Unai Emery

Footballer

Unai Emery is one of the most successful managers in European football history, holding the record for the most UEFA Europa League titles with five.

Emery comes from a footballing family, with both his father and grandfather having played as goalkeepers.

During his playing career, Emery made only five appearances in La Liga but played over 200 matches in the Segunda División.

Based on: Wikipedia

Biography

Early Life

Unai Emery Etxegoien was born in Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, in the Basque Country of Spain. Growing up in a footballing family, both his father and grandfather were goalkeepers, with his father Juan playing for several clubs in the second tier, and his grandfather Antonio competing at the top level with Real Unión. Emery himself was a youth graduate of Real Sociedad, where he began his playing career as a left-sided midfielder. Despite a promising start, he only made a handful of appearances for the first team before moving on to various clubs in the Segunda División.

Playing Career

Emery's playing career spanned from 1990 to 2004, during which he played for clubs such as Real Sociedad B, CD Toledo, and Lorca Deportiva CF. He amassed a total of 215 matches and scored nine goals, primarily in the Segunda División. His playing days came to an end at the age of 32 after a season with Lorca Deportiva, where he transitioned into management following a serious knee injury.

Managerial Career

Emery's managerial journey began at Lorca, where he led the team to its first-ever promotion to the second division and earned the Miguel Muñoz Trophy as coach of the season. He then moved to Almería, achieving another promotion and a commendable eighth-place finish in La Liga. His success continued at Valencia, Sevilla, and Paris Saint-Germain, where he became renowned for his tactical acumen, particularly in European competitions. Notably, he holds the record for the most UEFA Europa League titles, with five to his name. As of now, he is the manager of Aston Villa and a majority shareholder of Real Unión, where his family remains deeply involved in the club's operations.

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Gallery

Career & Clubs

Playing career

Emery, a left-sided midfielder, was a youth graduate of Real Sociedad, but never really broke into the first team (aged 24 he appeared in five La Liga games, scoring against Albacete in an 8–1 home win). After that, he resumed his career mostly in the Segunda División, amassing totals of 215 matches and nine goals over seven seasons. He retired with Lorca Deportiva at the age of 32, after one season in Segunda División B. In 2002, he signed for Burgos but was one of several players released before making a single competitive appearance due to lack of funds.

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Managerial career

Lorca and Almería

Emery suffered a serious knee injury while at Lorca in the 2004–05 season, and he was offered the vacant coach's position by the club president. He immediately helped the club achieve promotion to the second division for the first time in its history, as well as beating top-level side Málaga in the Copa del Rey. He was subsequently awarded the Miguel Muñoz Trophy as coach of the season. In his second season, the Murcians' first ever in the second division, the team finished fifth with 69 points, only five points off promotion to the top flight; they suffered relegation in 2007, after Emery's departure. Emery then moved to Almería in division two, and again helped his squad overachieve: after guiding them to a first ever promotion in 2007, the Andalusian side finished eighth in La Liga in 2007–08. This prompted a move to Valencia, where he succeeded Ronald Koeman as coach.

Valencia

In 2008–09, his first season with Los Che, Emery led them to a sixth-place finish, with subsequent qualification to the UEFA Europa League, in spite of the club's serious financial problems. The team reached the Round of 32 in the UEFA Cup, losing on away goals after a 3–3 aggregate draw against Dynamo Kyiv, and the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, exiting against Sevilla. In 2009–10, Emery led Valencia to third place, so the club returned to the UEFA Champions League after two years. After dropping down to Europa League (previously known as UEFA Cup), they…

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Club: Lorca Deportiva CF (2003–2004)
Club: Real Sociedad B (1990–1995)
Club: Real Sociedad (1995–1996)
Club: CD Leganés (2002–2003)
Club: Racing Club de Ferrol (2000–2002)
Club: CD Toledo (1996–2000)

Personal

Early and personal life

Emery was born in Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain. He is a native speaker of the Basque language. His father and grandfather, named Juan and Antonio respectively, were also footballers, both goalkeepers. The former appeared for several clubs in the second tier including Real Unión, while the latter competed with that club in the top division. Emery's uncle, Román, played as a midfielder. In July 2021, the Emery family completed a takeover of Real Unión, and his brother Igor became club president. Emery's wife is Luisa Fernández. Their son Lander, also a goalkeeper, played for Aston Villa's Under-21s team between January 2024 and July 2025 and currently plays for Real Unión – the third member of the Emery family to wear the goalkeeper jersey for the club.

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Legacy

Honours

Manager

Sevilla

UEFA Europa League: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16 Paris Saint-Germain

Ligue 1: 2017–18 Coupe de France: 2016–17, 2017–18 Coupe de la Ligue: 2016–17, 2017–18 Trophée des Champions: 2016, 2017 Arsenal

UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2018–19 Villarreal

UEFA Europa League: 2020–21 Aston Villa

UEFA Europa League: 2025–26 Individual

Miguel Muñoz Trophy (Segunda División): 2005–06, 2006–07 La Liga Manager of the Month: March 2014, January 2015, January 2016 UNFP Manager of the Year: 2017–18 Globe Soccer Awards Coach Career Award: 2022 Premier League Manager of the Month: April 2023, December 2023, December 2025

▸ Source: Wikipedia

Clubs

Played together with

Discussion

Opinions of fans — not verified facts.

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