Emi Buendia has been on a rollercoaster ride which has taken him to the highest point of his career.
And the Aston Villa star reckons he has his own self-belief to thank for helping him go from conquering his demons to Europe.
Buendia admits he’s suffered some dark times since joining Villa from Norwich in a £38m deal in 2021. He suffered a cruel ACL injury in training ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, and was sidelined for the whole season.
He returned to competitive action almost 12 months to the day of his injury, and signed a new deal later that season. But in January 2025 was sent to Bayer Leverkusen on a six month loan deal.
He was told he could leave Villa Park last summer, but was determined to hang around to show the club and supporters he could still be a success.
And his resilience paid off in spectacular fashion in Istanbul on Wednesday night, when the Argentine scored what he describes as the ‘goal of his life’ to help Villa beat Freiburg to win the Europa League title.
All good things come to those who wait. And Buendia knows he is one them.
View 3 ImagesEmiliano Buendia of Aston Villa celebrates scoring his team’s second goal(Image: 2026 Vasile Mihai-Antonio)
He said: “I prepared myself a lot for this. I’ve had some very bad moments, I’ve been very low, had injuries and found myself in a difficult moment to play more often.
“But I kept believing in myself all the time. I always trusted my work ethic and also I always thought I could be important for this club and team.
“I worked so much for this. I’ve been working in everything to have a night like this. Now I just want to enjoy it.”
Buendia admits his time at Leverkusen helped him mature – and made him realise he never wanted to turn his back on Villa.
He said: “That was another experience for myself, and to personally grow up. I wanted to stay to fight for a place. I knew within myself I could be important for this team, and I’m very happy.
“I always tried to refuse everything. I wanted to stay here, I wanted to play for this club.”
View 3 ImagesEmi Buendia of Aston Villa poses for a photo with the UEFA Europa League trophy and team-mate Morgan Rogers
Buendia, 29, joined the rest of his team-mates on an open top bus parade through the streets of Birmingham on Thursday, to show off the club’s first European trophy in 44 years.
And he revealed manager Unai Emery had addressed his players in the Besiktas Park dressing room following the seismic triumph, to thank them for what they’d achieved on behalf of him and the club.
He said: “He said he was really pleased, really grateful for all of our work.
“The way we worked and prepared everything in this competition is amazing. “Like he always said, we showed a desire to win a trophy – and now we’ve got it.”
Buendia, who revealed Emi Martinez played through the pain barrier against Freiburg after breaking his finger in the warm up, now wants to join his fellow Argentine in Lionel Scaloni’s final World Cup squad.
He added: “The World Cup is always a dream. We will see in the next few days.
“I want to enjoy this as a team and as a club. I want to see my family and friends as well.”
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