Unai Emery is a Spanish football manager and former player who currently manages Premier League club Aston Villa.
He is one of the most successful coaches in Europa League history, having won the tournament four times with Sevilla and Villarreal.
He also managed Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, winning domestic titles and cups in France and Spain.
File
- Full name: Unai Emery Etxegoien
- Date of birth: November 3, 1971
- Age: 52 years old
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Hondarribia, Spain
- Nationality: Spanish
- Occupation: 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 and education
Unai Emery, now 52, was born on November 3, 1971 in Hondarribia, a Basque region 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.
His uncle, Román, was a midfielder, and his brothers, Igor and Iñaki, also played professional football.
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, making just five La Liga appearances and scoring one goal.
He spent most of his playing career 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 had a formal education in high school, but he was 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 team in January 2024 after his father moved to the Premier League club.
Career
Unai Emery began his managerial career in 2004 when he was offered the coaching job at Lorca Deportiva, the club where he played his final season as a professional player.
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 remarkable feat: he led the club to promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history, and he also secured a respectable eighth place in their first season in La Liga.
Emery’s success at Almería caught the attention of Valencia, one of Spain’s biggest clubs, and they 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 has trained and developed many players, such as David Villa, David Silva, Juan Mata, Jordi Alba and Roberto Soldado, who have gone on to star in other clubs and national teams.
Emery left Valencia in 2012, and had a brief unsuccessful spell at Spartak Moscow, where he was sacked after six months following poor results and a 5–1 defeat to 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 force, 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 transformed Sevilla into a competitive and attractive team with a high-intensity, possession-based style of play, while also signing and developing 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 turning PSG into Champions League contenders.
He was successful in his first spell, winning one Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligue titles and two Trophée des Champions, including a domestic quadruple in his second season.
However, he failed in the latter goal, as PSG were eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League in both of his seasons in charge, suffering a humiliating 6-1 defeat to Barcelona in 2017 after winning the first leg 4-0 and losing controversially 2-1 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 he was appointed head coach of Arsenal, succeeding legendary manager Arsène Wenger, who had been with the club for 22 years.
He faces a daunting task, having to rebuild a team that has fallen behind the top clubs in England and Europe, while also dealing with high expectations and impatience from fans and the media.
He had a promising start, leading Arsenal to a 22-game 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 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 run, their worst run since 1992, and he was sacked in November 2019, with the club eighth, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool and eight points off the top four.
Villarreal hired Emery in July 2020, where he has rediscovered his best form and become a favourite of their opponents. 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 led the club to the semi-finals of the Champions League the following season, where they were eliminated by champions Chelsea.
He left Villarreal in October 2022 and returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa, where he impressed with his results and style of play.
He guided Aston Villa to promotion to the UEFA Conference League and made some smart signings, such as Wilfried Zaha, Boubacar Kamara and Elisa Ceñal.
Prize
Unai Emery has won numerous awards and honours throughout his managerial career, both individually and collectively.
Some of the most notable 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 Coach of the Month awards (September 2014, February 2015, March 2015 with Sevilla).
- One Ligue 1 Coach 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 controversy or scandal in his career. However, he has still faced 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 his 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 freedom to keep him happy and motivated.
Poor results, inconsistent form, weak defence, lack of identity and style, and 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 get the best out of some 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 fans and the media.
Some have praised him for accepting a new challenge and a bigger project, while others have criticised him for being disloyal and ungrateful to the club that 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_
