Nervous Navas keeps his cool

Sevilla FC's Jesús Navas is looking ahead calmly to the UEFA Cup final after his nerves almost cost him a place in the squad at the start of the season.

Anxiety attack
Doubts were raised as to whether the young midfielder could take the pressure of playing at the highest level after he withdrew from Sevilla's pre-season training camp in July suffering from severe anxiety. However, he has subsequently recovered his composure and now stands on the brink of glory. Along with Kepa Blanco and Antonio Puerta, the scorer of the added-time goal that put Sevilla into the final at FC Schalke 04's expense, the 20-year-old Navas is one of a number of classy young players to have been promoted from the club's youth system.

Local hero
A local-born player, he knows more than most what a win in Wednesday's showpiece would mean to the club's fans. "It is important to win the UEFA Cup for the club and our supporters," Navas for uefa.com. "Our crowd has waited for a long time for something like this and it would be a huge achievement." In his third full season at the club, Navas is only too aware of the gravity of the occasion. "I'm facing the most important match since I became a footballer," he said. "I've never been in this situation before so I hope to be able to enjoy it and win the UEFA Cup."

European experience
Having played in eleven of his side's 14 UEFA Cup games on the way to the final, Navas and his young colleagues have been proving that such big occasions are not necessarily more than they can handle. Now certain of at least a UEFA Cup place next season because of their performances in the Primera División, Navas believes his team can fully focus on finishing the job when they meet with Middlesbrough FC in Eindhoven.

'Something special'
"The final is 50-50," he said. "This match is something special. It's the first time we've been in this situation but we're calm because we're playing well and we have a chance to bring the trophy home. I'm proud to be playing in this match and like the rest of the team, I'm very motivated. "I have imagined what it would be like if we won and if I scored a last-minute winner that would be great," he added. "But the most important thing is to bring the title back to the city of Seville." The season may have started badly for Navas, but a happy ending now looks to be within his grasp.