2026: The Year of the G.O.A.T
- James
- 3 minutes ago
- 11 min read
Unai Emery not only joins the pantheon of the greats who have achieved 100 wins with Villa but also takes his place at the head of the list after his remarkable statistical performance continues to stun.
Unai Emery is just the fifth manager since Villa's foundation 152 years ago to achieve 100 wins whilst in charge of the club.
Unai Emery is the first Villa manager to reach those 100 wins in less than 190 games.
Unai Emery is just the third Villa manager to hit 100 wins as an exclusively top-flight club.
Unai Emery has achieved a higher average Points per Game of all his predecessors across his run to 100 wins.
Unai Emery has the highest win percentage, highest unbeaten percentage and lowest loss percentage of all his predecessors across his run to 100 wins.
Unai Emery has conceded less goals than any of his predecessors across his run to 100 wins.
Unai Emery has delivered more clean sheets across his 100 wins than his predecessors.
Unai Emery is just the fourth Villa manager since the advent of League football in 1888 to win 70 games in the top-flight
Unai Emery is the first Villa manager to reach 70 top-flight wins in less than 130 games.
Unai Emery is just the fifth manager since Villa's foundation 152 years ago to achieve 100 wins whilst in charge of the club.
100 game-winning managers have only come around four times in Villa’s 152-year history: 1894, 1931, 1962, 1978 and now, 2026.
Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 | 2022-
Emery reached his 100th win as Villa boss beating LOSC Lille in the Europa League.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/5823 Emery's record came 52 years after his predecessor Ron Saunders achieved the feat.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3494 Full Manager Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manager/ron-saunders
1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
Before Emery, the most recent holder of the honour of leading Villa to 100 victories was Ron Saunders, who recorded his 100th victory on 29 April 1978 as Villa hammered Ipswich 6-1 at Villa Park.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/3494
Full Manager Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manager/ron-saunders
1958-64 Joe Mercer | 🏴 |
It was just twelve years earlier that one of Saunders’ predecessors, Joe Mercer, with his ‘minors’, led Villa to the 100th win under his stewardship on 3rd December 1962.
It was to be East Anglia once again who suffered at the hands of a history maker as Norwich were dispatched 4-1 at Villa Park.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/2717
Full Manager Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manager/joe-mercer
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Mercer’s 1964 achievements came 33 years after his predecessor, and the final incumbent of the secretary/management committee structure that Villa so successfully adopted for their first sixty years.
Billy Smith would become the second man to lead the club to the magic 100 wins.
Billy celebrated his feat with a mammoth 7-0 victory over Manchester United at Villa Park on 27 December 1930, as braces from Jack Mandley, Eric Houghton, and George Brown continued Villa's stunning scoring streak. Incidentally, Villa went on to score 128 League goals that season - still a top-flight record today - and one of the few Unai Emery has not yet broken.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/1555
Full Manager Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manager/billy-smith
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
The first man to achieve 100 wins as leader of Villa was the remarkable George Ramsay, swatting aside Albion 3-1 at Wellington Road, Perry Barr on 13 October 1894, during a decade of unprecedented success.
Full Match Report: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/game/216
Full Manager Profile: https://www.avfchistory.co.uk/aston-villa/manager/george-ramsay
Unai Emery is the first Villa manager to reach those 100 wins in less than 180 games.
1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
Saunders achieved the feat in the 'slowest' time of 212 games to reach 100 Villa victories.
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Recorded his 100th win in his 205th game in charge of Villa.
1958-64 Joe Mercer | 🏴 |
Joe Mercer’s came in his 204th game as Villa boss.
A quicker charge to the 100 than Smith had and Saunders would later achieve but still considerably behind the top-two.
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
The great George Ramsay clinched his record-setting number of victories after just 190 games, a speed that wouldn't be eclipsed until:
2022- Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 |
Unai Emery has hit his 100 wins in charge of Villa quicker than any of his predecessors, and done so by a remarkable distance.
Hitting the magic number in just 181 games.
Unai Emery is just the third Villa manager to hit 100 wins as an exclusively top-flight club.
Only Ramsay, Smith and Emery, achieved their 100-game winning run was as an exclusively top-flight club.
1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
Saunders' total of 100 victories in 212 games included 25 wins in 40 games in the second tier as Saunders masterminded Villa's promotion back to the top-flight after a nine year absence.
1958-64 Joe Mercer | 🏴 |
Like Saunders, Mercer masterminded promotion out of the second tier during his spell, successfully achieving top-flight football after just one year away in 1959-60.
As a result his total of 100 wins in 204 matches included 25 in 42 Second Division games.
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
Ramsay's first 14 games were exclusively in the FA Cup, delivering 10 wins prior to the foundation of the Football League.Over the period of his achievement Ramsay played both League and FA Cup football however a second tier of the Football League only existed for the final 72 matches of his 190 game run.
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Billy Smith faced both League and FA Cup football across his 205 games including competing in a newly expanded three tier Football League.
2022- Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 |
Emery by contrast not only has been at the helm of an exclusively top-flight club throughout, he has particpated in League, FA Cup, League Cup and European football, each requiring varying approaches and aptitudes for success. Fittingly it was in Europe, more specifically Emery's favourite competition and record winning manager, the Europa League in which Unai clinched his 100th victory.
Unai Emery has achieved a higher average Points per Game of all his predecessors across his run to 100 wins.
2022- Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 |
Assuming a uniform three points for a win and one point for a draw, Unai Emery has delivered an average of 1.83 points per game across his run to 100 wins.
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
By contrast George Ramsay achieved 1.72 point per game.
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Whilst Billy Smith lagged behind with 1.62.
1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 | 1958-64 Joe Mercer | 🏴 |
For completeness, Saunders and Mercer, even accounting for their stint in the second tier, posted average points per game of just 1.67 and 1.68 respectively, light-years behind Unai Emery.
Unai Emery has the highest win percentage, highest unbeaten percentage and lowest loss percentage of all his predecessors across his run to 100 wins.
2022- Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 |
Emery has won 55.25% of his games in achieveing 100 wins for Villa.
Losing just 27.07% and so remaining unbeaten in 72.93% of his matches in charge.
1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
Ron Saunders may have lagged behind on 47.17% win rate but achieved a highly credible loss rate of just 27.36% and an overall unbeaten rate of 72.64% to come second only to Unai Emery's achievements.
1958-64 Joe Mercer | 🏴 |
Joe Mercer, also with his season in the Second Division, fared bettere than Saunders with a win rate of 49.02% but although his 30.39% of losses compared favourably to Ramsay and Smith, he couldn't match Saunders' unbeaten rate overall, dipping below 70% at 69.61%.
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
Ramsay delivered a more than respectable 52.63% win rate, but lost 33.16% and so remained unbeaten in 66.84%.
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Billy Smit's win-rate surprisingly dipped below the 50% barrier at 48.78% wins in his 205 games.
Smith also lost a greater percentage of his games that his rivals at 35.61% meaning his unbeaten rate of 64.39% also suffered.
Unai Emery has conceded less goals than any of his solely top-flight predecessors across his run to 100 wins.
2022- Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 |
Emery has conceded 229 goals across his 181 games to chalk up 100 wins.
1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 |
Saunders had conceded 227, two fewer than Emery, but crucially including a season in the second tier.
1958-64 Joe Mercer | 🏴 |
Mercer meanwhile conceded nearly 60 goals more than Emery with 282.
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Whilst Smith's 382 goals conceded or 1.82 conceded per game was over 150 more goals against.
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
Ramsay's 388 was only marginally worse than Smith but still represented an average concession over two goals per game!
Even accounting for the different generations of football, equipment and athleticism that is a remarkable spread, once again topped by Unai Emery.
Unai Emery has delivered more clean sheets across his 100 wins than his predecessors.
2022- Unai Emery | 🇪🇸 |
As an exclusively top-flight manager achieving 100 wins, Unai Emery has kept 52 clean sheets with 29.28% of his games ending in a shut-out.
1926-34 Billy Smith | 🏴 | Management Committee
Billy Smith managed 45 shut-outs with 21.95% games ending in a clean sheet.
1886-26 George Ramsay | 🏴 | Management Committee
Whilst George Ramsay lagged way behind with just 31 clean-sheets in 16.32% of his matches.
Ramsay however could rely on his team to score to compensate for their defensive weakness, hitting a remarkable, and simply unrepeatable 520 goals across the same timescale.
Primus inter pares
Few, if any Villa followers, would traditionally have looked beyond the great George Ramsay and Ron Saunders to name Villa's most successful managers of all time.
But, whatever way you cut it, in an age where trophies are the domain of but a few, Emery is statistically the greatest manager Villa have ever had.
Without silverware, the reverence may be muted in some quarters, but it is unequivocal that Emery is achieving things his predecessors simply couldn’t match, and it’s highly unlikely we’ll see another of his like again.
Unai Emery in numbers:
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest Win percentage achieved across all competitions: 55.25%
Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay 🏴 Management Committee 49.55%
1982-84 Tony Barton 🏴 Highest Home Win percentage achieved across all competitions: 70.59%
Closest Rival: Unai Emery 🇪🇸 64.84%
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest Away Win percentage achieved across all competitions: 46.07%
Closest Rival: 2006-10 Martin O'Neill 🇬🇧 40.63%
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest Premier League Win percentage achieved 53.08%
Closes Rival: 1998-02 John Gregory 🏴 41.22%
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest League Win percentage achieved 53.08%
Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay 🏴 Management Committee 48.14%
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest Top Flight League Win percentage achieved 53.08%
Closest Rival: 1886-26 George Ramsay 🏴 Management Committee 48.14%
1886-26 George Ramsay 🏴 Management Committee Highest FA Cup Win percentage achieved, leading the club 5 or more times in the competition, 62.50%
Closest Rival: Unai Emery 🇪🇸 54.55%
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest European Win percentage achieved, leading the club 5 or more times in European competition 67.75%
Closest Rival: 1974-82 Ron Saunders | 🏴 | 50.00%
Unai Emery 🇪🇸 Highest European Cup / Champions League Win percentage achieved, leading the club 5 or more times in the competition, 66.67%
Closest Rival: 1982-84 Tony Barton 🏴 54.55%
Unai Emery's 100 Wins
🟩 12 Mar 2026 Villa 1-0 Lille, Stade Pierre-Mauroy
🟩 11 Feb 2026 Villa 1-0 Brighton, Villa Park
🟩 29 Jan 2026 Villa 3-2 RB Salzburg, Villa Park
🟩 25 Jan 2026 Villa 2-0 Newcastle, St James’
🟩 22 Jan 2026 Villa 1-0 Fenerbahçe, Şükrü Saracoğlu
🟩 10 Jan 2026 Villa 2-1 Spurs, Tottenham Stadium
🟩 3 Jan 2026 Villa 3-1 Forest, Villa Park
🟩 27 Dec 2025 Villa 2-1 Chelsea, Stamford Bridge
🟩 21 Dec 2025 Villa 2-1 United, Villa Park
🟩 14 Dec 2025 Villa 3-2 West Ham, London Stadium
🟩 11 Dec 2025 Villa 2-1 Basel, St. Jakob-Park
🟩 6 Dec 2025 Villa 2-1 Arsenal, Villa Park
🟩 3 Dec 2025 Villa 4-3 Brighton, AMEX
🟩 30 Nov 2025 Villa 1-0 Wolves, Villa Park
🟩 27 Nov 2025 Villa 2-1 Young Boys, Villa Park
🟩 23 Nov 2025 Villa 2-1 Leeds, Elland Road
🟩 9 Nov 2025 Villa 4-0 Bournemouth, Villa Park
🟩 6 Nov 2025 Villa 2-0 Maccabi Tel Aviv, Villa Park
🟩 26 Oct 2025, Villa 1-0 Manchester City, Villa Park
🟩 19 Oct 2025, Villa 2-1 Spurs, Tottenham Stadium
🟩 5 Oct 2025, Villa 2-1 Burnley, Villa Park
🟩 2 Oct 2025, Villa 2-0 Feyenoord, De Kuip
🟩 28 Sep 2025, Villa 3-1 Fulham, Villa Park
🟩 25 Sep 2025, Villa 1-0 Bologna, Villa Park
🟩 16 May 2025, Villa 2-0 Spurs, Villa Park
🟩 10 May 2025, Villa 1-0 Bournemouth, Vitality
🟩 3 May 2025, Villa 1-0 Fulham, Villa Park
🟩 19 Apr 2025, Villa 4-1 Newcastle, Villa Park
🟩 15 Apr 2025, Villa 3-2 PSG, Villa Park
🟩 12 Apr 2025, Villa 3-0 Southampton, St Mary's
🟩 5 Apr 2025, Villa 2-1 Forest, Villa Park
🟩 2 Apr 2025, Villa 3-0 Brighton, AMEX
🟩 30 Mar 2025, Villa 3-0 Preston, Deepdale
🟩 12 Mar 2025, Villa 3-0 Brugge, Villa Park
🟩 8 Mar 2025, Villa 1-0 Brentford, Gtech
🟩 4 Mar 2025, Villa 3-1 Brugge, Jan Breydel Stadium
🟩 28 Feb 2025, Villa 2-0 Cardiff, Villa Park
🟩 22 Feb 2025, Villa 2-1 Chelsea, Villa Park
🟩 9 Feb 2025, Villa 2-1 Spurs, Villa Park
🟩 29 Jan 2025, Villa 4-2 Celtic, Villa Park
🟩 15 Jan 2025, Villa 1-0 Everton, Goodison
🟩 10 Jan 2025, Villa 2-1 West Ham, Villa Park
🟩 4 Jan 2025, Villa 2-1 Leicester, Villa Park
🟩 21 Dec 2024, Villa 2-1 Manchester City, Villa Park
🟩 10 Dec 2024, Villa 3-2 Leipzig, Red Bull Arena
🟩 7 Dec 2024, Villa 1-0 Southampton, Villa Park
🟩 4 Dec 2024, Villa 3-1 Brentford, Villa Park
🟩 22 Oct 2024, Villa 2-0 Bologna, Villa Park
🟩 19 Oct 2024, Villa 3-1 Fulham, Craven Cottage
🟩 2 Oct 2024, Villa 1-0 Bayern, Villa Park
🟩 24 Sep 2024, Villa 2-1 Wycombe, Causeway
🟩 21 Sep 2024, Villa 3-1 Wolves, Villa Park
🟩 17 Sep 2024, Villa 3-0 Young Boys, Wankdorf Stadium
🟩 14 Sep 2024, Villa 3-2 Everton, Villa Park
🟩 31 Aug 2024, Villa 2-1 Leicester, King Power
🟩 17 Aug 2024, Villa 2-1 West Ham, London Stadium
🟩 21 Apr 2024, Villa 3-1 Bournemouth, Villa Park
🟩 14 Apr 2024, Villa 2-0 Arsenal, Emirates
🟩 11 Apr 2024, Villa 2-1 Lille, Villa Park
🟩 30 Mar 2024, Villa 2-0 Wolves, Villa Park
🟩 14 Mar 2024, Villa 4-0 Ajax, Villa Park
🟩 2 Mar 2024, Villa 3-2 Luton, Kenilworth Road
🟩 24 Feb 2024, Villa 4-2 Forest, Villa Park
🟩 17 Feb 2024, Villa 2-1 Fulham, Craven Cottage
🟩 3 Feb 2024, Villa 5-0 Sheffield United, Bramall Lane
🟩 6 Jan 2024, Villa 1-0 Boro, Riverside
🟩 30 Dec 2023, Villa 3-2 Burnley, Villa Park
🟩 17 Dec 2023, Villa 2-1 Brentford, Gtech
🟩 9 Dec 2023, Villa 1-0 Arsenal, Villa Park
🟩 6 Dec 2023, Villa 1-0 Manchester City, Villa Park
🟩 30 Nov 2023, Villa 2-1 Legia, Villa Park
🟩 26 Nov 2023, Villa 2-1 Spurs, Tottenham Stadium
🟩 12 Nov 2023, Villa 3-1 Fulham, Villa Park
🟩 9 Nov 2023, Villa 2-1 AZ, Villa Park
🟩 29 Oct 2023, Villa 3-1 Luton, Villa Park
🟩 26 Oct 2023, Villa 4-1 AZ, AFAS Stadion
🟩 22 Oct 2023, Villa 4-1 West Ham, Villa Park
🟩 5 Oct 2023, Villa 1-0 Zrinjski, Villa Park
🟩 30 Sep 2023, Villa 6-1 Brighton, Villa Park
🟩 24 Sep 2023, Villa 1-0 Chelsea, Stamford Bridge
🟩 16 Sep 2023, Villa 3-1 Palace, Villa Park
🟩 31 Aug 2023, Villa 3-0 Hibs, Villa Park
🟩 27 Aug 2023, Villa 3-1 Burnley, Turf Moor
🟩 23 Aug 2023, Villa 5-0 Hibs, Easter Road
🟩 20 Aug 2023, Villa 4-0 Everton, Villa Park
🟩 28 May 2023 Villa 2-1 Brighton, Villa Park
🟩 13 May 2023, Villa 2-1 Spurs, Villa Park
🟩 25 Apr 2023, Villa 1-0 Fulham, Villa Park
🟩 15 Apr 2023, Villa 3-0 Newcastle, Villa Park
🟩 8 Apr 2023, Villa 2-0 Forest, Villa Park
🟩 4 Apr 2023, Villa 2-1 Leicester, King Power
🟩 1 Apr 2023, Villa 2-0 Chelsea, Stamford Bridge
🟩 18 Mar 2023, Villa 3-0 Bournemouth, Villa Park
🟩 4 Mar 2023, Villa 1-0 Palace, Villa Park
🟩 25 Feb 2023, Villa 2-0 Everton, Goodison
🟩 21 Jan 2023, Villa 1-0 Southampton, St Mary's
🟩 13 Jan 2023, Villa 2-1 Leeds, Villa Park
🟩 1 Jan 2023, Villa 2-0 Spurs, Tottenham Stadium
🟩 13 Nov 2022, Villa 2-1 Brighton, AMEX
🟩 6 Nov 2022, Villa 3-1 United, Villa Park