When you’ve got a World Cup-winning goalkeeper in your team, you can’t afford not to be ambitious. Aston Villa have qualified for European competition for the first time in over a decade, rounding off a remarkable season. After a poor start under Steven Gerrard, the club appointed Unai Emery as their head coach – and it proved a masterstroke.Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez continued his excellent form from the World Cup in Qatar when he returned to England and, with his teammates, kept rising up the Premier League table.##NAJAVA_MECA_7291672##The final-day victory over Brighton sealed the seventh spot for the Villans, putting them in the UEFA Europa Conference League. For Martinez, it was a perfect send-off of a turbulent season.”It’s a great feeling. From where we were at the start of the season to where we are now, we should be grateful to qualify for Europe for the first time in 13 years. We played an outstanding game against Brighton, and I’m very proud to be wearing this shirt. We wanted it more than them – that’s the reality. We wanted to be in Europe, and this club deserves to be in Europe.”Testing themselves against international opposition will be fantastic for the club that endured relegation from the EPL in 2016 and had to spend three years playing in the second tier.Ashley Young and Martinez take a bow pic.twitter.com/LC3zB7hfjK— Jack (@Jw_Av04) January 13, 2023 Veteran winger Ashley Young, a staple of the team that competed in the Europa League in the 2010/11 season, said it’s a dream come true to make it again.”From the beginning to the end, we dreamed, and we achieved. I said coming back here, we should be playing European Football, and we have delivered. With the help of you amazing fans being with us week in and week out next season, you will have European Football, European Nights! We will all enjoy this together. Hopefully, I’ll be able to be part of those European nights like I was in 2010.”
