Aston Villa's Europa League Victory 2026: McGinn's Proudest Night In Istanbul

Aston Villa claimed the Europa League title with a 3-0 win over Freiburg in Istanbul, as Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers scored to end the club’s 44-year wait for a major European trophy and secure Unai Emery a record fifth success in the competition.

The victory also placed Emery level with Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho and Giovanni Trapattoni for most wins in major European finals, while John McGinn captained Villa to the club’s first continental silverware since beating Bayern Munich in the 1982 UEFA Cup.

Emery celebrated a fifth Europa League crown and became the first manager to lift the trophy with three different clubs, adding Aston Villa to previous successes at Sevilla and Villarreal, and the Spanish coach also managed

a sixth major European final, all in this competition, with only Trapattoni overseeing more.

No manager has now won more major European finals than Emery, with the Villa boss joining Ancelotti, Mourinho and Trapattoni on five titles, while also becoming only the second coach to win a major UEFA competition five times, after Ancelotti’s Champions League record.

"I'm always very grateful for Europe," Emery told TNT Sports. "For every competition, but especially the Europa League. As well, the clubs I work at because they show the way, as well, the support I had with Valencia, with Sevilla, with Villareal and here at Villa. We tried to get our best. We played it in a very serious way this yearso, so focused. And of course, the players they show their wishes. I was telling them in there, we need wishes, we need seriousness in this competition. To show on the field that you are the protagonistand they did it! I am myself ambitious, and, of course, I need support. The owners, everyone that works in the club. The players and they are following us. We are doing it together. But we must try to set this ambition, being clear and realistic. Every step forward we are doing makes sense. Next year we will play in Champions League, and this is the challenge. The Premier League is the most difficult league in the world. To be fighting top seven, top five, top four is something very difficult. Hopefully, we can be close with teams like [Manchester] City and Arsenal. We are improving. We are playing finals. We are winning trophies. I think the brand as well is increasing. This we need as well. "

Tielemans and Buendia struck outstanding first-half goals to put Villa in charge of the final, before Rogers added a third in the 58th minute, sealing the club’s first major European prize in more than four decades and confirming McGinn as the first Scotsman to captain an English team in such a showpiece since Graeme Souness in 1984.

McGinn also became the first Scottish captain in any major European final since Barry Ferguson led Rangers in the 2008 UEFA Cup, adding another personal landmark to a night that already carried huge significance for the midfielder and for Villa’s modern history.

"I can't believe it, to be honest," McGinn told TNT Sports. "What we've been through as a club, this club wasclose to being in a right bad way seven years ago. V Sports bought the club over. Their one remit was to get it back to the Premier League and back to the levels of before. [This win] was everything we built coming together. The pride I felt with 10 minutes to go, knowing we were about to be championsI can't describe it. Itmeans a lot. To be here, in 2026, as captain of Aston Villa is incredible. It's the proudest night of my career. I'll try to enjoy it. I like to party, but I'll take it easy to try and soak it all in. Being 31, in my first European final, I've seen my mates [Jack] Grealish and [Andy] Robertson win. It's my turn. It's so special, I'll cherish every minute. "

Villa’s journey under V Sports, which took control of the club seven years earlier with a stated aim of restoring Premier League status and historic standards, formed an important backdrop to McGinn’s reflections, as the captain linked the Istanbul success directly to that long-term project and the gradual rebuild on and off the pitch.

44 YEARS IN THE MAKING. pic.twitter.com/gNfEOSOtSIAston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) May 20, 2026

Aston Villa Europa League win and future targets under Emery

The Europa League success also confirmed Villa’s growing status under Emery, with the team already securing qualification for the 2026-27 Champions League, and the head coach stressing the need for realism as Villa aim to compete with Premier League contenders such as Manchester City and Arsenal while maintaining regular challenges for domestic top-four positions.

Emery highlighted the difficulty of staying in the Premier League’s top seven and spoke about Villa’s improvement through playing finals and collecting trophies, while also noting that the club’s profile is rising globally, an evolution that aligns with the ambitions of ownership, staff and players after the long-awaited Europa League triumph.