A year ago this week, Jarrod Bowen made his senior debut for England. Last month, he and partner Dani welcomed twins into the world.
And on Wednesday evening, the West Ham United winger could complete an incredible hat-trick by helping the Hammers win the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Speaking in a press conference at the venue for the final, the Eden Arena in Prague, Czechia, Bowen was calm and relaxed ahead of the showdown with Italian opponents ACF Fiorentina.
“The twins are here now and I'd love to score a goal for them!” he smiled. “Two would be nice, but I'll take one and scoring on Wednesday night is definitely something I've thought about!”
The 26-year-old's football story was already a fairytale, even before he became an international and a father, as Bowen shrugged off the disappointment of being rejected by professional clubs as a schoolboy to work his way up the divisions from non-league Hereford through EFL Hull City to the Premier League with the Irons.
Since arriving in east London in January 2020, Bowen has helped the Hammers stave off relegation, secure sixth and seventh-place finishes, reach the semi-final of the UEFA Europa League last season and the final of this season's Europa Conference League.
“It’s massive!” he confirmed. “I’m pinching myself. I’ve been here three years and if you told me we’d be in a European final three years later, I’d have bitten your hand off!
“Last year, we were so disappointed to lose in the semi-final, so that probably gave us that extra bit of motivation to do it this year. With the season that we’ve had, it makes it even more special for us.
“The fans are travelling out here in I don’t know how many numbers! Our fan base is incredible and we want to win it not just for us and our teammates, but mainly the fans.”
After scoring on his home debut for the Hammers against Southampton in late February 2020 – the final London Stadium fixture with a capacity crowd before the COVID pandemic – Bowen has established himself as a real hero for the Claret and Blue Army.
And the player himself reciprocates that love and respect for supporters who sing his name every time the Irons are in action.
“For me, it feels like one big family,” he observed. “Since I’ve been here, the fans have welcomed me with open arms and I’ve been lucky that the group here has been so special over the past few years and we’ve had some great times, but winning this would top it off.
“For me, with the fan base we have and the family culture we’ve created, I think that’s one of the best things about this Club.”
West Ham's opponents Fiorentina have enjoyed a superb second half of the 2022/23 season, not only reaching the final of the Conference League but also that of the Coppa Italia, where they were edged out 2-1 by UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan in a competitive final.
The Italians also lost just two of their final 16 Serie A matches to climb to a finishing position of eighth and are the leading scorers in this season's Conference League. Bowen is not underestimating the threat they pose, but feels the Irons can nullify their challengers on the night.
“We’ve seen a lot of Fiorentina and done a lot of preparation on them and it’s a final and you don’t get to a final if you’re a bad team, so we respect them a lot,” he confirmed. "They’ve scored a lot of goals in this competition, so that’s one of their main threats, but this is a final and we’ll try to stop what they’re good at and exploit what we can in the game.”
While Fiorentina will undoubtedly provide West Ham’s toughest test of the Conference League season, Bowen closed by insisting that the Hammers will be fully focused on defeating them and bringing a major trophy back to east London for the first time in 43 years.
He concluded: “When I first signed, I couldn’t in my wildest dreams have thought about playing in a major European final three years later, so to be here and so close to winning a trophy for all of us and do to it with players who are my teammates and friends for everybody would be so special. That’s what our focus is on.”
