Unai Emery Biography: Parents, Age, Salary, Net Worth, Spouse, Statistics, Nationality, Children, Wikipedia, Photos

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

He is one of the most successful coaches in Europa League history, winning this tournament four times with Sevilla and Villarreal.

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

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  • Full name: Unai Emery Etxegoien
  • Date of birth: November 3, 1971
  • Age: 52 years old
  • male
  • Place of birth: Hondarribia, Spain
  • Nationality: Spanish
  • Occupation: Soccer coach
  • 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, 52 years old, was born on November 3, 1971 in Hondarribia, Basque country near the French border.

He is a native Basque speaker. 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 professional soccer.

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

He played as a left winger but never established himself in the first team, only appearing 5 times in La Liga and scoring 1 goal.

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

Emery only has a formal education at the high school level, but he is always interested in learning and improving himself.

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

Personal life

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

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

Career

Unai Emery began his coaching career in 2004 when he was offered the vacant coaching position at Lorca Deportiva, the club where he played his final season as a professional.

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

He then moved to Almería in 2006, where he achieved another notable achievement: he led the club to promotion to the top league for the first time in its history and he also finished in the top 5. a respectable eighth in their first 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 coach in 2008.

He spent four seasons at 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 Europa League.

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

Emery left Valencia in 2012, and he had a short 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 at Sevilla, the club where he would achieve his greatest glory.

He turned Sevilla into a European powerhouse, winning three consecutive Europa League titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016. He also reached the Copa del Rey final twice, losing both times to Barcelona.

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

Emery’s remarkable achievements at Sevilla earned him a move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2016, where he faced a new challenge: dominating French football and making PSG contenders for the Champions League title. League.

He has had success before, winning one Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligue and two Trophée des Champions, including a domestic quadruple in his second season .

However, he failed in the latter stages as PSG were eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 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- loss. 1 loss to Real Madrid in 2018

He also had to deal with the egos and power struggles of several 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 was appointed head coach of Arsenal, succeeding legendary Arsène Wenger, who had been with the club for 22 years.

England face a difficult task, having to rebuild a team that has fallen behind the top English and European clubs, while also having to deal with high expectations and criticism. impatience of fans and media.

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

However, he also missed out on qualifying for the Champions League 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-match winless streak, their worst run since 1992, and he was sacked in November 2019, when the club was in eighth place, 19 points behind leading team Liverpool and 8 points behind the top team. four.

Villarreal hired Emery in July 2020, where he has returned to his best form and his favorite league. 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 the semi-finals of the Champions League the following season, where they were eliminated by eventual winners Chelsea.

He left Villarreal in October 2022 and returned to the Premier League to coach Aston Villa, where he impressed with his results and playing style.

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

Prize

Unai Emery has won many awards and honors throughout his managerial career, both individually and collectively.

Some of the most notable are:

  • 4 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).
  • A Ligue 1 Manager of the Year award (2018 with PSG).
  • One Europa League Coach of the Season award (2021 with Villarreal).

Argumentative

Unai Emery has never been involved in any major controversies or scandals in his career. However, he still faces criticism and challenges from former players, fans and the media.

Some of the most notable are:

His relationship with Neymar at PSG was tense and problematic, with the Brazilian star often disobeying instructions and undermining 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 had to give him some privileges and freedoms to keep him happy and motivated.

Poor results, inconsistent performances, defensive weaknesses, lack of identity and style as well as fan unrest marred his tenure at Arsenal. He also had problems communicating with 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 bring out the best in some key players, such as Mesut Özil, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette. He was fired after a 1-2 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 fans and the media.

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

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

Social Media

  • Twitter: @UnaiEmery_
  • Instagram: @unaiemery_

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