• Chronicle Villarreal becomes eternal in the Europa League

Unai Emery was already the only coach who had been able to conquer three consecutive editions of the Europa League, which he won with Sevilla from 2014 to 2016. Now, after winning his fourth title with Villarreal, he is truly unique.

No other coach has won four titles

in the second continental competition, either under its current name or as the UEFA Cup. So far, the Basque coach was equaled with a legend on the bench, Giovanni Trapattoni, who also won three editions of the tournament, but the Italian has been left behind after the final in Gdansk.

The 82-year-old veteran Cusano Milanino coach, now retired, won his first UEFA Cup with Juventus in 1977, with which he would win the title again in 1993. A couple of years earlier, in 1991, he won it too. with Inter Milan. Three titles that made him share the status of the most successful coach in the Europa League with Emery, but the Villarreal coach has surpassed him after lifting the trophy for the fourth time. He even had the opportunity two years ago to also win it with Arsenal but was defeated by Chelsea (4-1, with goals from Giroud, Pedro and a double from Hazard), the only European final they have lost.

He did not fail in

the first three, during his time at Sevilla.

The first title, in 2014, was achieved after defeating Benfica in a final that ended without goals and had to be resolved on penalties (4-2).

The following year he repeated after defeating Dnipro in a match in which the current Villarreal player Carlos

Bacca

was the protagonist.

The Colombian assisted

Krychowiak

in the first and scored the other two (2-3).

Emery completed his triplet with the Andalusian team in 2016 by defeating Liverpool (3-1) in the final, who had been the executioner of the yellow team in the semifinals.

A triumphant centennial

Now he has achieved the fourth with Villarreal after

leading the Castellón to the first final and the first title in their history

(if the Intertoto Cup of 2003 and 2004 is not counted). With this intention, the club chaired by Fernando Roig opted for the Basque coach, who has shown that the tournament has no secrets for him after signing an almost perfect career in the competition. They got through the opening phase as champion in a group with Sivasspor, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Qarabag and with a record of five wins and one draw. Already in the qualifying rounds he got rid of Salzburg, Dinamo Kiev and Dinamo Zagreb by winning all six games. Nor did he lose to Arsenal, with whom he drew in London after defeating him at the Ceramics Stadium, so his triumph in the final allows him to finish the competition undefeated, something that Chelsea had only achieved two seasons ago, precisely after defeating in the final to Emery's Arsenal.

The Villarreal coach has not known what it is like to lose a Europa League tie since April 2012

, when his Valencia was knocked out in the semifinals by Atlético.

Since then he has overcome 21 consecutive qualifiers, the last four with the yellow team.

In addition, the final against Manchester United was his 100th game in the competition (8 in the UEFA Cup and 92 in the Europa League, 32 more than any other manager) and what better way to celebrate his centenary than with another title. , one for history.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Villarreal CF

  • sports

Europa League 2020 - 2021 Villarreal wants his crown

Europa LeagueBacca: "Emery is tireless, he works down to the smallest detail"

Europa League 2020 - 202 190 minutes for history

See links of interest

  • 2021 business calendar

  • Home THE WORLD TODAY

  • 17th stage of the Giro d'Italia, live: Canazei - Sega di Ala

  • Villarreal - Man. United, live