{
  "id": 11465578,
  "title": "Why Aston Villa are playing Sevilla for a trophy you haven't heard of",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/why-aston-villa-are-playing-sevilla-for-a-trophy-you-havent-heard-of",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-02T15:06:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "BBC Sport",
    "slug": "bbc-sport",
    "url": "https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/crvg6xd6p9n5o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Friday, Aston Villa will face Sevilla in a friendly match at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla. The match will be for the Antonio Puerta Trophy, a piece of silverware few outside of Spain have heard of. The trophy was created in memory of Sevilla academy graduate Antonio Puerta, who died in August 2007 at the age of 22 after suffering a cardiac arrest during a La Liga match against Getafe. Despite appearing to recover initially, Puerta collapsed again and sadly passed away three days later in the hospital. His death deeply impacted Spanish football, with Puerta being one of Sevilla's own, making 88 appearances for the club and winning five trophies in just 15 months.\n\nIn 2008, Sevilla established the Antonio Puerta Trophy in his honor. Initially, the match was a modest pre-season fixture, but it has now become an annual event. This year marks the 15th edition of the trophy. Aston Villa's participation is particularly noteworthy as it is the first time an English club has been invited to play for the Antonio Puerta Trophy. Unai Emery, Villa's current manager, will return to the stadium where he had one of his most successful spells as a manager. Emery managed Sevilla from 2013 to 2016, winning the Europa League three times in a row.\n\nSevilla has won the Antonio Puerta Trophy in 12 of the last 14 editions, with only Granada and Boca Juniors managing to beat them. The early editions of the tournament featured all-Spanish teams, with Sevilla facing off against other La Liga clubs. Since then, the fixture has expanded to include teams from outside Spain, with Boca Juniors being the first overseas opponent in 2016, followed by Roma, Schalke, Independiente del Valle, Al-Ittihad, and Al-Qadsiah. Aston Villa's Leon Goretzka may be available to play after recovering from a knee injury, while striker Brian Madjo and midfielder Taylor Harwood-Bellis are also fit and ready to contribute.",
  "summary": "Aston Villa are set to take on Sevilla in the Antonio Puerta Trophy, named in memory of one of the Spanish club's former players.",
  "key_points": [
    "Aston Villa to face Sevilla in Antonio Puerta Trophy match.",
    "Antonio Puerta died in 2007 after cardiac arrest during match.",
    "Villa's Unai Emery previously managed Sevilla (2013-2016)."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "BBC Sport Football",
        "title": "Why Aston Villa are playing Sevilla for a trophy you haven't heard of",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/why-aston-villa-are-playing-sevilla-for-a-trophy-you-havent-heard-of-11465618",
        "published": "2026-10-02T15:06:58.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}