Former Arsenal Boss Unai Emery Loves Padel
Famous football club Arsenal’s former manager Unai Emery loves to play padel. This football powerhouse admits enjoying this fun and casual game on his down time. Let’s get to know Unai Emery.
Who is Unai Emery?
Unai was born and raised in Spain. Real Sociedad was his alma mater. His paternal and maternal grandparents were also professional football goalkeepers. Roman, Roman’s uncle, was a midfielder on the soccer team.
During his playing career, he was a left midfielder. During his five years in the Segunda Division, he played in 215 games and scored nine goals.
After playing five La Liga games at the age of 24, he scored in Albacete Balompie’s 8-1 home triumph against the team. It wasn’t long before he was back in the Segunda Division. When he was 32, he left Lorca Deportiva CF and only played one season in Segunda Division B before retiring.
This was when the footballer decided to pursue coaching as a career
Former Segunda División player Emery became a coach after retiring from playing in 2004, following a brief but successful playing career. Lorca Deportiva CF’s president decided to give him a shot at the vacant manager job since he had been gravely wounded during the 2004-2005 season.
The new position was an excellent concept since it led to success for the team, and they progressed to the second division. The Miguel Muoz Trophy was given to him for his outstanding teaching abilities. For the first time in their long existence, the club beat a top-tier competition.
This man was doing exceptionally well in his new persuit
The team finished sixth in his second season with 69 points, and he was named coach of the year. Five points separated this from first place.
For Unai, it was a wonderful narrative of redemption. He had been forced to retire after being hurt during a game, but he didn’t realize that there was another chapter in his life that he might be a part of.
Unai’s soccer career didn’t end tragically; instead, he was given a second shot. His transition into teaching was a logical next step for him. Taking the team to new heights revealed that he was a clever footballer. His playing career required him to employ both his physical and cerebral abilities.
As a coach, he no longer had to worry about his physical well-being; instead, he could focus on motivating and empowering his team members mentally.
In addition to tennis and squash, Emery also enjoys the racket sport padel, which is a hybrid between the two.
During his tenure in Paris St. Germain, Unai would visit his family whenever he could. Despite being a self-described “football addict,” Emery also enjoys padel and chess.
He would regularly play padel against his teammates at Sevilla and Valencia as a way to take a break from the game.
Squash mixed with tennis is what you get with Padel, which is normally played in doubles on an enclosed court approximately a third of the size of an actual tennis court and with walls around it.
“I adore the strategy, the sensation of strategizing and out-thinking an opponent,” said Emery in World Soccer magazine in 2010.
