Unai Emery has spent the last decade becoming synonymous with one European competition—the Europa League—and on Wednesday in Istanbul, he has the chance to add a fifth title to his name, more than any manager in history.
The 54-year-old Basque coach already holds a record that speaks to his mastery of second-tier European football: three consecutive Europa League titles with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, followed by another with Villarreal in 2021. When Aston Villa face Freiburg in the final, Emery will be stepping into his sixth Europa League final—he lost the 2019 edition as Arsenal manager—a remarkable testament to his ability to navigate the tournament's demanding path. If he wins on Wednesday, he will extend a record that seems almost untouchable.
Yet trophy pedigree in European football is complicated. A BBC Sport ranking of the continent's greatest trophy-winning managers reveals how the weight of competition matters. The European Cup, now called the Champions League, carries more prestige than the Europa League, and this distinction shapes how Emery's achievements are measured against his peers. Despite his domestic dominance at Paris St-Germain, his tenure there is remembered not for Continental silverware but for a dramatic Champions League collapse at Barcelona in the last 16—a stark contrast to his Europa League consistency. Later, he guided Villarreal to the Champions League semi-finals, proving his capability at football's highest level, yet the Europa League remains his true domain.
The rankings reveal the landscape of European managerial greatness. Johan Cruyff's legacy was built on innovation and philosophy as much as trophies—his Ajax side won the Cup Winners' Cup in 1987 with Marco van Basten scoring in Athens, before he delivered Barcelona's first-ever European Cup in 1992, with Ronald Koeman's extra-time winner marking the start of the Catalan club's unprecedented success. Giovanni Trapattoni won every European trophy across stints at Juventus and Inter, accumulating a European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, and two UEFA Cups. Nereo Rocco's AC Milan won two European Cups, including a 4-1 demolition of Cruyff's Ajax in 1969, along with two Cup Winners' Cups.
At the summit of the debate sit Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola—Ferguson with two Champions League titles and his extraordinary dominance over British football, Guardiola with three Champions League crowns and an approach that redefined modern tactical football. Their rivalry defines contemporary European management.
For Emery, a fifth Europa League title would cement a different kind of legacy: not the broadest range of continental trophies, but unparalleled mastery of a single competition. His next step, perhaps, is proving that he can sustain the same excellence in the Champions League—a challenge that has eluded him despite occasional glimpses. For now, Wednesday's final in Istanbul offers him the chance to etch his name even deeper into European football history, whatever the competition.