Unai Emery Declines King Of The Europa League Tag As Aston Villa Target Fifth Title

Unai Emery plays down talk of being the Europa League king as Aston Villa prepare for a landmark final against Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday, with Emery aiming for a fifth title that would extend an already record-breaking relationship with the competition and bring another major European trophy to Villa Park.

Emery has already lifted the Europa League four times, three with Sevilla in 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16, then again with Villarreal in 2020-21, giving Emery more Europa League titles than any other manager and placing Aston Villa one win from a historic fifth crown under the Spanish coach.

Across Emery’s career, the coach has taken charge of 115 Europa League fixtures, winning 71 of them, which is the highest tally of victories recorded by any manager in this competition, while since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign no club has collected more European wins than Aston Villa, who have achieved 26 under Emery.

If Aston Villa defeat Freiburg in Istanbul, Emery will move level with Giovanni Trapattoni, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho on five major European final successes, placing Emery in a select group of serial continental winners and underlining the scale of what another Europa League title would represent for both Emery and Villa.

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Emery rejects any royal label despite those figures, saying, "I am not a king in this competition," and adding, "I am now here with Aston Villa in a new chapter. Everything I did is done and, of course, it's there in that moment. I need to win [in Turkey] with the players we have now, with Villa now. So now it's a new way, a new moment, and hopefully a new era."

Emery also stressed the mindset needed for Aston Villa to succeed in the Europa League, stating, "If you are not respecting the opponent, you are closer to losing. If you are not respecting Europe, like we did during the process, we are not here. This is the strong mentality we had before. We have a huge challenge, a huge challenge. Are we thinking about the next party on Friday? No, no."

Europa League finals, Aston Villa and managerial milestones

The Freiburg clash will make Emery only the second coach to lead four different clubs in major European finals, after Mourinho, with Emery having previously guided Sevilla, Arsenal and Villarreal into showpiece games, while Mourinho reached finals with Porto, Inter, Manchester United and Roma and won silverware with each of those four teams.

Rafael Benitez and Udo Lattek also sit in this elite company, as both have captured major European trophies with three separate clubs, with Benitez achieving this at Valencia, Liverpool and Chelsea, while Lattek reached the same mark at Bayern Munich, Borussia Monchengladbach and Barcelona, outlining the historical scale of what Emery is attempting with Aston Villa.

Aston Villa, Europa League focus and squad perspective

Quoted by BBC Sport, Tyrone Mings highlighted Emery’s approach, saying, "The manager is somewhat of a European genius, isn't he? He always reiterates the Premier League is the most important thing. We speak about growing the revenues and trying to increase the revenues to compete with the restrictions that are now in place. But he still delivers these amazing European runs, all while focusing on the Premier League. Finding that balance is something the squad and the manager should take a lot of credit for. It's been a special time."

As Aston Villa prepare for Freiburg in Istanbul, Emery’s track record in the Europa League, the pursuit of a fifth European final win and the chance to join Mourinho in leading four clubs to major European deciders all frame a contest where Emery’s focus on respect, balance and a new chapter will define Villa’s push for another continental trophy.