Classic Luis Enrique vs Unai Emery encounters: La Remontada, a Super Cup thriller and a Villa fightback vs Paris

This season’s UEFA Super Cup between Luis Enrique's two-time Champions League winning Paris Saint-Germain and Unai Emery’s Europa League-holding Aston Villa will mark the second time the two coaches have met in the competition, and will be their 13th encounter overall.

The pair - both from northern Spain - share a history stretching all the way back to 2013, which is built on mutual respect and admiration.

We pick out a selection of the most memorable matches from down the years between two true managerial heavyweights.

Barcelona 5-4aet Sevilla (UEFA Super Cup, 11/08/2015)

Here's hoping this year's Super Cup final is as entertaining as the one in 2015, when Luis Enrique's Barcelona pipped Emery's Sevilla in a scintillating match in Tbilisi. Lionel Messi netted two free kicks as Barça raced into a 4-1 lead before José Antonio Reyes pulled one back, Kevin Gameiro scored a penalty and substitute Yevhen Konoplyanka equalised to take it to extra time. Luis Enrique then sent on Pedro Rodríguez, who nabbed the winner with five minutes to go.

Paris 4-0 Barcelona (UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, 14/02/2017)

Emery’s Paris produced a shock first-leg result against Luis Enrique's all-star Barcelona side to leave this tie seemingly all but over. It was a clinical finishing display from Ángel Di María, who scored two, while further goals from Julian Draxler and Edinson Cavani rounded off a remarkable night for the Parisiens. Emery got the better of Luis Enrique for just the second time in their careers up to that point, and for the first time in Europe.

Barcelona 6-1 Paris (agg 6-5, UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg, 08/03/2017)

A game so iconic it received its own nickname: La Remontada (The Comeback). Barcelona pulled off the biggest recovery in the history of the Champions League, clawing back the four-goal first-leg deficit to progress in the most dramatic fashion. Luis Suárez's early opener at Camp Nou offered a glimmer of hope, and by the 50th minute the hosts were 3-0 up.

Edinson Cavani’s 62nd-minute strike appeared to have settled Paris nerves, but two late Neymar goals left Barça searching for one more which would overcome their away goals deficit. Deep into stoppage time, latching on to a Neymar free-kick, La Masia graduate Sergi Roberto provided it, sparking delirium and sending his side into the quarter-finals.

Paris 3-1 Aston Villa (UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg, 09/04/2025)

In their first meeting since that unforgettable night in Catalonia, Emery's Villa were looking to cause an upset against a Paris team now managed by Luis Enrique. Morgan Rogers' opener got them off to a good start, but Désiré Doué's curling effort four minutes later was followed by a sharp Khvicha Kvaratskhelia finish to turn the game around. Nuno Mendes rounded off an impressive display with a tap-in finish in stoppage time to leave Villa with a mountain to climb in the return in Birmingham.

Aston Villa 3-2 Paris (agg 4-5, UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg, 15/04/2024)

A bullish Emery said his side were chasing "comeback history" in the second leg, but after early Paris goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, that seemed improbable. However, a Youri Tielemans goal before the break reduced the deficit, and after half-time John McGinn brought Villa level on the night before Ezri Konsa prodded home to spark belief that Emery could be about to have his own 'Remontada' against Luis Enrique.

Only two huge saves from Gianluigi Donnarumma to deny Marcus Rashford and Paris loanee Marco Asensio kept Villa at bay and set Luis Enrique's outfit on their way to European glory, as they went on to beat Arsenal and Inter to win their first Champions League title.

What the two coaches say about each other

Luis Enrique on Emery

"Unai Emery and I have shared many things in the football [world], and it would be great to [have] that again. He is absolutely one of the top managers on the whole planet. He has won a lot of trophies and has a lot of experience.

"Ultimately, every manager has their own style and way of managing their squad. Emery is an expert on player performance. How do you do that? I think it has a lot to do with each person's philosophy.

"We built our friendship through our clashes. It's a joy to know that you're going to meet one of the coaches with the greatest European career. He's a coach who takes care of his work. Aston Villa have improved under Emery."

Unai Emery and Luis Enrique provide instructions during their time at Paris and Barcelona respectively UEFA via Getty Images

Emery on Luis Enrique

"His career as a manager has run very much parallel to my own. He was at the helm during one of Barcelona’s most successful periods, and now, of all the managers who have been at Paris, he is the one achieving the greatest consistency and the greatest success. So, I think Luis Enrique has such a defined personality.

"He is so distinctive, so very deliberate, and his team are just like him: winners. And he's doing a job that, right now, we can only try to match - from my perspective, based on what I analyse, observe and am able to assess. I think that alongside [Pep] Guardiola, right now Luis Enrique is the world's number one manager."