Biography
Unai Emery is a Spanish football manager and former player. He was most recently the head coach of Premier League club Arsenal. After a modest playing career, spent mostly in Spain’s Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coaching after retiring in 2004. He began at Lorca Deportiva CF, where he achieved promotion to the Segunda División in his first season, and was awarded the Miguel Muñoz Trophy. He then joined Almería, who he led to promotion to La Liga for the first time in the club’s history. This earned him a move to La Liga heavyweights Valencia, where he regularly led the team to top three finishes. After leaving Valencia, he coached Spartak Moscow for six months, before moving to Sevilla in 2013.
Early life and playing career
Emery was born in Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. His father and grandfather, named Juan and Antonio respectively, were also footballers, both goalkeepers. The former appeared for several clubs in the second tier, whilst the latter competed with Real Unión in the top division. Emery’s uncle, Román, played as a midfielder.
Emery, a left-sided midfielder, was a youth graduate of Real Sociedad, but never really broke into the first team (aged 24 he appeared in five La Liga games, scoring against Albacete Balompié in an 8–1 home win). After that, he resumed his career mostly in the Segunda División, amassing totals of 215 matches and nine goals over seven seasons. Further, he retired with Lorca Deportiva CF at the age of 32, after one season in Segunda División B.
Managerial career in Lorca and Almería
Emery suffered a serious knee injury while at Lorca in the 2004–05 season; he was offered the vacant manager position by the club president, and immediately helped the club achieve promotion to the second division for the first time in its history, while beating top level side Málaga in the Copa del Rey. In his second season, the Murcians’ first ever in the second division, the team finished fifth with 69 points, only five points off promotion to the top flight; they suffered relegation in 2007, after the manager’s departure.
Emery then moved to Almería in division two, and again helped his squad overachieve: after guiding them to a first ever promotion in 2007, the Andalusian side finished eighth in La Liga in 2007–08. This prompted a move to Valencia, where he succeeded Ronald Koeman as manager.
Overview
- Full name: Unai Emery Etxegoien
- Date of birth: 3 November 1971
- Age: 48
- Place of birth: Hondarribia, Spain
- Height: 80 m (5 ft 11 in)
- Playing position: Midfielder
- Nationality: Spanish
- Teams coached: Arsenal F.C. (Association football manager, 2018–2019), etc.
- Children: Lander Emery Fernández
- Net Worth: N/A
CV Read More Jose Mourinho
Reference Net Worth of Unai Emery