The Masters champion’s private jet was spotted in Northern Ireland this morning amid speculation he was making his way to the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao.
Within a few hours of the £38m Gulfstream G650ER being spotted at George Best Belfast City Airport, Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand shared pictures with the Co Down golfer.
“YANITED,” the caption read, accompanied with a handshake emoji.
The ex-England player turned sports pundit previously confirmed he was in the country ahead of tonight’s Europa League match between the Red Devils and Tottenham Hotspur.
McIlroy’s jet touched down at George Best Belfast City Airport at 6.40am this morning.
However, it was back in the air within an hour after taking off at 7.26am.
The sighting fuelled speculation that the lifelong Man Utd fan will be attending tonight’s clash which has seen around 80,000 fans travel for the big game which will kick-off at the home ground of Athletic Bilbao.
It comes after Man Utd boss Ruben Amorim sent a video invitation to McIlroy following his Grand Slam victory last month.
“Hi Rory. Congratulations for the Masters, and I want to invite you to Old Trafford to show your trophy,” Amorim said.
“It is really important for us in this moment. You achieved something a lot of people thought that would be impossible and we want that feeling in our stadium.
“So I hope to see you soon at Old Trafford and to meet you.”
Accepting the invitation, McIlroy promised to bring the iconic Green Jacket to Old Trafford saying “if it can inspire some better play, absolutely” when asked if it would be with him.
Rory McIlroy greeted by Rio Ferdinand after arriving in Spain ahead of Europa League final.
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While not at Old Trafford – tonight’s game will see two Premier League sides take a shot at salvaging their domestic seasons by securing a place in the Champions League.
Five-time major winner McIlroy has suggested he plans to one day invest in his favourite football club.
He previously told Sky Sports that team ownership “used to be limited to private equity, and people who had a ton of money. But now sports stars are becoming more savvy and using their money in the right way”.
He continued: “I would love to be able to own a tiny percentage of the club I grew up cheering on as a boy.”
Rory McIlroy arrived home in NI with daughter Poppy on April 18, 2025. Pic by Kevin Scott.
Earlier this month, McIlroy confirmed his intention to return to the UK in June in what could be a permanent move with his family.
The sports star revealed building work on a new property near the Wentworth Club in Surrey is now finished meaning it is ready for the champion to move in with his wife Erica Stoll and their daughter Poppy.
The couple told the Daily Telegraph that they bought a plot of land in the exclusive private estate which lies less than an hour and a half west of central London – which explains why Rory’s private jet landed in Farnborough Airport before he came home to NI last month.
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“Straight after Augusta we travelled over to see the house as it was going through the finishing touches,” he told the publication.
“It was fun to see and we could have stayed in it, but we wanted to get over to Holywood.”
While he has no plans to sell his southern Florida mansion, which he uses as his US base when competing in tournaments there, Rory did hint at the possibility of making his new pad a permanent abode.
