Aston Villa Win Europa League, Emery Targets More Silverware

Unai Emery wins fifth Europa League as Aston Villa beat Freiburg

After beating Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul, Emery urged Villa to use the trophy as a platform for sustained success in the Premier League and Europe.

Goals from Tielemans, Buendia and Rogers sealed a 3-0 win over Freiburg, giving Villa their first major European trophy since 1982...

Unai Emery said he wants Aston Villa to build on their Europa League final victory over Freiburg and start an ambitious new chapter for the club.

Villa ended a 30-year wait for silverware with a 3-0 win in Istanbul on Wednesday, delivering a confident performance to lift the trophy.

Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia scored superb goals in the first half to put Villa in control. Morgan Rogers added a third after the break to seal the win against an outclassed Freiburg side.

The victory gave Villa their first trophy since the 1996 League Cup and their first major European title in 44 years.

After years of struggle before Emery took over from Steven Gerrard in 2022, Villa are now competing with the top clubs in both the Premier League and in Europe.

They have secured a place in next season’s Champions League, and Emery urged the players and club leadership to match his ambition and keep Villa challenging for trophies.

“I am myself ambitious and of course I need support. The owners, everyone that works in the club. Development is everything,” he said.

“The players are following us. We are doing it together. But we must try to set this ambition, being clear and realistic. As a team, ambitious and improving. This is our next step.

“We are getting stronger but we are trying to be demanding. Next year we will play in Champions League and the Premier League is the most difficult in the world. This is the challenge.”

Emery has now won the Europa League five times. He lifted the trophy three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal before this latest success with Villa.

“It's fantastic. Europe gave us a lot. For myself as well. I'm always very grateful for Europe. For every competition but especially the Europa League,” the Spaniard said.

“The support I had with Valencia, with Sevilla, with Villarreal and here at Villa. We played it in a very serious way this year, so focused.

“Getting this trophy adds experience for us. And those experiences for the players are important. Because we can play next year trying as well to be in contention for trophies.”

'Incredible Pride and Joy' — Following a Club Legend

Villa’s last major European trophy came in 1982, when they beat Bayern Munich to win the European Cup.

By winning in Istanbul, Emery matched Tony Barton as the only Villa managers to claim a major European title. The achievement highlights how far the club has progressed since Emery took charge in 2022, when Villa were fighting against relegation in the Premier League.

“This final is confirmation of how we are progressing. It is very important,” he said.

“Of course my dream was to play in Europe and play to win trophies. We played the Conference League semi-final and Champions League quarter-finals. We were very close.

“This club won the European title in 1982. And again competing for a title in Europe is something which makes sense of everything we are doing.”

On a night to remember by the Bosphorus, Emery and his squad secured their place alongside the 1982 heroes in Villa folklore.

Even so, Emery is not looking to settle for what they have achieved.

“We are improving. We are playing finals. We are winning trophies. I think the brand is increasing,” he said.

"Achieving this makes us so happy and proud. But we are not going to stop.”

Your 2026 Europa League champions, Aston Villa! 🏆🦁#UELfinal pic.twitter.com/mXBT93F3Bh

— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 20, 2026

Freiburg’s first European final ended in disappointment, as the German club continues to wait for its first major trophy.

“At this moment, there is no room for satisfaction. We lost the final,” Freiburg boss Julian Schuster said.

“It is, of course, very painful. We believed we could win. In the first half, for the first 40 minutes, everything was fine.

“However, we lost control of the game, specifically due to set pieces. That is very tough to take.”