Emiliano Buendía in 2026: Net Worth and Salary, Age, Wife, Date Joined, Transfer Values, and FAQs

Emiliano Buendía is one of those footballers whose story keeps pulling you back in. One moment he looks like he is on his way out of Aston Villa, the next he is scoring the Premier League Goal of the Month and back in the Argentina squad. If you have been searching for clear, up to date answers about his life, career, salary, family and the injury that almost ended things, this guide was put together for you.

Emiliano Buendía Net Worth and Salary in 2026

Buendía has been a steady earner for close to a decade now, and his time in the Premier League has done most of the heavy lifting for his finances. Icon Polls estimates that his net worth in 2026 sits somewhere between 30 million and 35 million dollars. That figure takes in his career earnings, his 2021 move to Aston Villa which was a club record deal, boot and kit endorsements, and private investments he has quietly made since his Norwich City days.

On the salary side, he takes home about £75,000 per week at Aston Villa, which works out to roughly £3.9 million a year before bonuses. That is the base wage. Appearance bonuses, win bonuses and European qualification bonuses push it higher in a strong season, and he has had a strong season in 2025 to 2026. With Villa now pushing to extend his contract beyond 2027, that weekly number is very likely to climb in the next round of talks.

How Old Is Emiliano Buendía?

Emiliano Buendía was born on 25 December 1996 in Mar del Plata, Argentina. That makes him 29 years old in 2026. He shares a hometown with two other well known Argentine footballers, Emiliano Martínez and Matías Soulé, and the three of them came up through the same coastal football culture that has produced generations of technical players.

At 29, he is right in his peak years as an attacking midfielder. He has the experience to read games in advance and the legs to still press, drop in and drive forward when Unai Emery asks him to.

Who Is Emiliano Buendía's Wife?

Buendía has been with his long term partner Claudia for years. The two met while he was still playing in Spain and have been together since around 2016 or 2017. They are often referred to as husband and wife in the media, and they do live as a family, but as far as the public record goes they have not held a formal wedding. Claudia is Spanish and keeps her life fairly private, away from the football scene.

The couple have two sons, Thiago, born in 2018, and Giovanni, born in March 2021. Buendía is known for being a family first person off the pitch, and his Instagram often features the boys when the season allows a breather.

How to Pronounce Emiliano Buendía

If you have ever hesitated while saying his name out loud, you are not alone. The correct pronunciation is eh-mee-lee-AH-no bwen-DEE-ah. The stress falls on the second syllable of Buendía, and the í carries an accent that lifts the sound. In Argentine Spanish the d is soft, almost closer to a th in English. His surname literally means good day in Spanish, which is a nice touch for a player who has given plenty of good days to the clubs he has played for.

Emiliano Buendía Injury History

The biggest injury scare of his career came on 9 August 2023. On the eve of the Premier League season, during a training session, Buendía tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. He needed surgery and missed the entire 2023 to 2024 Premier League campaign. Villa fans were genuinely worried they had seen the last of him at his best, because ACL injuries have ended careers before.

He began running again in May 2024 and made his return on 27 July 2024 in a pre season friendly, almost exactly a year after the injury. His Premier League comeback arrived on 14 September 2024, when he came off the bench in a 3 to 2 win over Everton. Icon Polls rates the comeback as one of the more impressive recoveries in the Premier League in recent seasons, because he has not just returned, he has returned to form.

Since then he has stayed largely fit, with only minor knocks here and there through the 2025 to 2026 season.

Date Emiliano Buendía Joined Aston Villa

Emiliano Buendía officially joined Aston Villa on 10 June 2021, with the agreement announced three days earlier on 7 June. He signed a five year contract and the transfer fee was reported at around £33 million, with bonus clauses that could push the total to £38 million. At the time it was both Aston Villa's record signing and Norwich City's record sale.

In January 2025 he signed a contract extension that tied him to Villa until 30 June 2027, and he was immediately loaned out to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen for the second half of that season. He returned to Villa for the 2025 to 2026 campaign and surprised many people by forcing his way straight back into Unai Emery's first team plans.

Emiliano Buendía Transfer Values Over the Years

His transfer history tells the story of a player who has earned every step up. He joined Norwich City from Getafe in 2018 for roughly £1.5 million, which was one of the best value signings of that Championship season. Three years later Villa paid a reported £33 million, rising to £38 million with add ons, to bring him to the Premier League.

In January 2025 he moved to Bayer Leverkusen on a loan deal with no fee attached. Currently his market value is estimated at between €15 million and €18 million, reflecting the fact that he is 29 with two years left on his deal and is playing well again. Icon Polls believes that if Villa ultimately decide to sell, a realistic sale price in 2026 would sit in the £15 million to £22 million range depending on how aggressive the bidding gets.

Emiliano Buendía in the 2025 to 2026 Season

This has been the season where Buendía quietly reminded everyone what he is capable of. He scored three times in Villa's first 12 Premier League games, and his finish in the 2 to 1 away win at Tottenham Hotspur in October 2025 was voted both BBC Goal of the Month and the official Premier League Goal of the Month for October. By April 2026 he had crossed 45 appearances across all competitions, started 18 of 30 Premier League games, and featured in every single one of Villa's Europa League matches.

His form has also opened the door back to the Argentina national team. After a three year absence, he was called up in November 2025 for a friendly against Angola. Considering how stacked Argentina are in attacking midfield, that call up is a real statement.

Frequently Asked Questions About Emiliano Buendía

1. How do you pronounce Emiliano Buendía?

It is pronounced eh-mee-lee-AH-no bwen-DEE-ah, with the stress on the second syllable of the surname. The name means good day in Spanish.

2. What is Emiliano Buendía's net worth in 2026?

Icon Polls estimates his net worth to be between 30 million and 35 million dollars in 2026, based on career earnings, his record Aston Villa move and endorsement income.

3. How much does Emiliano Buendía earn at Aston Villa?

He earns around £75,000 per week, which comes out to about £3.9 million a year before bonuses.

4. How old is Emiliano Buendía?

He is 29 years old. He was born on 25 December 1996.

5. Where was Emiliano Buendía born?

He was born in Mar del Plata, a coastal city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina.

6. Is Emiliano Buendía married?

He is in a long term relationship with Claudia, his Spanish partner, and together they have two sons. They have not had a formal wedding, but they live as a family.

7. Who is Emiliano Buendía's wife?

His long term partner is Claudia. She is Spanish, keeps a low public profile, and they have been together since roughly 2016.

8. How many children does Emiliano Buendía have?

He has two sons, Thiago, born in 2018, and Giovanni, born in March 2021.

9. What injury did Emiliano Buendía have?

He tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee on 9 August 2023 during training. The ACL injury required surgery and kept him out for the entire 2023 to 2024 season.

10. Has Emiliano Buendía recovered from his ACL injury?

Yes, he has. He returned to first team football in September 2024 and has been in strong form throughout the 2025 to 2026 season, winning Premier League Goal of the Month for October 2025.

11. When did Emiliano Buendía join Aston Villa?

He joined Aston Villa on 10 June 2021 from Norwich City on a five year contract.

12. How much did Aston Villa pay for Emiliano Buendía?

The fee was reported at about £33 million, rising to £38 million with add ons. It was a club record signing for Villa and a club record sale for Norwich.

13. What is Emiliano Buendía's market value in 2026?

His current market value sits between €15 million and €18 million. Icon Polls estimates a realistic sale price of £15 million to £22 million if a bidding situation develops.

14. What position does Emiliano Buendía play?

He is mainly an attacking midfielder, but he is also used as a right winger, a left winger and a shadow striker. He wears the number 10 shirt at Villa.

15. Did Emiliano Buendía play for Bayer Leverkusen?

Yes, he joined Bayer Leverkusen on loan from Aston Villa in January 2025 and stayed there until the end of the 2024 to 2025 season.

16. Does Emiliano Buendía play for Argentina?

Yes. He was called back into the Argentina squad in November 2025 after a three year absence for a friendly against Angola.

17. Could Emiliano Buendía have played for Spain?

He could have. He holds Spanish citizenship and played for Spain at under 19 level in 2014, but he later chose Argentina and has represented them at senior level.

18. How tall is Emiliano Buendía?

He is 1.72 metres tall, which is about 5 feet 8 inches.

19. What is Emiliano Buendía's jersey number at Aston Villa?

He wears the number 10 jersey.

20. When does Emiliano Buendía's contract end?

His current contract with Aston Villa runs until 30 June 2027. The club is in talks about a new extension.

21. Why is Emiliano Buendía's full name Emiliano Buendía Stati?

Stati is his second surname, following the traditional Spanish and Argentine naming custom of carrying both the father's and mother's surnames.

22. What clubs has Emiliano Buendía played for?

His senior clubs are Getafe, Cultural Leonesa on loan, Norwich City, Aston Villa and Bayer Leverkusen on loan. He also came through the youth systems of Cadetes de San Martín and Real Madrid.