Chris Rigg reveals surreal Luke O’Nien moment and sends brilliant Sunderland fans message after Europe confirmed

Chris Rigg has revealed the surreal moment he shared with Luke O’Nien on the Stadium of Light pitch after Sunderland qualified for the Europa League.

The Black Cats secured European football for the first time in 53 years after beating Chelsea on a historic final day, sparking extraordinary scenes at full-time. Players, staff and supporters had to wait for confirmation of results elsewhere before Sunderland’s place in Europe was sealed, with the squad gathering around Dan Ballard’s phone to check the scores involving Brentford and Brighton.

For Rigg, who has come through Sunderland’s academy, the scale of the achievement was almost impossible to process. Speaking to Premier League Productions, he said: “Europa League football sounds unbelievable - it sounds fake! So many words I could use. But I’m so proud of every single one of the lads and the staff here. We were all looking at Ballard’s phone - and scrolling to see the Brentford and Brighton scores - when we realised it was just madness!”

Rigg also opened up on a special moment with O’Nien, who joined Sunderland when the club were in League One and has been part of the journey all the way back to the Premier League and now into Europe. He added: “Me and Luke O’Nien just had a little moment on the pitch and said, we can’t believe it, can you imagine talking about this when he’s driving up to Sunderland to sign for us in League One?! We’ve come so far. I was lost for words when I saw the fans welcome and the display,” Rigg said. “It was unreal. It’s so special to have these fans and to think they’re going to Europe is unbelievable.”