Emery eyes fifth Europa crown but denies being 'king' of competition
A fifth Europa League title is within his grasp - and with it he would cement his legacy at Aston Villa . Emery's four Europa League crowns are already a competition record.
A fifth Europa League title is within his grasp - and with it he would cement his legacy at Aston Villa . Emery's four Europa League crowns are already a competition record. Freiburg stand in the way on Wednesday, in what is his sixth European final.
Only former AC Milan, Juventus and Bayern Munich boss Giovanni Trapattoni has managed more, with seven. He has guided Villa to their first European final for 44 years, since they lifted the European Cup, and to the brink of ending a 30-year trophy drought. The 54-year-old arrived at Villa in October 2022 declaring he had joined to win silverware.
In Istanbul, that wait could end. How would Aston Villa winning Europa League impact Champions League places? At Besiktas Park on Wednesday, Emery will stand on the touchline for his sixth Europa League final in 12 years.
He lost the 2019 final to Chelsea while at Arsenal , where his 18-month reign was seen as a failure. But he has more triumphs in the competition than any other manager; three with Sevilla - in 2014, 2015 and 2016 - when they beat Liverpool - before a penalty shootout victory over Manchester United with Villarreal in 2021. Emery, though, insists that will mean nothing come kick-off against their Bundesliga rivals.