Unai Emery facts for kids
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Emery with Sevilla in 2016
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Unai Emery Etxegoien | ||
| Date of birth | 3 November 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Hondarribia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
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) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 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 | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Unai Emery Etxegoien (born November 3, 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. Many people consider him one of the best football managers in the world.
Emery spent most of his playing career in Spain's second division. After he stopped playing in 2004, he became a coach. He started at Lorca Deportiva, where he helped the team get promoted in his first year. He then moved to Almería and led them to play in La Liga for the first time ever. Later, he coached Valencia, guiding them to finish in the top three.
After Valencia, he had a short time at Spartak Moscow. Then, in 2013, he joined Sevilla. There, he made history by winning the UEFA Europa League three times in a row!
In 2016, Emery moved to French club Paris Saint-Germain. He won a league title, two French Cups, two League Cups, and two French Super Cups. 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 reached the Europa League final in his first season.
He was hired by Villarreal in July 2020. He won the Europa League with them in his first season. The team also reached the Champions League semi-finals the next year. In October 2022, he returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa. He helped them finish in the top four of the Premier League, which meant they qualified for the Champions League.
Contents
- Early Life and Family
- Playing Career
- Managerial Career
- Managerial Statistics
- Honours and Awards
- Images for kids
- See also
Early Life and Family
Unai Emery was born in Hondarribia, a town in the Basque Country, Spain. He speaks the Basque 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 July 2021, Emery's family took over the club Real Unión. His brother, Igor, became the club president. Unai Emery is married to Luisa Fernández. Their son, Lander, is also a goalkeeper. He played for Aston Villa's Under-21s team and now plays for Real Unión. He is the third person in the Emery family to be a goalkeeper for that club.
Playing Career
Emery played as a left-sided midfielder. He started his youth career at Real Sociedad. However, he did not play much for their main team. He played in five La Liga games when he was 24 years old.
After that, he mostly played in the Segunda División, which is Spain's second division. He played 215 matches and scored nine goals over seven seasons. He stopped playing football at age 32 while he was with Lorca Deportiva.
Managerial Career
Starting Out: Lorca and Almería
Unai Emery got a serious knee injury while playing for Lorca in the 2004–05 season. The club president then offered him the job of coach. He immediately helped the club get promoted to the second division for the first time ever. They also beat a top-level team, Málaga, in the Spanish Cup. He even won an award for being the best coach of the season.
In his second season, Lorca finished fifth in the second division. They were very close to getting promoted to the top league. After that, Emery moved to Almería in the second division. He helped them get promoted to La Liga for the first time in 2007. Almería then finished eighth in La Liga in the 2007–08 season. Because of this success, Emery moved to Valencia to become their new coach.
Valencia: Top Finishes
In his first season with Valencia (2008–09), Emery led them to finish sixth. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Europa League. The club had some financial problems, but Emery still managed to get good results.
In the 2009–10 season, Emery guided Valencia to third place in La Liga. This meant the club returned to the UEFA Champions League after two years. In May 2010, he signed a new contract to stay for another year.
For the 2010–11 season, Valencia sold two of their best players, David Villa and David Silva. Even without them, the team started strong. They won five of their first six league games. They also started their Champions League journey with a big 4–0 win. In the end, the team finished third in the league again, qualifying for the Champions League.
Emery left Valencia in June 2012. He had helped them finish third in the league for three seasons in a row. This ensured Valencia would play in the Champions League again.
Spartak Moscow: A Short Stay
On May 13, 2012, Unai Emery was announced as the new coach for Spartak Moscow in Russia. However, his time there was short. On November 25, he was fired after only six months because of poor results. His last game was a big 5–1 loss at home.
Sevilla: Europa League King
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Emery returned to Spanish football on January 14, 2013, to coach 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 for a second time. 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 the 2015–16 season, Emery led Sevilla to seventh place in the league. 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: Domestic Dominance
On June 28, 2016, Emery signed a two-year deal to coach Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. In his first game, his team won 4–1 to lift the French Super Cup.
Emery won his second trophy with PSG on April 1, 2017, beating Monaco 4–1 in the French League Cup final. PSG finished first in their Champions League group. They beat Barcelona 4–0 in the first knockout round. However, they lost 6–1 in the second game and were knocked out.
In the next Champions League season, PSG again finished top of their group. They beat Bayern Munich 3–0. But they were knocked out in the round of 16 by Real Madrid, who went on to win the tournament. In France, PSG won all four domestic trophies: the Super Cup, League Cup, French Cup, and the league title. On April 28, 2018, Emery announced he would leave PSG at the end of the season.
Arsenal: Premier League Challenge
On May 23, 2018, Unai Emery became the head coach of Arsenal in England. He signed a two-year deal. In his first league game, his team lost to Manchester City. After another loss, Arsenal got their first win under Emery on August 25.
After that, Arsenal won 11 games in a row, which was their best run since 2007. They extended their unbeaten run to 22 games. This included a 4–2 win over their rivals, Tottenham Hotspur. However, Arsenal struggled at the end of the season. Emery reached the Europa League final again, but Arsenal lost 4–1 to Chelsea. Arsenal finished fifth in the league, just missing out on a Champions League spot.
On November 29, 2019, Emery was fired by Arsenal after a series of poor results. His last game was a 2–1 loss at home.
Villarreal: Another European Title
On July 23, 2020, Emery was announced as the new head coach of La Liga club Villarreal. He signed a three-year deal. In December, he broke the club record for being unbeaten in 18 matches.
In May 2021, he led Villarreal to their first ever 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 record!
In November 2021, Newcastle United wanted Emery to be their manager. But he said no, stating he was "100% committed" to Villarreal. In the 2021–22 UEFA Champions League, he led Villarreal to the semi-finals. They beat Juventus and Bayern Munich before being knocked out by Liverpool.
Aston Villa: Back to Europe
2022–23: From Relegation to Europe
On October 24, 2022, Emery was appointed as head coach of Aston Villa. The team was struggling in 16th place in the Premier League. Emery officially started on November 1. On November 6, he won his first match in charge with a 3–1 win over Manchester United. This was Villa's first home league win against United since 1995.
Under Emery, Villa won 15 of their 25 league games. Only a few top teams earned more points than Villa after Emery joined. On April 22, 2023, Villa broke a Premier League record for the longest unbeaten run at the start of a manager's time at a club. Emery was named Premier League Manager of the Month for April 2023.
A 1–1 draw with Liverpool on May 20 meant Villa finished ninth in the league. This was their highest finish since the 2010–11 season. Villa then 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. It was also Emery's sixteenth season in a row managing a team in European competitions. Many experts praised Emery for how quickly he changed Villa.
2023–24: Champions League Qualification
In the summer of 2023, Aston Villa made some big changes. They brought in Monchi, a sporting director Emery had worked with before. Villa also signed new players like Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby.
After a tough 5–1 loss 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 of their first eight home games of the season. A 1–0 win against Arsenal on December 9 was their fifteenth home league win in a row. This was the most in the club's 149-year history. Aston Villa won five of seven games in December 2023, including wins against Manchester City and Arsenal. This led to Emery being named Premier League Manager of the Month for the second time.
In the Conference League, Villa beat Ajax 4–0 and then Lille on penalties. This meant they reached 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. This meant Aston Villa qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1982–83 season! On May 27, 2024, Emery extended his contract even further, 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 | 140 | 76 | 25 | 39 | 54.29 | |
| Total | 1,066 | 570 | 229 | 267 | 53.47 | — | ||
Honours and Awards
Unai Emery has won many trophies and awards as a football manager:
Manager
Sevilla
- UEFA Europa League: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 (three times in a row!)
Paris Saint-Germain
- Ligue 1 (French League): 2017–18
- Coupe de France (French Cup): 2016–17, 2017–18
- Coupe de la Ligue (French League Cup): 2016–17, 2017–18
- Trophée des Champions (French Super Cup): 2016, 2017
Arsenal
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19 (finished second)
Villarreal
- UEFA Europa League: 2020–21
Individual Awards
- Miguel Muñoz Trophy (Best Coach in Segunda División): 2005–06, 2006–07
- La Liga Manager of the Month: March 2014, January 2015, January 2016
- UNFP Manager of the Year (Best Manager in France): 2017–18
- Globe Soccer Awards Coach Career Award: 2022
- Premier League Manager of the Month: April 2023, December 2023
Images for kids
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Emery with Sevilla in 2016
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Emery with Almería
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Emery managing Sevilla in 2015
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Emery with Arsenal in 2019
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Emery and Sevilla after winning the UEFA Europa League in 2014
See also
In Spanish: Unai Emery para niños
