Unai Emery in the UEFA Europa League: Records, finals, quotes

He's done it again. Unai Emery's love affair with the UEFA Europa League continued as he guided Aston Villa to a 3-0 win over Freiburg in the 2026 final in Istanbul.

Here, we take a detailed look at the Spanish tactician's extraordinary, unprecedented record in this competition.

Key stats

Major titles excludes the Super Cup/Intertoto Cup

• This was Emery's fifth Europa League victory as a coach. Diego Simeone is the only other coach to have won it more than once in the Europa League era, triumphing twice with Atlético de Madrid.
• Emery has won the tournament with three different teams: Sevilla (three times), Villarreal and Villa.
• Giovanni Trapattoni, José Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti are the only other coaches to win five major continental titles, although unlike those three Emery is yet to win a European Cup/Champions League.
• Emery has participated in six Europa League finals. Only Ancelotti, Sir Alex Ferguson, Mourinho and Trapattoni have been in as many major continental showpieces.
• Emery's overall record in the Europa League is as follows: P109 W70 D23 L16. He has a win percentage of 64.2%.

The finals

2013/14: Sevilla 0-0 Benfica (aet, Sevilla win 4-2 on penalties), Turin

The final that started Emery's love affair with this competition was a tight, cagey affair which required a penalty shoot-out to settle matters after a goalless 120 minutes.

Sevilla goalkeeper Beto proved the hero, saving two Benfica spot kicks to allow Kevin Gameiro to stroke in the winner and hand Emery his maiden European title.

2014/15: Dnipro 2-3 Sevilla, Warsaw

It was two in a row for Emery and Sevilla in Poland in a far more free-flowing, entertaining contest.

The teams went in 2-2 at the break following a breathless first half, and Colombian forward Carlos Bacca proved to be the match winner for the Andalusians in the second period as he latched onto a through ball and thumped emphatically past the goalkeeper in the 74th minute for his second of the game.

2015/16: Liverpool 1-3 Sevilla, Basel

The triumph against Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool was arguably Sevilla and Emery's most impressive success as they continued their reign as Europa League kings.

Like against Dnipro they initially fell behind, but sealed a stunning comeback in the second half, Gameiro equalising just 17 seconds after the restart following a lightning break before Coke curled in first time and then fired home from close range.

2018/19: Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal, Baku

Emery's one final defeat in this competition was a resounding one during his brief spell at Arsenal against Chelsea in Azerbaijan.

After a close first half, the Gunners were 3-0 down by the 66th minute courtesy of goals from former Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, Pedro Rodríguez and Eden Hazard. Alex Iwobi did pull one back with 20 minutes to go, but Hazard scored a penalty shortly afterwards to end hopes of a comeback.

2020/21: Villarreal 1-1 Man United (aet, Villarreal win 11-10 on penalties), Gdansk

Even Emery, who might have thought he had seen it all in the Europa League, may have been stunned by Villarreal's mammoth penalty shoot-out win in Poland.

After Edinson Cavani cancelled out Gerard Moreno's opener for the Yellow Submarine the game went to spot kicks, and incredibly the first 20 were converted before Villarreal goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli smashed his effort beyond United's David de Gea and then dived to his left to save from the same player and seal his team's first major trophy.

2025/26: Freiburg 0-3 Aston Villa, Istanbul

Emery's training ground work was in evidence as Youri Tielemans put Villa ahead following an elaborately-worked corner and they hit a second before the break, Emiliano Buendía making a gloriously clean connection with John McGinn's ball.

First-time European finalists Freiburg did their best to stand up to the Premier League side, but Morgan Rogers' finish on 58 minutes ensured that there was no way back for the German side.

Unai Emery (right) celebrates Villa's third against FreiburgAFP via Getty Images

What the players say about Emery

John McGinn, Aston Villa captain: "His drive to succeed, and the hours he puts into the most minute of details to give us the best possible chance to win a game, is something I've never seen before. There's no surprise he's achieved so much in his career. There's obviously times he gets emotional because he wants to win, but just his determination and drive – to not only be successful for himself, but for this club – is quite inspirational."

Nicolas Jackson, ex-Villarreal forward: "Unai taught me everything. When I came from Senegal I knew how to play, but I didn't understand how to run on the pitch without dribbling and doing my own stuff. He changed all that and made me a different kind of player. I was more like a kid before, but he changed me, and he was key to my football now.

Ivan Rakitić, ex-Sevilla midfielder: "Unai is a guy who lives his... I don't want to say 'job', because I don't think he looks at it like a job. It's his world. He lives football 24 hours a day for the whole year. He is able to transmit so many things to his players. He's one of the most important coaches I've had. It was a shame to be with him for only one and a half years, because he is a coach to enjoy in every moment, at every training session."

What Emery says about his success

"Europe means a great deal to me. First, out of gratitude to European football and, above all, to the clubs where I've been able to compete. With Valencia, I started in the UEFA Cup, where we reached two quarter-finals and a semi-final. At Sevilla, I understood what the Europa League represented for the club and the fans. They instilled that competitive spirit in me, and we won it three times.

"Winning that final against Manchester United was magnificent, because it was one of the best United teams ever. I also learned from defeats, like the final against Chelsea with Arsenal. All those experiences have helped me grow, not only in the Europa League, but also in the Conference and the Champions League.

"I've been competing in Europe for 18 consecutive years across all three competitions. It's given me a wealth of competitive experience. I've learned to compete better and to handle high-pressure situations."