Unai Emery has secured his fifth Europa League Trophy at Aston Villa. The 3-0 Triump over Freiburg ended the Premier League side 30-year wait for a major Trophy.
Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendía and Morgan Rogers sealed victory for Villa in a memorable night that further strengthened manager Unai Emery’s reputation as one of Europe’s most successful coaches who is nicknamed “Mr Europa League”
The Spanish coach has now reached six major European finals and secured victory in five of them.
Speaking after the match, Emery praised the support of the club’s ownership and credited the players for embracing the club’s ambitions.
“All the times I am successful in this competition, I needed good players. I am thankful because they are following our ambitions,” he said.
Villa’s latest success represents another major step in the club’s resurgence under Emery, who took charge in November 2022 with the club battling near the Premier League relegation zone.
Since then, he has transformed the Midlands side into top-four contenders and now guided them to European success.
The trophy also ended a lengthy drought for Villa supporters, with the club’s last major title coming in 1996 when they won the League.
Prince William, a well-known Aston Villa fan was seen celebrating after the final whistle while Manchester United Loanee, Jason Sancho basked in the sunlight of the celebrations too.
Club officials are also expected to stage a victory parade in Birmingham as fans celebrate a historic moment for the club.
Despite the achievement, Emery insisted Aston Villa’s ambitions remain higher.
“After 1982 the club won the European Cup, supporters were missing a trophy. Achieving this makes us very happy, but we are not going to stop,” he said.
