Chess, lectures & ignoring noise: Emery masters Europe again

He has spoken about his parents - his father and mother - and the sense of responsibility they embedded in him.

Whatever he does, he does completely. Meeting a target is, of course, a professional outcome - but also the conclusion of a responsibility he takes personally.

To sustain that, he has learned to protect his concentration fiercely. He is able to ignore any external noise.

When Villa were criticised for resting key players in their home defeat by Tottenham before the second leg of the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest, Emery did not blink.

He had calculated that the points they needed in the league to secure Champions League qualification would come from somewhere else if they were needed. And he was right.

Villa Park helped. Emery has always drawn energy from stands that believe.

What next? He'll go to his home town of Hondarribia or favourite vacation destination Mallorca to walk by the sea and meet friends that have nothing to do with football.

He will spend time with his mum. He might even join her when she does her daily swim in the Basque coast - and he'll allow himself to sleep a little more than usual.

Then the preparation for next season will begin.

From 16th to European winners - Emery's Villa revolution

The extent of Emery's Aston Villa revolution cannot be underestimated.

When the Spaniard took charge on 1 November 2022, Villa were 16th in the Premier League - two places and one point above the relegation zone.

They went on to win 15 of their 25 league games to finish seventh and earn a spot in European competition for the first time since 2010-11.

In his first full season, Emery secured Champions League football for Villa for the first time since 1982–83. His side also won 15 consecutive home league games - the most in their 151-year history.

And now, with Champions League football secured once again, Villa are champions on the continent for the first time in a generation.

Former Villa midfielder Mark Albrighton told BBC Radio 5 Live that Emery has "taken Villa to the next level".

He said: "There are going to be times when you have highs and lows, that is the nature of football.

"Villa have experienced some of those lows but now they are on a massive high. Unai Emery was a step up in terms of what they had before."

Ashley Young, another ex-Villa player, also told Radio 5 Live: "As soon as Unai Emery came in to Aston Villa, the players saw what he had done in his career, saw the Europa Leagues he had won and the clubs he had managed.

"He's a big personality and wanted to change the culture, and he did that straight away.

"The players bought into it and wanted to take it further, and it has gone from strength to strength."

There are more teams now who work the way Emery works, who study what he studies and have managers who stay up late watching football they don't really have to watch.

But Emery will continue to go one step further - as he always does.