The 2009 UEFA Cup Final was the final match of the 2008–09 UEFA Cup, the 38th season of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second-tier club football tournament. It was also the last final to be held under the UEFA Cup name, as the competition was rebranded as the UEFA Europa League from the 2009–10 season. The match was contested by Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen; Shakhtar won the match 2–1 after extra time. Lone striker Luiz Adriano opened the scoring for Shakhtar mid-way through the first half, before Naldo equalised from a free kick ten minutes later. The second half was goalless and the match went to extra time; after only seven minutes, Jádson scored for Shakhtar to secure the club's first major European trophy.

The match was played at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium – home ground of Fenerbahçe – in Istanbul, Turkey, on 20 May 2009. It was the second European football final to be held in Turkey, after the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final, which was held in another Istanbul venue, the Atatürk Olympic Stadium. It was also the first European football final to be held outside the geographical Europe, as Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium lies across the Bosphorus from the city center, and hence, in geographical Asia.

The UEFA Europa League, formerly the UEFA Cup, is an association football competition established in 1972. It is considered to be the second most important international competition for European football clubs, after the UEFA Champions League. Clubs qualify for the Europa League based on their performance in national leagues and cup competitions. For the first 25 years of the competition, the final was contested over two legs, one at each participating club's stadium, but in 1998, Internazionale defeated Lazio in the competition's first single-legged final held at a neutral venue, the Parc des Princes in Paris.Tottenham Hotspur won the inaugural competition in 1972 defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3–2 on aggregate.

Juventus, Internazionale and Liverpool hold the record for the most victories, with each team winning the competition three times since its inception.Real Madrid and Sevilla are the only teams to have retained the UEFA Cup. Real Madrid won the competition in 1985 and 1986, whilst Sevilla retained the cup in 2007 after winning it in 2006. Teams from Italy have won the competition the most times, with nine winners coming from the country.Borussia Mönchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, Marseille, Espanyol and Athletic Bilbao hold the distinction of losing in the final the most times, each team has lost the final twice. The last champions before the UEFA Cup was renamed as the UEFA Europa League were Shakhtar Donetsk who beat Werder Bremen 2–1 after extra time in the 2009 UEFA Cup Final. The current champions are Atlético Madrid having won the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final, which took place at the Arena Națională in Bucharest, Romania, defeating Athletic Bilbao 3–0.

The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most attended domestic football event. It is the culmination of a knockout competition among clubs belonging to The Football Association in England, although Scottish and Irish teams competed in the early years and Welsh teams regularly compete, with Cardiff City winning the Cup in 1927 and reaching the final in 2008.

Early FA Cup Finals were held at various venues including Fallowfield Stadium but were mainly in London. In the period from 1923 until 2000, the final was held at Wembley Stadium, English football's national stadium. From 2001–2005, the final was moved to Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, during the rebuilding of Wembley Stadium. Millennium Stadium was used again in 2006 due to construction delays in opening the new Wembley Stadium.

Javier Adelmar Zanetti (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈχaβ̞je̞ɾ saˈne̞ti]; born 10 August 1973 in Dock Sud, Buenos Aires Province) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Serie A club Internazionale. Javier Zanetti has played for Inter since 1995, taking the captain's armband from 29 August 1999. Known for his versatility, he is adept on both the left and right wing, having played on both flanks as a fullback as well as a winger. He slots into several midfield positions with ease, particularly as a defensive or central midfielder. Internationally, he holds the record of the most capped player in the history of the Argentine national team and has played in the 1996 Olympic tournament and in two World Cups, in 1998 and 2002.

Known as "Pupi" in Argentina, Zanetti was born in Buenos Aires, picking up the nickname "El Tractor" (The Tractor) soon after his move to Italy where his strength, resilience, stamina, and his ability to run past opposing defenders when joining the attack from his right back position earned him notoriety. More recently, he plays in the right midfield. He ended a 4-year goal drought when he scored on 5 November 2006. In the national team, he is deployed as a right back but is able to switch between defense and attack easily.