Unai Emery's greatest ever XI featuring Arsenal and Aston Villa stars | OneFootball

Unai Emery is no stranger to success and while his reputation in England might have taken a beating during a dismal display as Arsenal manager, the Spanish coach has since restored that with fellow Premier League outfit Aston Villa.

But away from England's first-tier, Emery is revered on the continent as a manager capable of bringing success to a club, most notably as a four-time Europa League winner. Lifting three Europa Leagues with Sevilla between 2013 and 2016, the Hondarribia-born manager went on to replicate that achievement with Villarreal, beating Manchester United to the 2020/21 crown.

Having also enjoyed a Ligue 1-winning stint with Paris Saint-Germain, along with spells at the likes of Valencia and Spartak Moscow, Emery has worked with plenty of top talents across his time as a manager, and to celebrate, GIVEMESPORT have put together a starting-11 made up of the best players he's managed.

GK: Emiliano Martinez

There is a school of thought which suggests had Emiliano Martinez not been brought into the Argentina national team, Lionel Messi might never have lifted a single major international honour, let alone the World Cup in 2022.

Of course, Emery wasn't in charge of the Argentine national team for their recent major tournament successes, but Martinez has been just as impactful at Aston Villa since arriving from Arsenal.

The goalkeeper played in all but two Premier League outings last season, becoming a key player under Emery, as the pair helped guide Aston Villa to a seventh-placed finish and with it qualification for the Europa Conference League.

RB: Jesus Navas

The thing Emery is probably best known for as a manager is his impeccable record in the Europa League, having won the competition on four separate occasions.

And while Jesus Navas might've already left Sevilla by the time Emery was guiding the Andalusian club to Europa League glory, the pair did at least spend some time with each other during the 2012/13 season.

A consummate professional, who boasts a whopping 14 major club and international honours to his name, including the 2010 World Cup, Navas is the perfect right-back for an Emery XI, given his propensity to get forward at every given opportunity.

Onto another former PSG star now, Thiago Silva was an integral piece of the jigsaw for Emery during his short but sweet spell in Paris, with the pair winning the 2017/18 Ligue 1 title together.

The ex-AC Milan and Fluminense defender spent a large chunk of his career at PSG, with two years of that spent under the tutelage of Emery.

With a record that speaks for itself, Silva eventually left PSG for Chelsea in 2020, where he has since gone on to lift the Champions League title with the west Londoners and is still featuring regularly to this day as a 39-year-old.

CB: Pau Torres

A player somewhat synonymous with Emery, especially in recent years, Pau Torres once again linked up with the Spanish coach in the summer, but it was at Villarreal where their paths first crossed.

Torres has played under Emery over 120 times and was one of the key players for Villarreal as they beat Man United in the 2020/21 Europa League final, scoring the 10th penalty during a tight and tense shootout.

Now a stalwart in the Villans' backline, the Spanish international made the move from La Liga to the Premier League during the recent summer transfer window, costing Aston Villa a modest £33 million.

Getting the nod at left-back is one of the most successful full-backs of the modern era, with Jordi Alba having won six La Liga titles, alongside the 2014/15 Champions League during his illustrious career as a professional.

Unfortunately for Emery, that didn't come while the two were in each other's company, but Alba did enjoy a 110-game spell under the manager at Valencia.

Of course, it's after this that Alba's career really began to take off, as the left-back went on to sign for Barcelona, where he'd shine for the Catalan club, before eventually leaving Europe to join Inter Miami in MLS last summer.

CM: Ivan Rakitic

Time for another one of Barcelona's 2014/15 treble-winners now and the player who actually scored during the Champions League final for the Blaugrana against Juventus, Ivan Rakitic.

By the time Rakitic rocked up at Barcelona in 2014, the midfielder was already accustomed to winning European honours, having helped Sevilla to the Europa League the season prior, with Emery the manager masterminding the success.

Held in high regard at Camp Nou, Rakitic has also left his mark on international football, having starred for the Croatia side that reached the 2018 World Cup final, striking up a strong midfield partnership with compatriot Luka Modric.

CM: Marco Verratti

Having spent over 10 years at PSG, Marco Verratti would probably feature in quite a few manager's best-ever XIs, such was the frequency for the capital club to change coaches.

Regardless, there is no denying Verratti's quality as a footballer, nor the fact he was used regularly by Emery during his time in Paris. Of the two seasons he spent in charge at the Parc des Princes, Verratti featured 81 times, scoring five goals and assisting a further 15.

Like plenty of others in this list, Verratti would also taste success on the international stage, winning the 2020 European Championships with Italy, and the now 31-year-old can be found plying his trade in Qatar for Al-Arabi.

Not famed for his ability to play in a central position, Angel Di Maria is forced to play out of position in this concept XI, such is the depth of talent in attack.

Probably best known for his time at Real Madrid, Di Maria arrived at PSG in 2015 as damaged goods, following a failed £60 million transfer to Manchester United.

The following season Emery would rock up at PSG himself, with the Spanish coach using Di Maria on 88 occasions. Proving one of the most productive players during Emery's PSG spell, the Argentine forward averaged a goal contribution at least once every other match.

RW: Bukayo Saka

Bukayo Saka comes in at right-wing as the only selection from Emery's much-maligned spell as Arsenal manager, with the one-time Real Sociedad player having handed the young English attacker his senior debut.

Brought into the team as a teenager back in 2018, Saka has since blossomed into one of Europe's best attacking talents under Emery's predecessor Mikel Arteta.

Despite his tender age, Saka is already closing in on 50 goals for the north London outfit, and while only one of them came under Emery, the Arsenal faithful do have the ex-Real Sociedad manager to thank for giving their star boy his senior debut.

ST: Kylian Mbappe

It's easy to forget that Emery was in fact the manager in charge of PSG when they splashed an eye-watering £166 million on Kylian Mbappe all the way back in 2017.

Joining the Ligue 1 giant aged just 18-years-old, it had been clear from his time at fellow French side Monaco that Mbappe was going to reach world-class heights as a footballer.

Fast forward six years and it's safe to say he is fulfilling his potential, with the Frenchman having scored 227 goals for PSG, the first 21 of which came under the management of Emery himself.

LW: Neymar

Finally then, sneaking in as the last player on the list of best-ever players to have worked with Emery, Neymar was brought to PSG in the same summer as Mbappe, with the hope being the pair would help fire the club to the Champions League title.

In truth, it was probably the increased expectation brought about by the Mbappe and Neymar signings that led to Emery's downfall at PSG, with the former Barcelona star having cost an added £200 million.

46 G/A contributions during the 30 matches he played under Emery, with the Brazil international sticking around in Paris until the summer 2023 transfer window,.