Aston Villa finally broke their three-decade spell without major silverware, lifting the Europa League trophy after a commanding 3-0 victory over Freiburg in Istanbul. The win not only ended a painful wait stretching back to the 1996 League Cup but also cemented Unai Emery’s legacy as a European specialist and gave Villa Park a new generation of heroes.
Emery had vowed upon his arrival three-and-a-half years ago that he came to Villa to collect trophies, and on a balmy night in Besiktas Park, he delivered on that promise. The Spaniard, who arrived from Villarreal for just £5.2m in 2022, has transformed a club that was three points above the relegation zone when he took over into European champions, all while navigating tight financial constraints. His record in this competition is unmatched: he now has five Europa League titles, extending his own record, and five wins from six finals.
The match itself turned on two moments of individual brilliance. Youri Tielemans opened the scoring with a thunderous volley from a short corner routine, setting the tone. Then Emi Buendia effectively sealed the win with a curling strike into the top corner, sparking wild celebrations from the Villa supporters who had travelled in numbers. Morgan Rogers added a third after the break, prompting Emery to leap into the air with clenched fists – the game was won, the drought was over.
The evening was freighted with history. In the stands, nine members of Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning side, including captain Dennis Mortimer and match-winner Peter Withe, watched as the current side wrote their own chapter. That night in Rotterdam, Villa beat Bayern Munich in white; this time, also in white, they overcame a German side in red in Istanbul. For Withe, read Tielemans, Buendia and Rogers – the new heroes of a club that has waited so long.
Villa’s fans flooded Istanbul, with an estimated 20,000 making the trip despite an official allocation of just over 10,000. Among them was Prince William, a lifelong Villa supporter, who filmed the trophy lift on his phone and had earlier sent a good-luck message. The scenes at the final whistle were emotional – Martinez, who required treatment on a taped finger in the warm-up, was in tears, while head of football operations Damian Vidagany held his head in his hands, a gesture of relief.
The victory is part of a remarkable season for English clubs in Europe, with Crystal Palace contesting the Conference League final and Arsenal facing Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League showpiece – the potential for an unprecedented treble. For Villa, however, the focus remains inward. They had already secured a return to the Champions League via a top-four Premier League finish, achieved with a 4-2 win over Liverpool, and this trophy burnishes their status among the elite.
Yet Villa’s success has been built against the headwinds of Profit and Sustainability rules. The club has had to sell key talent annually, but Emery’s arrival stands as one of football’s great bargains. Rogers, signed from Middlesbrough for £16m a little over two years ago, symbolises that shrewd recruitment. His Europa League-winning goal adds to his growing reputation, and while reports suggest he could depart this summer – especially with a strong World Cup – Villa are now in a far stronger bargaining position.
Tielemans captured the mood perfectly: “My voice is a bit gone but it’s all good. We put in a shift and a top performance, we’ve had a great season and to top it off with this, it’s amazing.” Rogers added: “It’s hard to put into words, we’ve worked so hard for this … We’ll go down in history.” The trophy parade, meticulously planned for Thursday afternoon despite the disruption it will cause in Birmingham, will allow the city to finally celebrate.
Almost 50 years after Brian Moore’s iconic commentary of Withe’s winner was immortalised at Villa Park, a new banner for a new era is required. The 2024 Europa League triumph does not erase the long wait, but it does redefine the modern Aston Villa – a club that has learned to win again under a coach who knows no other way.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
