Aston Villa: Unai Emery delivered again as he lifted his fifth Europa League trophy

Emery’s previous four were tournament records and while he refutes the notion that he is the king of Europe, he is a consistent winner.

Six finals, five wins, cemented Villa Park’s legacy and will last for decades.

Villa officials were afraid to talk about the disruption in Birmingham ahead of the cup parade, which needs to be organized in advance, but the team will show up in the city on Thursday afternoon.

Thielemans’ volley – rounding a short corner – gave them the platform before Buendia’s curler into the top corner put one hand on the trophy.

Former Villa midfielder Ian Taylor – the club’s supporter who scored the goal in the 1996 League Cup – leapt from his press-box chair and punched him when Villa won major silverware last time out.

Rodgers’ third substitutes celebrated on the pitch and Emery, who was airborne, jumped on the touchline with clenched fists. Victory is assured.

“It feels amazing,” Tielemans told TNT. “My voice is a little bit off but everything is good. We had a shift and a great performance, we had a good season and it’s amazing to end it like this.

“It’s amazing, it’s been a season with a lot of ups and downs, we’ve had a really bad start, our form has been very poor.

“The way we turned things around was thanks to the players and our staff. We believed and kept working. With the final win, we got the Champions League and the trophy next season.”

However, it was not without early nerves. Amy Martinez had a fractured right ring finger and needed treatment in the heat – sparking memories of Nigel Spink replacing Jimmy Rimmer after nine minutes in the ’82 final.

But those concerns evaporated. Villa were never threatened and the fans who packed Besiktas Park were already celebrating at half-time.

Despite Villa’s official ticket allocation of 10,758, 20,000 people traveled to Turkey, clearly outnumbering Freiburg’s followers, who packed the bars and cafes of Istanbul’s famous Taksim Square.

Among those in the stadium, Prince William – who had already sent a message of good luck on social media – watched Villa celebrate on the pitch as Emery climbed onto Martinez’s shoulder.

Head of football operations Damien Vidagani put his hands on his head at the final whistle, signaling the release of pressure, before hugging Tiemans.

Martinez struggled to contain his emotions as co-owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Eden greeted the players before collecting their medals.

The future king filmed his trophy lift on his phone as Villa celebrated the milestone.

“It’s hard to put into words, we’ve worked hard for this. We’ve been through and through. It’s a good time for the fans, it’s good for the club. We’re going to go down in history,” Rodgers told TNT.