A Villan Story - Unai Emery

Unai Emery was born in the Basque country, like many of his Spanish counterparts in the Premier League. The coastal town of Hondarribia is where he grew up, a place he now regularly visits when he has the time. His family is united by football with his father and grandfather both goalkeepers. They played for the now fourth tier Spanish side Real Union, who once played in La Liga. It's a club that Emery's family calls home.

In 2021, alongside one of his four brothers Igor, Emery acquired a controlling stake in Real Union to help the club after recent financial hardships. Igor is now the club's President and Andoni, another one of his brothers, is the chief groundsman.

Emery's presence and influence at both Real Union and Aston Villa has led to a formal partnership between the two clubs. Villa's parent company V Sports invested €4.5 million, acquiring a twenty-five percent stake. It is a partnership that was once just a working one, with Villa supporting with data and methodologies as well as loaning out players. Some coaches would also join. The investment provides Real Union with financial security to aid their bid to one day return to Spain's top division. A dream that the Emery family has for the club.

An Aston Villa-inspired away kit for Real Unión next season. A beauty 😍#AVFC https://t.co/oQoqCc7Fx7

— John Townley (@johntownley11) June 6, 2024

Emery's Playing Days

Emery broke the tradition of becoming a goalkeeper and developed into a left-midfielder, beginning his career at Real Sociedad. He only made a total of six appearances between the 94/95 and 95/96 seasons, scoring one goal. A move to Toledo then followed, where Emery spent the majority of his playing career at.

Across five seasons, he appeared 50 times, before joining Racing Ferrol in 2000 and Leganes in 2002 on short-term contracts. It was in 2004 at Lorca Deportiva, where a knee injury ended his playing career. Emery then decided that he wanted to become a manager at the age of 32.

Working His Way Up The Spanish Tiers

After retiring from professional football, the club he ended his playing career at, Lorca Deportiva, made Emery their head coach. He instantly made an impact, taking Lorca to promotion from the Third Division in his first season in charge. Emery then guided them to a fifth-placed finish in the Second Division before moving to Almeria for the 06/07 campaign. Again success came quickly, with the Spaniard winning promotion with Almeria to La Liga in his first season. An eighth-placed finish followed, proving how good of a manager Emery was becoming.

He then caught the attention of Valencia, joining the club for the 08/09 season. His excellent start to life as a manager continued, recording three consecutive third-placed finishes at the Mestalla, despite the financial troubles at the club. Emery competed in the Champions League for the first time at Valencia and managed 220 matches, which is his longest tenure at any club he has led.

Failing in Moscow

In 2012, after his fourth season at Valencia and his contract coming to an end, Emery joined Spartak Moscow, a rather bizarre move. Despite trying his best to learn Russian, cultural differences emerged rather quickly and there was difficulty in winning over the dressing room. There were a few off the field incidents that Emery didn't handle well, including not fining a player going out the night before a game, which made the Russian players unhappy.

The atmosphere continued to decline as results dropped off and after only 20 matches in charge, Emery was sacked. The owner reportedly came down to the dressing room after the 5-1 defeat to rivals Dynamo Moscow and made it official in front of the players.

Success At Sevilla

At Sevilla, Emery got his first taste of silverware, etching his name into history and becoming one of the best managers Sevilla has ever had. Joining the club in January of 2013, Emery returned to Spanish football and European glory soon followed. In his second full season, after finishing fifth in the previous year, Emery defeated Benfica in the 2014 Europa League final to win his first trophy as a manager.

He then led Sevilla to another two consecutive Europa League titles, beating Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Liverpool, making the Spanish side the most successful club in the history of the competition. This triumph regained Emery's reputation and enabled him to move to one of the biggest clubs in Europe.

Big Moves To PSG And Arsenal

Following his decision to leave Sevilla, Emery became the head coach of PSG in 2016. In his first competitive match he won the Trophee des Champions by defeating Lyon 4-1, which was just the start of another excellent campaign. At the end of his first season, Emery had captured another two domestic trophies, meaning PSG had won three out of the four available. Success continued as he won the quadruple in the following season taking his tally to seven trophies at PSG, but it was in the Champions League where Emery struggled.

His highest finish during his stint in France was the Round of 16. The historic 6-1 defeat to Barcelona, which knocked PSG out of the competition, despite winning the first-leg 4-0, overshadowed his time at the French giants. Emery had won 87 out of the 114 games he managed, but ultimately he couldn't win over the supporters.

After the expiration of his contract, he joined Arsenal following the departure of Arsene Wenger. Although a decent start to his time at the Gunners, including a run of eleven straight wins and a Europa League final, poor results began to occur. His second season saw a decline in performance and after a winless run of seven games, Emery was sacked in November 2019. It was a missed opportunity to prove himself in the biggest league in the world.

The Two Villas

Emery's next move was another return to Spain with Villarreal for the 20/21 season. He swiftly made his mark, taking the Yellow Submarines on a club record eighteen matches unbeaten and a seventh-placed finish. A return to European glory then followed in his second season, beating Manchester United on penalties in the 2021 Europa League Final.

This made him the most successful manager in the competition winning a record four-times. After qualifying for the Champions League, Emery reached the Semi-Finals before bowing out to Liverpool and recorded another seventh-placed finish. After only eleven games into his third season at Villarreal, Emery was appointed head coach of Aston Villa after they paid his buyout fee of €6 million.

The English club were in trouble having only won two out of their first eleven games of the season under Steven Gerrard and finding themselves in 16th place. Unlike any of the clubs he had managed, Emery was given full autonomy of how he wanted to run things at Villa. This enabled him to flourish with the Villans winning fifteen out of the twenty-five matches under Emery since his appointment during the 22/23 campaign.

He returned Villa to European football for the first time since the 10/11 season, after steering them to a seventh-placed finish, qualifying for the Europa Conference League. Crucially he had restored the connection between the club and the supporters which was once lost. The chant of "Here's to you Unai Emery Villa loves you more than you will know, woah" was echoed frequently and showcased the effect Emery had on the club. He understands the importance of the fans and regularly thanks them for their support in interviews.

Seriously love this video. We are so blessed to be led by this man.

Villa loves you more than you will knowww @UnaiEmery_ https://t.co/KMVkElBmWq

— Simon Lines (@simonlines) May 18, 2025

In his second season, dreams of every Villa supporter became reality, when he guided them to Champions League qualification. Records were broken with Villa maintaining a one hundred percent home record in their opening eight matches for the first time since the 1932-33 season.

He also led them to their highest points tally in the Premier League after nineteen games. A return to European nights at Villa Park were enjoyed as they reached the Semi-Finals of the Europa Conference League. Villa had re-established themselves as a top Premier League club and it is thanks to Emery that they have been able to do so.

Last season, Emery's most recent, was a testing challenge in the league with inconsistencies in performances. Their brilliant home form continued, losing only one match for the entire season, however, Villa's away form deteriorated. In the Champions League, memories were created as they reached the Quarter-Finals, narrowly losing to PSG on aggregate. Victories against Bayern Munich, Celtic, Club Brugge and PSG in the second leg, meant they were unbeaten in the Midlands.

A remarkable achievement considering, at the time, it was only five years ago they were in the Championship. Villa ended the season in fifth place, missing out on a return to Europe's most prestigious competition on goal difference. Although it was not the outcome they wanted, Emery had led them to a third consecutive campaign in Europe and a competition that he has fond memories of.

Aston Villa has been one of many clubs Emery has transformed. His meticulous nature and commitment to improving every player, makes him one of the best European managers in world football. If he can win a piece of silverware at Villa, Emery would become a legend in the eyes of every supporter and cement himself in history. He's had a unique journey to the top, but one that is credited to his passion and dedication to the sport he loves.