years since Jarrod Bowen shattered Fiorentina hopes in Prague, the Hammers faithful will be temporarily trading their claret and blue for green and white with Real Betis on the verge of setting up a Conference League final clash with Chelsea.
Reunited with former Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini in Andalusia, Fornals started Real Betis’ 2-1 semi-final first leg win over Fiorentina last week.
Playing in a deeper role these days to accommodate the free-spirited Isco and a revitalised Antony, the West Ham cult hero produced a typically tigerish, all-action display with Betis securing a narrow lead to take to Florence on Thursday.
Fornals’ Real Betis likely to face Chelsea in 2025 final
With Chelsea 4-1 up against Swedish outfit Djurgarden, West Ham’s status as the first and so-far only English team to claim UEFA’s newest continental prize is set to come under threat from their hated rivals down the road in West London.
So while Fornals may be long gone these days, the 2023 Conference League champion can still cement his place as a modern-day fans’ favourite while ensuring that Chelsea’s season ends on a very sour note.
“I was a bit disappointed leading up to that [semi-final against AZ Alkmaar],” Fornals recalls, speaking to The Athletic late last year. “I was playing mostly in the Conference League because I didn’t play much in the Premier League.
“I thought I would start against AZ Alkmaar and I didn’t. I told the media people at West Ham that, ‘I will score in front of the fans when I come on.’
“When I received the ball, a lot of people thought I would go to the corner flag to waste time, but once I put the ball through the defender’s legs I knew I would score. Then it was one of those ‘I did it’ moments.
“I cried after.”
Flash forward to May 2025, Fornals is potentially just 180 minutes away from yet more tears of joy.
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