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After stunning Europe in 1982 by winning the European Cup in their debut appearance, Aston Villa had been absent from the winner's podium ever since. However, Europa League specialist Unai Emery brought them back to the winner's circle in Istanbul with a convincing 3-0 victory over Freiburg in the final.
Apart from the League Cup in 1996, the Villans had not won a trophy since their 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the 1982 European Cup final.
But with Emery at the helm, a seasoned veteran of the second most important continental competition after the Champions League, and in front of their biggest fan, Prince William, Villa lifted the Europa League trophy
Thus, the English side secured their first continental opportunity to win a title this season, with two more chances remaining. Crystal Palace will face Rayo Vallecano of Spain on Wednesday in the Conference League final, followed by Arsenal against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain of France four days later in the Champions League final.
Villa didn't need to win the Europa League to qualify for next season's Champions League, as they had already secured a top-five finish in the Premier League. However, finishing fifth (they currently sit fourth, three points behind fifth-placed Liverpool) would grant the sixth-placed team a Champions League spot.
Facing a team that had never before reached this stage of the competition, Emery extended his record in the Europa League, winning the title for the fifth time. He had previously lifted the trophy with fellow English clubs Sevilla in 2014, 2015, and 2016, and Villarreal in 2021, in addition to reaching the final with another English team, Arsenal, in 2019.
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