While Villarreal's manager may already be well known in world football, there are probably five things you don't know about the Basque coach
His grandfather was the first man to concede a goal in La Liga
La Liga was founded in 1929 and the first match was played on 10 February against Real Irun United. It is worth noting that the goalkeeper of Real Irun United in this match is Antonio Emery, the grandfather of Unai Emery. Espanyol won the match 3-2, with Antonio, as the goalkeeper, conceding his first goal in La Liga history. Emery's father, Juan Emery, Antonio's son, also served as a goalkeeper for teams such as Real Irun United.
He used to roll the dice to select the starting lineup
After a less spectacular career as a player, Emery began working as a coach and soon led Almería to the top Spanish league for the first time in history. In the first match, Almeria played against A Coruña. To show his trust in the players, Emery decided to decide on the starting line-up by rolling the dice. In the end, Almeria won 3-0, creating a perfect start to her trip to the top flight.
He is the coach who has won the most Europa League titles
As a coach, Emery got good results during his time at Sevilla. In the 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons, he managed the team to win the Europa League three times in a row. In 2020/21, Emery began coaching Villarreal and won the fourth Europa League title of his coaching career, making him the most successful coach in Europa League history.
He had a song to sing to himself
In 2014/15, when Emery led Sevilla to the Europa League final, some fans imitated Nicky Jam and Enrique Lglesias, singing the fan version of El Perdón. Emery even shared the video on his own Twitter, in which fans of the Washbasin Legion sang: "I can't be happy without you, Emery; take me to Warsaw, take me to Tbilisi." ”
He has published a book
In between training and competition, Emery took the time to write a book on management. The book was published in 2012 under the title El Método Emery.
About La Liga
The Spanish professional football league LaLiga (La Liga) is a global, innovative and socially responsible sports league, as well as a leader in the field of leisure and entertainment. The league organizes the Spanish professional football leagues , La Liga and La Liga , with 20 La Liga clubs and 22 La Liga clubs , affecting more than 2.7 billion people worldwide in the 2019/20 season. Headquartered in Madrid, La Liga has 11 permanent offices and 46 foreign representatives in 55 countries and territories around the world. In 2014, La Liga opened an office in Shanghai, China. In 2020, La Liga, together with Mediapro and Xinying Sports, established a joint venture company SFCM, which continues to make efforts in the field of sponsorship and brand licensing. At the same time, the league is actively involved in social activities through its fund LaLiga Genuine, which is the only professional football league in the world with a league of intellectually handicapped players.