Crystal Palace's England international midfielder, 21, had missed last year's FA Cup celebrations through injury and promised to make up for two missed parties at once. But the headline of his post-match interview was his tribute to Oliver Glasner, who managed his 60th and final game as Palace head coach on Wednesday evening.
"Last game as Palace manager," Wharton said. "The difference he has made in two and a half years is incredible. Three trophies for Palace, the first three in the history of the club.
"First European competition and winning it. Unbelievable. He has got to be one of the best managers Palace have ever had. He has made a massive difference for how the club looks at competitions.
"We are not just looking to stay in the Premier League and be in Europe — we are looking to win it and be as high as possible."
Glasner arrived at Selhurst Park in February 2024. In the 28 months that followed he won the FA Cup, the Community Shield and now the Conference League — taking a club that had never previously won a major trophy to three of them in consecutive seasons.
Wharton also spoke with satisfaction about how the match itself unfolded. Rayo Vallecano were well organised and aggressive, as expected — they had topped their LaLiga group for large portions of the season and their Conference League run had eliminated Roma and Samsunspor along the way.
"We knew they were going to be tough to break down," Wharton said. "They are a very well-drilled team, they work hard, and they are one of the most intense teams in La Liga. The start was a bit cagey, as it always is in a final, but we grew into it and found where the spaces were and exploited them."
He admitted Palace could have made the evening more comfortable.
"We should have scored more goals and put it to bed, made it a bit easier for the fans, but we got the job done and it was a great performance."
Mateta's goal in the 49th minute — a tap-in after Wharton's own shot was parried by Rayo goalkeeper Augusto Batalla — was the only difference between the sides. Yeremy Pino hit the post twice from a free kick in the second half. Rayo pressed for an equaliser that never came.
Wharton added that he has a doping control to attend before the celebrations begin in full.
"It's going to be big," he said. "I've got doping unfortunately, which ruins my party a little bit — but hopefully I can get that done quickly and get on the beers."