Unai Emery has been nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Men's Coach of the Year award. The Villa manager ended the club's 30-year wait for a trophy by winning the Europa League in May and delivered a fourth-place Premier League finish. Johan Manzambi, who signed from Freiburg in the summer for a club record fee of just over £50m, has also been nominated for Men's Young Talent of the Year.