As Aston Villa’s 2025/26 season concludes, another month reaches its end, with May a simply unforgettable one in the club’s history.
After a difficult start, losing at home to Tottenham Hotspur, Unai Emery’s men turned their fortunes to fantastic effect, with an emphatic semi-final second leg win over Nottingham Forest securing their place in the UEFA Europa League final.
Another impressive win at Villa Park over reigning Premier League champions Liverpool secured Villa’s spot in the table’s top five, ensuring they would play in the Champions League next season, before they headed to Istanbul for the Europa League final.
The pre-match excitement had reached a tantalising climax by the time kick-off had come around against Freiburg at Beşiktaş Park, and the Villans more than lived up to the level of expectation which had been generated.
A 3-0 win saw Emery’s charges claim only their second-ever major European honour, and first major trophy in over 30 years as thousands of the claret and blue faithful partied long into the night on the banks of the Bosphorus, and thousands more back home welcomed Villa back to Birmingham for the trophy parade the next day.
The Villans would have been forgiven for being a little off the pace four days after the final, when travelling to Manchester City for their final outing of the season, with the Europa League trophy already in the cabinet and Champions League football for 2026/27 secured.
But, after a tricky opening period at the Etihad Stadium, Villa turned the game on its head after the break, as Ollie Watkins’ brace took his tally for the campaign up to 21 in all competitions, ensuring a fantastic end to a truly memorable week, month and indeed season.
Here is May 2026 in quotes…
“The most important thing for them is to try to compete and escape from the bottom. He will get success during his time with Tottenham, I’m sure.”
“I think it’s all about us. Players especially, we just want to win the game, regardless of the opponent, so that’s going to be down to us.”
“Today we lost, and today they deserved to win, Tottenham, and keep going in the Premier League to fight for the positions we are.”
“Collectively, if you play for this football club, the energy, passion, fight and desire are an absolute minimum, and from one to 11 I don’t think that was there in the first half.”
“It’s the type of game where you review it again, and did we deserve to lose? Did we create more chances, dominate more to be in a different outcome? Probably, yes.”
“The good thing about football is games come thick and fast, we’ve got to forget about the last three games and focus on tomorrow. We’re playing at home in front of our fans. It will be a special night.”
“I am so, so confident tomorrow, the supporters will respond like they did all the momentum we had before, something similar, playing Europe in Conference, against Olympiacos two years ago, last year against PSG, and this year against Nottingham tomorrow.”
“It’s not with a heavy heart that I’m hanging up my boots. I’ve enjoyed such a wonderful career that I feel lucky to leave the game currently with so much experience and a really fulfilling career behind me.”
“I took the responsibility and it was one of the most decisive penalties for the club in recent years.”
“It was always going to be difficult for them here at Villa Park. We’ve been looking forward to this for weeks. Everyone’s minds were on this game tonight.”
“I’m so, so proud of how we played the match. The players and the supporters were responding.”
“I was nervous coming into the game and tonight was up there with one of the best performances I’ve seen here from a Villa team. We started with intent.”
“Our power is the group. Our power is how the players are responding together. Individually, it’s very difficult to achieve our objective.”
“I think in the end, a valuable point after going a goal behind, but it’s disappointing really, the fact that obviously we got ourselves in front and let it slip away.”
“We deserved more, we deserved to win, but we conceded three real and clear chances and they scored two goals.”
“Tomorrow we are playing against a team who were favourites and contenders at the beginning because they won the Premier League last year. We are with the same points as them, and that’s something fantastic and something that we must be so proud of.”
“We’ve got a chance to get a bit of silverware, but the fact this club’s in the Champions League next season is an unbelievable achievement again.”
“And of course, the season is not finishing for us. We are in Istanbul! And we are going to play for you, for a trophy! Up the Villa! Let’s go to Istanbul!”
“I think the main objective was to win the game and obviously get Champions League. I think we played really well and against a really good team as well. I’m delighted, really happy.”
“A lot of people had written me off this season and I use that as motivation to show them that I can be back to my best, scoring and helping the team, and I think I’ve showed that for the last few games.”
“It's a special moment and it's going to be an amazing occasion. Hopefully we can give Villa fans the enjoyment of bringing back a trophy.”
“It’s been an amazing lesson of perseverance, resilience and constant adaptability.”
“For me, it’s a huge responsibility to play in a final with Aston Villa, because I know how difficult it is to get a trophy, how difficult it is to play one final.”
“To all the fans out there, let me say one final thing. It’s simple. Believe… We are all Villans. Let’s bring it home.”
“We play for them. The crowds at home, the crowds away, are just as good, equally. It doesn't go unnoticed; it doesn't go unappreciated.”
“I have the belief and the confidence that I can do it. I believe in my team and in myself. I will go into the final thinking that I have to win it.”
“I need to win tomorrow with the players we have now, with Aston Villa now, with the opponent we will face tomorrow now. It’s a new way, a new moment, and hopefully a new era.”
“This isn't something we want to come here and celebrate in a sort of fanfare. We want to be focused on this match. We know how good Freiburg are.”
“We can reach our goal to win a trophy for our fans, for us, for the work we did. It could be an amazing, amazing occasion.”
“Winning a European trophy would be unbelievable. I’ve won a few trophies in my career, but this would be the biggest one so far.”
“I’m thankful. Thankful to the owners. Thankful to Aston Villa, every worker. Thankful to you. And thank you, especially, to the supporters.”
“The pride I felt at 3-0 with 10 minutes to go, thinking we’re European champions, was something I can’t even describe.”
“I feel amazing. My voice (is) a bit gone, but it’s all good. We put in a shift, top performance. We had a great season and to top it off with this, it’s amazing.”
“It’s something that will stay with you forever. Winning a medal and a cup, bringing it back to Villa Park, that parade.”
“We pushed on, got Champions League football, and now this. So special, all these fans. Indescribable.”
“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.”
“We will have this forever as a memory, as an experience, and I’m really pleased with what we created tonight because it will be in the history of the club.”
“If you guys saw my letter, it said ‘believe’. So, if you did do that, thank you. This is for you.”
“Wow, outstanding. I’ve got no words. I’m proud to defend the lads behind. I said to them before the kick-off: ‘I’ve got your back.’”
“It’s fantastic the Europa League, it’s huge. Our heart is your heart. Your heart is our heart. Up The Villa!”
“First of all, thank you for all the support tonight, and thank you for all the support during the past seven or eight years.”
“I’ve taken the blindfold off and I managed to score some goals when it was important, so thank you guys for sticking with me!”
“Last night was amazing, guys. We won a trophy for you guys! Up the Villa!”
“I just want to say, guys, thank you so much. What a fanbase, what a set of players, we are so grateful for all of you showing up today. I’m drunk, I’m sure some of you are drunk, I hope that continues long into the night!”
“I will try to be serious. I will try to get the best starting 11 players and be focused on respecting the competition, but it’s not easy. Sorry, but it’s not easy!”
“Everyone’s happy, but we’ve still got one game left as well, so we have to finish the season strong and try to win the last game of the season as well. Looking forward to it.”
“The second half changed completely, the match. The second half, we were dominating, scoring goals, having chances, and we came back the result, and really fantastic to finish the season like we deserved.”
“I joined this club at the right moment, at the right time, and what I’ve experienced this year is absolutely unbelievable.”
“Unbelievable week. I think it’s definitely one of the best weeks of my life, to be honest. I can’t say much more than that.”
“For us, we’re buzzing… The team are enjoying it, we’re having a great time and I think it’s really good for the chemistry of the team, being together and showcasing what we’re about.”
“Let’s see what happens a bit later, but we did the job… We came here to compete, to try to make the journey the longest that we could.”
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