Unai Emery Delivers on His Promise.

Three-and-a-half years ago, Unai Emery walked into Villa Park and vowed to bring trophies to Aston Villa. On Wednesday in Istanbul, he made good on that promise.

The Europa League trophy was lifted by skipper John McGinn after a 3-0 victory over Freiburg, etching Villa's name into the history books once again. In front of nine of the 1982 European Cup heroes, including captain Dennis Mortimer and goalscorer Peter Withe, Villa added another momentous chapter to their storied history.

Spectacular strikes from Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia set Villa on their way, with Morgan Rogers sealing the victory. This time, they played in white and beat a German team in red, with Freiburg standing in for Bayern Munich and Istanbul replacing Rotterdam.

For Withe, it was Tielemans, Buendia, and Rogers as Emery clinched his fifth Europa League title. Emery's previous four were already a competition record, and while he dismissed the suggestion he was a European king, he is undoubtedly a serial winner. Six finals, five wins, cementing a legacy at Villa Park that will last decades.

Emotional Celebrations

Villa officials were nervous about the trophy parade in advance, but the squad will flaunt it in the city on Thursday afternoon. If Tielemans' volley gave them the platform, Buendia's curler into the top corner put one hand on the trophy. Former Villa midfielder Ian Taylor, a fan of the club who scored in the 1996 League Cup win, leapt out of his press box chair and punched the air.

Rogers' third had the substitutes celebrating on the pitch and an airborne Emery leaping on the touchline with clenched fists. "I feel amazing," Tielemans told TNT. "My voice is a bit gone but it's all good. We put in a shift and a top performance, we've had a great season and to top it off with this. it's amazing."

Yet it was not without early nerves. Emi Martinez needed his right ring finger taped and treated in the warm-up. But those concerns evaporated as Villa were never in danger, and the fans who packed Besiktas Park had already started celebrating by half time.

Villa's official ticket allocation was 10,758, but 20,000 traveled to Turkey, clearly outnumbering Freiburg's following and crammed into the bars and cafes off Istanbul's famous Taksim Square. Among them in the stadium, Prince William watched as Emery was hoisted onto Martinez's shoulders as Villa celebrated on the pitch.

Head of football operations Damian Vidagany held his hands on his head at the final whistle, signifying a release of pressure, before embracing Tielemans. Martinez struggled to contain his emotions while co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens greeted the players before they collected their medals.

The future king filmed the trophy-lift on his phone as Villa celebrated a milestone moment. Rogers told TNT: "It's hard to put into words, we've worked so hard for this. We've delivered and come through. It's a great moment for the fans, great for the club. We'll go down in history."