Upbringing

Unai grew up and was born in the city of Handaribia in the Basque country. He graduated from Real Sociedad. His father and grandfather were footballers and they were played the goalkeeper positions. His uncle, Roman played as a midfielder.

Playing Career

He played the position of left midfielder during his playing career. He mostly competed in the Segunda Division and was able to play 215 matches where he scored nine goals during his five seasons.

When he was 24 years, he played in five La Liga games and he scored when they played against Albacete Balompie which ended up being an 8-1 home win. He continued to play mostly within the Segunda Division. He retired from Lorca Deportiva CF when he was 32 years old and he had only one season with Segunda Division B.

Start to Coaching Career

After a modest playing career, which was spent mostly in Spain's Segunda División, Emery transitioned into coaching after retiring from playing in 2004. Since he was seriously injured when he was playing in the 2004-2005 season with Lorca Deportiva CF, he was given a chance at the vacant manager position by the club’s president. The new role was a great idea as he helped the club to achieve success and advanced to the second division. He awarded the Miguel Muñoz Trophy for his excellent coaching ability. It was also the first time in the entire history of the club that they won against top level competition. In his second season, the Murcain club was able to reach 69 points and they finished at the fifth position. This was only five points behind the first spot.

It was a great redemption story for Unai. He had been injured during a game and was forced to retire but he didn’t know that there was another chapter waiting for him in his life. Instead of having a tragic exit from soccer, Unai got another chance to succeed. His move to coaching was a natural fit. When he took his club to new heights, it proved how smart of a football he was. During his playing career, he had to use his physical tools along with his mental tools. As a coach, he no longer had the responsibility of performing physically, now he could use his mental tools to inspire his players and put them in the best position to succeed.

After his first club, Unai Emery moved on La Liga club Almería where he helped the squad overachieve and helped them reach their first ever promotion in 2007. Unai spent four years at club but the biggest moment for him was when lead them to their first ever promotion.