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Unai Emery is once again savouring continental glory after guiding Aston Villa to victory in the 2025-26 Europa League, further cementing his legacy among Europe’s most decorated managers.

With Aston Villa’s win over SC Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday night, Emery extended his record to five Europa League titles. This latest achievement places the Spaniard in a select group of managers who have captured five or more major European trophies during their coaching careers.

Carlo Ancelotti, often hailed as one of the greatest managers in football history, boasts an unmatched résumé. His achievements include a record five Champions League titles and the distinction of being the only coach to have won the league title in each of Europe’s top five leagues.

Ancelotti first lifted the Champions League trophy with AC Milan in the 2002/03 season, defeating Juventus on penalties in an all-Italian final. He then added another in 2007, avenging Milan’s heartbreaking collapse against Liverpool in the 2005 final. These triumphs highlighted his tactical brilliance and ability to rebuild teams for success at the highest level.

Later, as Real Madrid’s manager, Ancelotti led the club to their long-awaited 10th European crown, famously known as ‘La Décima’. He returned for a second spell at the Santiago Bernabéu, winning the Champions League again in 2022 and 2024. As a player, Ancelotti also won the European Cup twice, and his total of 11 UEFA competition titles — including the UEFA Super Cup and the now-defunct Intertoto Cup — remains unmatched.

Another Italian legend, Giovanni Trapattoni, also enjoyed immense success on the European stage. Alongside Udo Lattek and José Mourinho, Trapattoni is one of only three managers to have won all three major European club competitions — the European Cup, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup (or Europa Conference League). Remarkably, he achieved this feat with a single club, Juventus.

Trapattoni guided Juventus to their first European Cup in 1985, which was flanked by two UEFA Cup victories and the 1984 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup triumph. He later led Inter Milan to the UEFA Cup title in 1991, securing his fifth major European honour after defeating AS Roma in the final.

Like Trapattoni, José Mourinho has conquered all three major European competitions and has led four different clubs to continental success. The self-styled ‘Special One’ first made his mark with FC Porto, steering them to a domestic treble of the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, and UEFA Cup in the 2002/03 season, overcoming Celtic in a thrilling final.

The following year, Mourinho guided Porto to an improbable Champions League triumph, defeating Manchester United en route and sealing the title with a 3-0 victory over AS Monaco in the final. His success propelled him to Chelsea, where his managerial reputation continued to grow.

He returned to European glory with Inter Milan in 2009/10, leading the Nerazzurri to a historic treble — winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia, and the Champions League — marking the first time an Italian club had achieved that feat. Mourinho later captured the Europa League with Manchester United and the inaugural Europa Conference League with AS Roma, completing his collection of all major European honours.

Unai Emery has now joined this illustrious circle of managers with five major European titles, all coming in the Europa League. Although the competition may not carry the same prestige as the Champions League, Emery’s consistency and tactical mastery in knockout formats are extraordinary.

Emery’s journey began at Sevilla, where he won three consecutive Europa Leagues, defeating Benfica, Dnipro, and then Liverpool in 2016 to secure a historic hat-trick. He captured his fourth title with Villarreal in 2021, edging Manchester United in a dramatic penalty shootout. His fifth came this season with Aston Villa, ending the club’s 30-year wait for a major trophy.

With five major European triumphs, Emery has now surpassed legends such as Alex Ferguson, Bob Paisley, and Nereo Rocco, all of whom collected four continental titles. His achievement marks him as one of Europe’s most successful managers in modern football history.