Unai Emery
|
Emery with Sevilla in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Unai Emery Etxegoien | ||
| Date of birth | 3 November 1971 | ||
| Place of birth | Hondarribia, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Aston Villa (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1986–1990 | Real Sociedad | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1995 | Real Sociedad B | 89 | (8) |
| 1995–1996 | Real Sociedad | 5 | (1) |
| 1996–2000 | Toledo | 126 | (2) |
| 2000–2002 | Racing Ferrol | 61 | (7) |
| 2002–2003 | Leganés | 28 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Lorca Deportiva | 30 | (1) |
| Total | 339 | (18) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2004–2006 | Lorca Deportiva | ||
| 2006–2008 | Almería | ||
| 2008–2012 | Valencia | ||
| 2012 | Spartak Moscow | ||
| 2013–2016 | Sevilla | ||
| 2016–2018 | Paris Saint-Germain | ||
| 2018–2019 | Arsenal | ||
| 2020–2022 | Villarreal | ||
| 2022– | Aston Villa | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Unai Emery Etxegoien (born 3 November 1971) is a Spanish football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Aston Villa. He is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the world.
After a career spent playing mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coaching after retiring in 2004. He began at Lorca Deportiva, where he achieved promotion to the Segunda División in his first season. He then joined Almería, whom he led to promotion to La Liga for the first time in the club's history. He subsequently moved to Valencia, leading the team to top-three finishes. After his contract wasn't renewed at Valencia, he moved to Spartak Moscow for six months but was sacked due to poor performance, before moving to Sevilla in 2013, where he won an unprecedented three consecutive Europa Leagues.
Emery moved to French club Paris Saint-Germain in 2016. There, he won a Ligue 1 title, two Coupe de France titles, two Coupe de la Ligues, and two Trophée des Champions, including a domestic quadruple in his second season. After the expiry of his contract, Emery was appointed as head coach of English club Arsenal in 2018, succeeding Arsène Wenger. He finished Europa League runner-up in his first season, before being dismissed in November 2019. He was hired by Villarreal in July 2020, where he won the Europa League in his first season and guided the club to a Champions League semi-final run in the following season. In October 2022, he returned to the Premier League to manage Aston Villa and guided them to a UEFA Conference League semi-final in 2024 and the Champions League quarter-finals a year later after successfully finishing in the top 4 of the Premier League.