Aston Villa claimed their first Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League title on Wednesday, defeating Freiburg 3-0 in the final in Turkey to end a 44-year wait for European glory under manager Unai Emery.
The Birmingham club’s only previous continental honour came with the European Cup in 1982. Wednesday’s commanding final performance closes that long chapter and places Villa firmly among the names of European football history.
Sevilla lead all clubs with seven Europa League titles, standing alone at the top of the all-time winners list. Inter Milan, Liverpool, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur each hold three.
Borussia Mönchengladbach, Feyenoord, IFK Göteborg, Real Madrid, Parma, Porto, Chelsea and Eintracht Frankfurt have each lifted the trophy twice.
Aston Villa join a group of one-time winners alongside Ajax, Anderlecht, Manchester United, PSV Eindhoven, Ipswich Town, Bayer Leverkusen, Napoli, Bayern Munich, Schalke, Galatasaray, Valencia, CSKA Moscow, Zenit, Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal and Atalanta.
