Matt Maher: Unai Emery gets deserved world recognition after Premier League snub

At least, that’s when you take the West Midlands out of the equation.

Emery might have won plenty of trophies when in charge of Paris Saint-Germain including a domestic quadruple but you never get the impression he looks back upon his tenure with too much fondness.

That trip to Paris in the Champions League two seasons ago felt particularly fraught.

Yet French journalists still seem to appreciate his work. This week Emery was named, quite deservedly, on the five-man shortlist for men’s coach of the year at the Ballon D’Or Awards, where the nominees are chosen by reporters at France Football and L’Equipe.

The Spaniard’s presence on a list which also includes Mikel Arteta, Luis Enrique and Spain boss Luiz de la Fuente makes a further mockery of last season’s snub by the Premier League.

Despite leading Villa to their best season for 30 years and into the Champions League for the second time in three seasons, Emery wasn’t deemed worthy of a place on their six-man list for the manager of the year prize.

Granted, those nominations are chosen some way before the end of the campaign. But when you consider that, even by the end of December, Emery had turned around a team which failed to win any of their first five matches into one which equalled a 128-year-old club record for consecutive wins and you realise what a bizarre omission it was.

For the second time in three seasons, Emery threatened to turn Villa into title contenders. From November onward, they were never outside the top-five.

Few would argue Arteta was deserving of winning the award after leading Arsenal to the title. But if ever a season was worthy of acclaim, it was Emery’s.

There are times when you wonder whether those of us in the Midlands are paranoid for believing achievements in our region get too easily overlooked.

For Emery’s snub, it was difficult to fathom any other reason. At least the French know a good manager when they see one.