Unai Emery promises more trophies after Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph
Unai Emery has vowed that this will not be the last trophy for Aston Villa in his tenure after achieving his “dream” of leading the club to European glory.
“My dream when I arrived here was play in Europe, play for a trophies,” he said. “This is the first one we are achieving, we played a semi final before and the experiences we are having like today is important with how we can get better.
“It makes sense with this club because after 1982 this club won the European Cup. Achieving this one that makes us so happy and proud of the way we are working but we are not going to stop.”
Emery added a fifth European title to his collection (PA Wire)
Harry Latham-Coyle21 May 2026 09:50
The morning after the night before
Aston Villa players, coaches and fans will be waking up this morning knowing that their side are now European champions
Luke Baker21 May 2026 09:25
Aston Villa to celebrate Europa League triumph with open-top bus parade through Birmingham
An open-top bus victory parade will take place through Birmingham city centre in celebration of Aston Villa’s Europa League final win in Istanbul.
Aston Villa said the parade, featuring three buses, will begin on Branston Street in the Jewellery Quarter at 4.30pm on Thursday before covering a 4.5km route.
Harry Latham-Coyle21 May 2026 09:06
The Unai Emery Europa League record that puts him alongside pantheon of managerial greats
Unai Emery has joined an elite group of European managers after guiding Aston Villa to Europa League success.
The Spaniard became only the fourth manager to win five European trophies after Giovanni Trapattoni, Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Mourinho, with only Ancelotti having done so all int he same competition
Here is how Emery did it:
Luke Baker21 May 2026 08:55
How many English teams will play in next season’s Champions League after Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph?
The Premier League is guaranteed to have five teams in next season’s Champions League due to being one of the top two European leagues with the highest Uefa coefficient.
However, there could now be six English teams in next season’s competition following Aston Villa’s win over Freiburg in the Europa League final. If Villa finish fifth in the Premier League, this will mean that sixth place also qualifies for the Champions League.
Bournemouth currently occupy sixth place in the table, and they are three points clear of Brighton, albeit with an inferior goal difference.
However, if Villa finish fourth, only the top five will qualify for the Champions League, with sixth and seventh settling for Europa League and eighth place going into the Conference League.
(PA)
Luke Baker21 May 2026 08:37
Unai Emery is now a five-time Europa League winner – the undisputed king of Europe’s second-tier competition.
He’s the second manager to win a major European competition five times after quintuple Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti.
(PA)
Luke Baker21 May 2026 08:20
Aston Villa end decades long wait for major trophy with Europa League victory
After falling short in the Conference League semi-finals and Champions League last-eight over recent times, Unai Emery brought European success back to Villa Park at the third time of asking.
The Prince of Wales was in attendance to witness Villa’s first European final since he was born, and watched his beloved side win their first silverware since the League Cup in 1996.
Mike Jones21 May 2026 08:00
WATCH:Prince William erupts in celebration as Aston Villa score during Europa League final
Prince William was happy to let any sense of royal decorum go out the window as he celebrated one of the goals from his beloved Aston Villa
Prince William erupts in celebration as Aston Villa score during Europa League final
Luke Baker21 May 2026 07:34
The huge problem for Uefa with English domination of Europe
As tends to be the case with Unai Emery in the Europa League, his team are coming into form at exactly the right time. An often laborious 2026 for Aston Villa has suddenly enjoyed release. Working on limited resources relative to the top of the Premier League, Emery has got it close to spot on. Villa are suddenly flying just before their biggest game in 44 years.
Miguel Delaney21 May 2026 07:00
How many English teams will play in next season’s Champions League?
The Premier League is guaranteed to have five teams in next season’s Champions League due to being one of the top two European leagues with the highest Uefa coefficient.
However, there could now be six English teams in next season’s competition following Aston Villa’s win over Freiburg in the Europa League final.
Mike Jones21 May 2026 06:00