Unai Emery facts for kids
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Emery with Sevilla in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 3 November 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Hondarribia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.8 m | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Aston Villa (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1986–1990 | Real Sociedad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1990–1995 | Real Sociedad B | 89 | (8) |
| 1995–1996 | Real Sociedad | 5 | (1) |
| 1996–2000 | Toledo | 126 | (2) |
| 2000–2002 | Racing Ferrol | 61 | (7) |
| 2002–2003 | Leganés | 28 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Lorca Deportiva | 30 | (1) |
| Total | 339 | (18) | |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2004–2006 | Lorca Deportiva | ||
| 2006–2008 | Almería | ||
| 2008–2012 | Valencia | ||
| 2012 | Spartak Moscow | ||
| 2013–2016 | Sevilla | ||
| 2016–2018 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 2018–2019 | Arsenal | ||
| 2020–2022 | Villarreal | ||
| 2022– | Aston Villa | ||
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Unai Emery Etxegoien (born on November 3, 1971) is a Spanish football manager. He is currently the manager for Premier League club Aston Villa. Many people think he is one of the best football managers in the world.
Emery played football mostly in Spain's second division, called the Segunda División. After he stopped playing in 2004, he became a coach. He started with Lorca Deportiva and helped them get promoted to the Segunda División in his first year. Then, he joined Almería and led them to play in La Liga (Spain's top league) for the first time ever.
Later, he managed Valencia, guiding them to finish in the top three teams. After Valencia, he had a short time at Spartak Moscow. In 2013, he joined Sevilla and made history by winning the UEFA Europa League three times in a row!
In 2016, Emery moved to the French club Paris Saint-Germain. There, he won a Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligues, and two Trophée des Champions. In his second season, his team won four trophies in one year!
After his contract ended, Emery became the head coach of English club Arsenal in 2018. He led them to the Europa League final in his first season, but they lost. He left Arsenal in November 2019.
In July 2020, he joined Villarreal. He won the Europa League with them in his first season. The next season, he guided Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals. In October 2022, he returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa. He helped them reach a UEFA Conference League semi-final and qualify for the Champions League in 2024.
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About Unai Emery
Unai Emery was born in Hondarribia, a town in the Basque Country, Spain. He speaks the Basque language as his first language. Football runs in his family! His father, Juan, and his grandfather, Antonio, were both football players. They were both goalkeepers. His uncle, Román, also played football as a midfielder. In 2021, Unai's family took over the club Real Unión, and his brother Igor became the club president.
Unai Emery is married to Luisa Fernández. Their son, Lander, is also a goalkeeper. In January 2024, Lander joined Aston Villa's under-21 team.
Playing Football
Emery played as a left-sided midfielder. He grew up playing in the youth teams of Real Sociedad. He played only five games for their main team when he was 24. After that, he mostly played in Spain's second division, the Segunda División. He played 215 matches and scored nine goals over seven seasons.
He stopped playing football at age 32 with Lorca Deportiva. This was after playing one season in the third division, called Segunda División B.
Becoming a Manager
Lorca and Almería Success
While playing for Lorca in 2004, Emery got a serious knee injury. The club president then offered him the job of coach. He quickly helped the club get promoted to the second division for the first time ever! They even beat a top-level team, Málaga, in the Copa del Rey cup. He won an award for being the best coach that season. In his second year, the team finished fifth, just missing out on promotion to the top league.
After Lorca, Emery moved to Almería in the second division. He helped them get promoted to La Liga in 2007, which was a first for the club. Almería then finished eighth in La Liga in the 2007–08 season. Because of this success, Emery moved to Valencia.
Valencia's Top Finishes
In his first season with Valencia, 2008–09, Emery led them to sixth place. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Europa League. The club had money problems, but Emery still did a great job.
In 2009–10, Emery guided Valencia to third place. This allowed the club to play in the UEFA Champions League again after two years. They reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League that season. In May 2010, Emery signed a new contract for another year.
The 2010–11 season started without two of Valencia's best players, David Villa and David Silva, who were sold. But Valencia still started strong, winning five of their first six league games. They finished third in the league again, qualifying for the Champions League once more.
In the 2011–12 season, Valencia played in the Champions League. They finished third in their group and then moved to the Europa League. Valencia lost in the semi-finals to Atlético Madrid. Emery left the club in June 2012, after helping Valencia finish third again and qualify for the Champions League.
Short Time at Spartak Moscow
On May 13, 2012, Unai Emery became the coach of Spartak Moscow in Russia. However, he was sacked on November 25, after only six months. His last game was a big 5–1 loss at home.
Sevilla's Europa League King
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Emery returned to Spanish football on January 14, 2013, to manage Sevilla. In his first full season, 2013–14, he led the club to fifth place. On May 14, 2014, he won the Europa League final by beating Benfica in a penalty shootout.
After finishing fifth again in the 2014–15 season, Emery won the Europa League again! This time, they beat Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. This win meant Sevilla qualified for the Champions League. Sevilla became the most successful club in the history of the UEFA Cup/Europa League with four wins. Emery signed a new contract to stay until 2017.
In 2015–16, Emery led Sevilla to seventh place. On May 18, 2016, Sevilla won the Europa League final for the third time in a row! They beat Liverpool 3–1.
On June 12, 2016, Emery decided to leave Sevilla.
Paris Saint-Germain's Domestic Dominance
On June 28, 2016, Emery signed a two-year deal to become the manager of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. In his very first game, on August 6, his team beat Lyon 4–1 to win the Trophée des Champions.
Emery won his second trophy with PSG on April 1, 2017, beating Monaco 4–1 in the Coupe de la Ligue final. In the Champions League, PSG beat Barcelona 4–0 in the first game. However, they lost 6–1 in the second game and were knocked out.
In the next Champions League season, PSG finished first in their group. But they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Real Madrid, who went on to win the competition. Back home, PSG won all four domestic trophies: the Trophée des Champions, Coupe de la Ligue, Coupe de France, and Ligue 1. Emery announced he would leave PSG at the end of the season.
Arsenal's Europa League Run
On May 23, 2018, Emery became the head coach of Arsenal. He signed a two-year deal.
In his first game, on August 12, his team lost to Manchester City. After another loss, Emery got his first win as Arsenal manager on August 25. After that, Arsenal won 11 games in a row, their best run since 2007! They extended their unbeaten run to 22 games, including a 4–2 win over their rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal reached the Europa League final again, but they lost 4–1 to Chelsea. Arsenal finished fifth in the league, just missing out on a Champions League spot.
In the summer of 2019, Emery helped Arsenal sign Nicolas Pépé for a club record fee. He also brought in David Luiz and Kieran Tierney.
On November 29, 2019, Emery was sacked by Arsenal after a series of poor results. His last game was a 2–1 home loss in the Europa League.
Villarreal's European Glory
On July 23, 2020, Emery was announced as the new head coach of Villarreal in La Liga. On December 23, he broke the club record for being unbeaten in 18 matches.
In May 2021, he led Villarreal to their first European final. They beat his former club Arsenal in the semi-finals. On May 26, Villarreal won the Europa League final against Manchester United in a penalty shootout. This was his fourth Europa League win, a new record!
In November 2021, Newcastle United wanted Emery to be their manager, but he said no. He said he was "100% committed" to Villarreal. In the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, he led Villarreal to the semi-finals by beating Juventus and Bayern Munich. They were then knocked out by Liverpool.
Aston Villa's Rise
2022–23: From Danger to Europe
On October 24, 2022, Emery became the head coach of Aston Villa. Villa had only won two of their first eleven games and were close to the relegation zone. On November 6, Emery won his first match in charge with a 3–1 win over Manchester United. This was Villa's first home Premier League win against United since 1995!
Under Emery, Villa won fifteen of their twenty-five league games. They earned 49 points out of a possible 75. Only Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Liverpool got more points during that time. In April 2023, Emery won the Premier League Manager of the Month award.
A 1–1 draw with Liverpool on May 20 meant Villa finished ninth, their highest finish in the Premier League since the 2010–11 season. Villa secured 7th place, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Europa Conference League. This was the club's first time in European football since 2010–11. Many people praised Emery for how quickly he changed Villa.
2023–24: Champions League Dream
In the summer of 2023, Aston Villa made big changes. Monchi, who worked with Emery before, joined as President of Football Operations. Villa signed Pau Torres from Villarreal and Moussa Diaby for a club record fee.
After a big 5–1 loss to Newcastle United in their first game of the 2023–24 season, Emery led Villa to their highest Premier League points total after 19 games. Villa won all their first eight home games of the season, a first since 1932–33! A 1–0 win against Arsenal on December 9 meant they had won fifteen home league games in a row, a club record! Emery was named Premier League Manager of the Month for December 2023.
In the Conference League, Villa beat Ajax and Lille to reach a European semi-final for the first time since 1982. On April 23, Emery extended his contract until 2027. He led the club to a 4th-place finish in the league, which means they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1982–83! On May 27, 2024, Emery extended his contract again, this time until 2029.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Lorca Deportiva | 21 December 2004 | 22 June 2006 | 70 | 34 | 16 | 20 | 48.57 | |
| Almería | 22 June 2006 | 22 May 2008 | 84 | 39 | 20 | 25 | 46.43 | |
| Valencia | 22 May 2008 | 14 May 2012 | 220 | 107 | 58 | 55 | 48.64 | |
| Spartak Moscow | 14 May 2012 | 25 November 2012 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 46.15 | |
| Sevilla | 14 January 2013 | 12 June 2016 | 205 | 106 | 43 | 56 | 51.71 | |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 28 June 2016 | 14 May 2018 | 114 | 87 | 15 | 12 | 76.32 | |
| Arsenal | 23 May 2018 | 29 November 2019 | 78 | 43 | 16 | 19 | 55.13 | |
| Villarreal | 23 July 2020 | 25 October 2022 | 129 | 66 | 32 | 31 | 51.16 | |
| Aston Villa | 1 November 2022 | Present | 115 | 60 | 22 | 33 | 52.17 | |
| Total | 1,041 | 554 | 226 | 261 | 53.22 | — | ||
Honours and Awards
Manager
Sevilla
- UEFA Europa League: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1: 2017–18
- Coupe de France: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Coupe de la Ligue: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Trophée des Champions: 2016, 2017
Arsenal
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19
Villarreal
- UEFA Europa League: 2020–21
Individual Awards
- Miguel Muñoz Trophy (Segunda División): 2005–06, 2006–07
- La Liga Manager of the Month: March 2014, January 2015, January 2016
- UNFP Manager of the Year: 2017–18
- Globe Soccer Awards Coach Career Award: 2022
- Premier League Manager of the Month: April 2023, December 2023
See also
In Spanish: Unai Emery para niños
- List of UEFA Cup and Europa League winning managers
