Emiliano Buendía was born on 25 December 1996 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. He came through the youth setup of Getafe in Spain, where his family had relocated, before progressing through lower Spanish divisions. He moved to England and signed for Norwich City in summer 2018, where he became one of the most creative midfielders in the Championship.
His two seasons at Norwich were outstanding, with a Player of the Season award in the 2018-19 promotion season and consistent creative output in the Premier League before Norwich were relegated. In summer 2021 Aston Villa signed him for a then club-record fee of around £33 million, making it one of the most significant Championship-to-Premier League transfers of the era.
At Aston Villa he has operated behind their main forward, providing the creative link between midfield and attack. He has been used in various roles by successive managers — Steven Gerrard, Unai Emery — and became a senior figure in the squad under Emery as Villa established themselves as consistent top-seven Premier League contenders. His ability to drive at defenders, create through tight areas and register both goals and assists has been central to Villa's upward trajectory.
For Argentina he debuted in 2021 and has been considered within the national team pool through the 2022 World Cup cycle and the 2024 Copa América. Competing for attacking midfield spots in a squad that contains Lionel Messi, Rodrigo De Paul and Alexis Mac Allister is a competitive proposition, but his Premier League profile has kept him in contention.
Standing 1.72 m, Buendía is a right-footed attacking midfielder whose dribbling, close control and creativity in half-spaces draw stylistic comparisons to a more defensive-minded version of Pablo Aimar. His combination of Premier League-proven creativity and Argentine technical tradition makes him a distinctive option in the national team attacking midfield.