Unai Emery
Spanish football manager and former player, current manager of Aston Villa and record five-time Europa League winner.
Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. Since 2021, he has been the majority shareholder of fourth-tier Spanish club Real Unión. One of the most successful managers in the history of European continental competitions, Emery holds the record for the most UEFA Europa League titles with five, and is widely considered one of the best managers in the world.
Quick Facts
- Nationality
- Spanish
- Born
- 1971
- Premier league clubs
- Arsenal (2018–19), Aston Villa (2022–present)
- Tactical hallmark
- High pressing
- aggressive defensive line
- structured chaos
- Player career highlights
- Real Sociedad, Barcelona
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.
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.
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