Unai Emery

Lore & Background

Emery was born in Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain. He is a native speaker of the Basque language. His father and grandfather, named Juan and Antonio respectively, were also footballers, both goalkeepers. The former appeared for several clubs in the second tier including Real Unión, while the latter competed with that club in the top division. Emery's uncle, Román, played as a midfielder. In July 2021, the Emery family completed a takeover of Real Unión, and his brother Igor became club president. Emery's wife is Luisa Fernández. Their son Lander, also a goalkeeper, played for Aston Villa's Under-21s team between January 2024 and July 2025 and currently plays for Real Unión – the third member of the Emery family to wear the goalkeeper jersey for the club.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights at Villa Park hummed their low, electric note as the away team lined up for the kick-off. Emery stood at the edge of the technical area, arms crossed, eyes tracking the opponent's back four with the focus of a hawk watching a field mouse. He had spent the entire week in the video room, dissecting their build-up, memorising which full-back held the ball for too long, which centre-back stepped into the half-space a fraction too early. Now, in the first three minutes, the trap was already set. Villa's number eight pressed the ball-carrier, the number ten shadowed the pivot, and the whole unit shifted like a single organism. The ball was won. The counter was on. Emery uncrossed his arms, took one step forward, and the noise from the stands rolled over the pitch like a wave. He did not celebrate. He simply nodded, turned, and was already scanning the next phase. That was the thing about Emery: the joy was never in the moment. It was in the system working, again and again, until the opponent could no longer think.

Reader's Guide

After a career spent playing mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coaching after retiring in 2004. He began at Lorca Deportiva, where he achieved promotion to the Segunda División in his first season. He then joined Almería, whom he led to promotion to La Liga for the first time in the club's history. He subsequently moved to Valencia, leading the team to top-three finishes. After his contract was not renewed at Valencia, he moved to Spartak Moscow for six months but was sacked due to poor performance, before moving to Sevilla in 2013, where he won an unprecedented three consecutive Europa Leagues. Emery moved to French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. There, he won a Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligues, and two Trophée des Champions, including a domestic quadruple in his second season. After the expiry of his contract, Emery was appointed as head coach of English club Arsenal in 2018, succeeding Arsène Wenger. He finished Europa League runner-up in his first season, before being dismissed in November 2019. He was hired by Villarreal in July 2020, where he won the Europa League in his first season and guided the club to a Champions League semi-final run in the following season. In October 2022, he returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa and guided them to a UEFA Conference League semi-final in 2024, the Champions League quarter-finals in 2025 as well as finishing in the top four of the Premier League. In 2026, he won his fifth Europa League title.

Did You Know?

• Emery holds the record for the most UEFA Europa League titles with five.
• He won three consecutive Europa Leagues with Sevilla (2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16).
• His son Lander played as a goalkeeper for Aston Villa's Under-21s and now plays for Real Unión.
• Emery's father and grandfather were both footballers and goalkeepers.