Unai Emery is a Spanish football manager and former player in charge of the Premier League club Aston Villa.

He is one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Europa League, having won the competition four times with Sevilla and Villarreal.

He has also managed Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, winning domestic titles and cups in France and Spain.

Profile

• Full name: Unai Emery Etxegoien
• Date of birth: November 3, 1971
• Age: 52 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Hondarribia, Spain
• Nationality: Spanish
• Profession: Football manager
• Height: 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
• Parents: Juan and Begoña Emery
• Siblings: Igor and Iñaki Emery
• Spouse: Luisa Fernández
• Children: Lander Emery
• Relationship status: Married
• Net worth: £15 million

Early Life & Education

Unai Emery, now 52 years old, was born on November 3, 1971, in Hondarribia, a Basque Country near France’s border.

He is a native speaker of the Basque language. He comes from a family of footballers, as his father and grandfather, Juan, were goalkeepers who played in the second and first divisions of Spanish football, respectively.

His uncle, Román, was a midfielder, and his brothers, Igor and Iñaki, also played football professionally.

Emery started his football career as a youth player at Real Sociedad, one of the biggest clubs in the Basque Country.

He played as a left-sided midfielder but never established himself in the first team, making only five appearances in La Liga and scoring one goal.

He spent most of his playing days in the second division, representing Real Sociedad B, Toledo, Racing Ferrol, Leganés and Lorca Deportiva. He retired from playing in 2004 32 after suffering a serious knee injury while at Lorca.

Emery only had a formal education in secondary school, but he was always interested in learning and improving himself.

He studied English, French, Russian and Portuguese languages and took courses on psychology, leadership and management.

Personal Life

Unai Emery is married to Luisa Fernández, whom he met in Valencia when he was the local club manager.

They have a son named Lander, who was born in 2006 and is also a goalkeeper. Lander joined Aston Villa’s under-21 team in January 2024 following his father’s move to the Premier League club.

Career

Unai Emery began his managerial career in 2004 when he was offered the vacant coach’s position at Lorca Deportiva, the club where he had played his last season as a professional.

He accepted the challenge and led the team to promotion to the second division in his first season, breaking several records along the way.

He then moved to Almería in 2006, where he achieved another remarkable feat: he guided the club to promotion to the top flight for the first time in its history, and he also secured a respectable eighth-place finish in their debut season in La Liga.

Emery’s success at Almería attracted the attention of Valencia, one of the biggest clubs in Spain, who appointed him as their manager in 2008.

He spent four seasons at the Mestalla, where he established himself as one of the best young coaches in Europe.

He led Valencia to three consecutive third-place finishes in La Liga behind the dominant duo of Barcelona and Real Madrid, and he also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the Europa League.

He developed and improved several players, such as David Villa, David Silva, Juan Mata, Jordi Alba and Roberto Soldado, who became stars in other clubs and national teams.

Emery left Valencia in 2012, and he had a brief and unsuccessful spell at Spartak Moscow, where he was sacked after six months following poor results and a 5-1 defeat to their rivals Dinamo.

He returned to Spain in 2013, when he took over Sevilla, the club where he would achieve his greatest glory.

He transformed Sevilla into a European powerhouse, winning three consecutive Europa League titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He also reached the finals of the Copa del Rey twice, losing to Barcelona on both occasions.

He made Sevilla a competitive and attractive team with a high-intensity and possession-based style of play, and he also signed and nurtured several talented players, such as Carlos Bacca, Kevin Gameiro, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Éver Banega and Vitolo.

Emery’s remarkable record at Sevilla earned him a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, where he faced a new challenge: to dominate French football and make PSG a contender for the Champions League.

He succeeded in the former, winning a Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligue, and two Trophée des Champions, which included a domestic quadruple in his second season.

However, he failed in the latter, as PSG were eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League in both of his seasons, suffering a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2017 after winning the first leg 4-0 and a controversial 2-1 loss to Real Madrid in 2018.

He also had to deal with the egos and the power struggles of some star players, such as Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappé, who often undermined his authority and decisions.

Emery left PSG in 2018 when his contract expired, and he was appointed as the head coach of Arsenal, succeeding the legendary Arsène Wenger, who had been at the club for 22 years.

He faced a difficult task, as he had to rebuild a team that had fallen behind the top clubs in England and Europe, and he had to deal with the high expectations and the impatience of the fans and the media.

He had a promising start, leading Arsenal to a 22-match unbeaten run in his first season and reaching the final of the Europa League, where they lost 4-1 to Chelsea.

However, he also missed the Champions League qualification, as Arsenal finished fifth in the Premier League, two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham.

His second season was a disaster, as Arsenal went on a seven-game winless streak, their worst run since 1992, and he was sacked in November 2019, with the club in eighth position, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool and eight points off the top four.

Villarreal hired Emery in July 2020, where he returned to his best form and his favourite competition. He led Villarreal to their first major trophy, winning the Europa League in his first season, beating Manchester United on penalties in the final.

He also guided the club to a Champions League semi-final run in the following season, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Chelsea.

He left Villarreal in October 2022 and returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa, where he has impressed with his results and style of play.

He has guided Aston Villa to qualification for the UEFA Conference League and made some smart signings, such as Wilfried Zaha, Boubacar Kamara and Elisa Ceñal.

Awards

Unai Emery has won several awards and accolades throughout his managerial career, individually and collectively.

Some of the most notable ones are:

• Four Europa League titles (2014, 2015, 2016 with Sevilla; 2021 with Villarreal).
• One Ligue 1 title (2018 with PSG)
• Two Coupe de France titles (2017, 2018 with PSG).
• Two Coupe de la Ligue titles (2017, 2018 with PSG).
• Two Trophée des Champions titles (2016, 2017 with PSG).
• One UEFA Super Cup title (2014 with Sevilla).
• One FIFA Club World Cup title (2014 with Sevilla).
• Three La Liga Manager of the Month awards (September 2014, February 2015, March 2015 with Sevilla).
• One Ligue 1 Manager of the Year award (2018 with PSG).
• One Europa League Coach of the Season award (2021 with Villarreal).

Controversy

Unai Emery has not been involved in any major controversy or scandal in his career. Still, he has faced criticism and challenges from former players, fans and media.

Some of the most notable ones are:

His relationship with Neymar at PSG was tense and problematic, as the Brazilian star often disobeyed his instructions and undermined his authority. Neymar also clashed with Emery over his role, tactics, penalty duties, and injury management.

Emery admitted that he had to adapt to Neymar’s personality and preferences and that he had to give him some privileges and freedom to keep him happy and motivated.

Poor results, inconsistent performances, defensive frailties, lack of identity and style, and fan unrest marred his tenure at Arsenal. He also had a communication issue with the players and the media, as his English could have been more fluent and clear.

He was accused of being too pragmatic, too cautious, too rigid and too indecisive in his approach. He also failed to get the best out of some of the key players, such as Mesut Özil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. He was sacked after a 2-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League group stage.

His decision to leave Villarreal for Aston Villa in October 2022 was met with mixed reactions from the fans and the media.

Some praised him for taking on a new challenge and a bigger project. In contrast, others criticized him for being disloyal and ungrateful to the club, which allowed him to revive his career and win his fourth Europa League title.

He also faced backlash from the Villarreal players, who felt betrayed and disappointed by his departure.

Social Media

• Twitter: @UnaiEmery_
• Instagram: @unaiemery_

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