Palace in Europe: Former Selhurst star on why he pushed for Conference League

Aki Riihilahti spent five happy years at Palace between 2001 and 2006, where his all-action displays in the heart of the Eagles midfield saw the Finn become a hugely popular figure.

These days he is back in Finland working for HJK Helsinki, the club he had two spells at and retired from playing in 2011, as CEO. He was also the first Nordic member of the board of the European Club Association.

But on Wednesday night he'll be in Leipzig as the Eagles face Rayo Vallecano with a European trophy on the line.

A trophy that Riihilahti himself was actually involved in the creation of.

"It actually started back in 2014," Riihilahti says. "The process began then. I started, along with other clubs, started arguing that the UEFA competitions shouldn't be just for a set amount of countries and the same clubs.

"I said that people want to see that, if they support their local club, there's a chance they could be competing in Europe. There's a need for such competitions.

"We wanted to see more country's flags represented in Europe. It would be great for the fans but also great for society.

"UEFA was very understandable and also wanted to go down this route.

"Obviously a few years later [2021] you had some of the biggest clubs arguing that people only wanted to see the biggest clubs playing against the biggest.

"But we had to fight against this and I think it has already brought another dimension to European football."

And the two finalists certainly pay testament to Riihilahti's argument, even if temporarily discounting his Palace connections.

Wednesday's Final is the end of the Eagles' first-ever European campaign. It's only Rayo's second venture into European football.

"I think it's already gone beyond everyone's initial expectations," Riihilahti adds when discussing whether the tournament can already be viewed as a success.

"We've increased the numbers of teams participating and changed formats and we have had some amazing stories throughout the competition.

"Obviously Palace is from a top-five league, but even for clubs from other countries who just make the knockouts, it's a game-changer for them.

"Participating if you a from a smaller league can give you growth. You can showcase your players, your fans and economically you'll see big benefits. So it's been a success on every level.

"And on a personal side, it's fantastic that I was involved in the beginning and now I get to see my favourite club in the Final."

It's a very different Palace from the side Riihilahti played for. At times the aim was to avoid relegation to the third-tier of English football.

Now, under Oliver Glasner, the Eagles are aiming to win a third trophy in 12 months.

Riihilahti has been highly impressed with their progress.

"I actually thought it would be more difficult for them to get to the Final," he says. "I was at the draw back in August and had a good chat with Steve [Parish]. I think he's done great for Palace.

"I said to him that playing two competitions every week is not going to be easy, it's a bit different to playing just the Premier League.

"It's a different game in Europe, different pitches, different referees and different styles of play. Even for a Premier League team, it's hard to deal with all of that when you haven't experienced it before.

"I've seen all the games and Palace always seem to have been able to get a result when needed.

"I actually don't think across Europe everyone would have had Palace as favourites at the start of the tournament. There were some very capable teams in the Conference League this year.

"So Palace have done really well in my opinion."

With his role at UEFA and involvement in the Conference League's creation, you could be forgiven he'll be neutral for Wednesday's game.

But this is a player who still talks about Palace and Selhurst Park with a great deal of affection, 20 years after his time as a player came to an end.

"It always felt like home," he adds. "I always felt that people were really passionate about the club. That just gave me a great rapport with the fans.

"They grow up being Palace and you could feel the backing from the fans was genuine.

"It for them wasn't about winning every single game necessarily, but it was about at least giving 100% effort every day.

"And for me, that is just who I was as a person. I think they like players who reflect the fans."

Aki's role at HJK means he isn't often able to watch Palace in-person. But he will be in the Leipzig Stadium on Wednesday night, backing the Eagles every step of the way.

"I'll be supporting Palace. I've told UEFA so they know this," he laughs. "But I'm looking forward to it because I'm taking my son so we'll be there together.

"He's 12 so obviously can't remember me playing there. He knows I played for Palace, but hasn't been to see them play yet.

"So for me to be there with my son, watching Palace in a European Final, it's going to be very special."

2026 UEFA Conference League Final

Crystal Palace v Rayo Vallecano

• Wednesday, 27th May
• 20:00 BST UK time / 21:00 CEST local time
• Leipzig Stadium, Germany
• Live audio commentary on Palace TV+
• Visit our Conference League Final Hub