Aston Villa’s 10 Greatest Players Of All Time | 2023

Who amongst all of Aston Villa’s players both retired or active stands as a cult hero for the West Midlands club?

Aston Villa is one of the English top-tier sides, rich with quite amazing history, and with such a history of success in football across different eras, there are players who undoubtedly have contributed to the success of the club.

The Claret & Blue is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in English football founded in 1874, having won seven first-division titles, seven FA Cups, one European Cup, and one European Super Cup.

The club is currently owned by the NSWE group, a company co-owned by Egyptian billionaire Nassef Sawiris and American billionaire Wes Edens.

Aston Villa’s Greatest Player In History

For a club that is successful as Aston Villa, whittling down their greatest players to just ten can be somewhat a difficult task. However, we’ll pick those who deserve to be on the list considering important factors such as impact, consistency, longevity, and success.

Stiliyan Petrov – (Trophies – 0)

In 2006, the Bulgarian legend was named amongst the club’s inductees for the Hall of Fame based on his unrivaled dedication, quality, and impact.

Despite not winning a major trophy, except for the personal awards he won as Aston Villa Player’s Player of the Year and Supporters’ Player of the Year at the club.

His stint with Celtic was undoubtedly littered with silverware, but he couldn’t conjure his titles-winning magic for the West Midlands side when he joined in 2006, which came as heart-warming news for all Claret & Blue fans who saw him dazzled in the Scottish league before coming to England.

Two years after joining the club, Petrov became one of the most loved captains in the English Premier League.

His leadership skills and quality on the pitch for the Midlands side were phenomenal. In 2012, the fans were hit with the sad news of him having Leukemia which put an end to his career.

Billy Walker – (Trophies – 1)

If consistency, longevity, impact, and success were anything to go by, therefore we can say Walker was one of Aston Villa’s most impactful and consistent players who donned the shirt of both the youth and senior team of the club.

With 244 goals in the shirt of the Claret, which span across 20-year football career at Villa Park, Walker will undoubtedly be talked about as one of the club’s legends. His record goal-scoring prowess still stands as the club’s highest goal-scorer.

Walker didn’t only score goals for Villa, he won the FA Cup with the club in 1920, featuring in a total of 531 appearances and 18 caps for the Three Lions before he called it quit in 1934.

Gordon Cowans – (Trophies – 3)

Cowans is arguably the greatest player ever to don the Claret & Blue jersey for his sheer quality, impact, and success with the West Midlands side. He debuted for Villa at the age of 17, becoming a regular in the team, and notably went on to be part of the 1977 League Cup winning side against Everton.

Like Walker, he was also one of Villa’s players with a huge number of game appearances 453 and 49 goals wrapping it up with success on the pitch with one European Cup, European Super Cup, and League Cup.

Despite being a midfielder, Cowens was quite lethal in front of goal, as such he won the PFA Young Player of the Year which gives credence to his quality despite breaking into the team at a very young age.

Peter Withe – (Trophies – 4)

The combinations of dedication, loyalty, impact, and success are undoubtedly the ingredients that secured Withe’s place as one of Villa’s legends.

A strapping center-forward, Withe was tough to dispossess and lethal in the air, all perfect combinations for a target man.

Withe scored 90 goals in 232 appearances for Aston Villa, the ideal partner for a faster, more agile strike partner. The imposing forward stint will definitely not be forgotten easily amongst the Villa fans.

He score the club’s most important goal against Bayern Munich in 1982, which was summed up as a fruitful campaign, where he went on to score 20 goals.

With won four major trophies for the West Midlands before he left the club, describing his departure as the “biggest wrench of his career.”

Paul McGrath – (Trophies – 2)

The Claret & Blue fans regarded McGrath as a ‘god’ for his quality and how impactful his time with the Midlands club was, despite being a player riddled with injuries. So not having him on the list will definitely mean injustice to him for how brilliant he was for Aston Villa.

Following McGrath’s move to Villa in 1989, quite a number of fans expected the team to win the league, but they narrowly lost the title to United and surprisingly struggled in the league the following season.

With McGrath still in the team after the departure of the club’s coach Graham Taylor, he dragged the team to the final of the League Cup in 1993-94 and 1996-97 respectively where he shone out breathtaking performances that won them the trophies and the PFA Player of the Year.

Charlie Aitken (Trophies – 2 )

The Scottish defender, who played 660 games in claret and blue throughout his 17-year career with the club and made 657 starts, is unquestionably one of the best players to ever represent Aston Villa.

Wilson Briggs, a friend of his, invited him to Villa to accompany him to a trial. Although they were both recruited, Briggs only played in two games throughout his career. Aitken was a member of the League Cup-winning team in 1975, after finishing runner-up in 1971.

He only appeared in two games in Europe, but he was a part of the team that took on Antwerp in the club’s first-ever UEFA Cup match in 1975.

During his career with Villa, he rarely missed a game and was consistently present on five occasions. Several times, he served as the team’s captain.

His greatest achievements included the club’s 1975 League Cup victory over Norwich City at Wembley, the Third Division title in 1972, and the club’s return to the top flight in 1975, the latter of which earned him the title of Midland Footballer of the Year.

READ ALSO | 10 Of The Greatest Swedish Footballers

READ ALSO | 10 Chelsea Players With Most Appearances

Nigel Spink – (Trophies – 3)

Spink is arguably the greatest Aston Villa goalkeeper who made his name between the stick, delivering commendable and breathtaking performances for the Claret & Blue.

Following Jimmy Rimmer’s injury ten minutes into the final of the European Cup against Bayern Munich, Spink was summoned and the rest was history for the shot-stopper who was incredibly successful at Villa.

Spink’s reign and continuous brilliant performances in between the stick at Villa Park weren’t a season wonder, he did sum up his amazing performances with a total of 361 games and played a pivotal role in the triumph in winning the League Cup in 1994.

Brian Little – (Trophies – 3)

Little did enjoy the best moments of his football career in the shirt of Villa where he made 247 appearances and scored 60 goals during his stint with the Claret & Blue.

He will definitely be remembered as one of the greatest strikers ever to grace Villa Park, especially for his defense-wracking telepathic partnership with Andy Gray another brilliant player who donned the club shirt.

Little legendary status was further cemented at Villa Park in 1994, when he returned as a coach to manage the team to success, winning the League Cup in 1996 which without a doubt made him one of the club’s most successful players and coaches.

Tony Morley – (Trophies – 4)

Morley proved to be a great bargain for Villa when he joined the Claret & Blue from Burnley for £200,000 under the tutelage of Ron Saunders, one of the club’s cult heroes who also enjoyed unrivaled adulation from the fans.

The nippy winger wasn’t one of the best goal-scorer but throughout his illustrious career at Villa Park, he made quite an incredible impact scoring 84 goals in 180 appearances despite not being a conventional center-forward.

Aston Villa’s greatest players won’t be listed with Morley not included in the list. His role in the club’s legendary side took the world of football by storm in the early 80s winning the league and European Cup.

Allan Evans – (Trophies – 4)

Evans’ career hit the ground running at Aston Villa where he formed a pivotal center-back partnership with Ken McNaught, in a Villa side that achieved success on all fronts.

He was a prominent member of the title-winning team in 1980-81 side which sprung a surprise in English football back then.

Winning the European Cup and beating Barcelona over two legs in the Super Cup was also one of the best moments of Evans’s career, making him one of the Scottish players to ever won the UEFA club competition.

When Villa was relegated in 1987, he made his loyalty count by going down with the club, further confirming his cult status at the club as a loyal and dedicated captain.

Dennis Mortimer – (Trophies – 5)

Call him Captain phenomenal, you won’t be wrong. His impact and leadership skills for Villa throughout his ten years stint were nothing short of goodness. He led the team to a European Cup triumph against Bayern Munich.

Mortimer played over 400 games for Villa and scored 40 goals to ink his name in the history of the club. He’s one of the best as well as being one of the long-serving member of the team who achieved success both in the league and Europe.

As brilliant as Mortimer was for Aston Villa, he couldn’t feature in games for the Three Lions, but he did play for the U23 and captained the B team of England.

Honorable Mentions:

• Ian Taylor
• Dwight Yorke
• Johnny Dixon
• Eric Houghton
• William McGregor

FAQ

Who is Aston Villa’s biggest rival?

Birmingham City

Villa has a fierce local rivalry with Birmingham City and the Second City derby between the teams has been played since 1879.

Who is Aston Villa’s record goalscorer?

Gabriel Agbonlahor

1 Gabriel Agbonlahor: 391 Goals
2 Dwight Yorke: 238 Goals
3 Juan Pablo Ángel:  205 Goals

What is Aston Villa’s biggest win?

7-1

Record Premier League win: 7–1 (v. Wimbledon, 11 February 1995). Record FA Cup win: 13–0 (v. Wednesbury Old Athletic, 1st round, 3 October 1886).

Who owns Aston Villa now?

Wes Edens & Nassef Sawiris

What was the last trophy Aston Villa won?

1995-96 Football League Cup Final

Aston Villa last won a trophy on 24 March 1996.

Aston Villa – Leeds United 3-0
1-0 Milošević (20)
2-0 Taylor (55)
3-0 Yorke (88)

How much is Aston Villa worth?

The estimated combined net worth of Nassef Sawiris Wesley Edens is $12.9B

Who has made the most appearances for Aston Villa?

Charlie Aitken.

He is the ultimate Aston Villa man and his appearance record is almost certain never to be beaten. The Scottish defender turned out 660 times in claret and blue during his 17-year stint with the club. Staggeringly, 657 of those were starts.

What are Aston Villa fans called?

Villans

Derived from its name, Aston Villa’s most prominent nickname is the Villans. Fans identify themselves as Villans but there are other nicknames for Aston Villa.

Thanks to the crest, Villa is also known as the Lions. Another of Villa’s nicknames is the Claret and Blue Army thanks to the club colors.

Why does Aston Villa wear claret and blue?

After officially forming in 1967, the club adopted claret and blue in honor of Aston Villa’s heritage. This gospel belief emerged after four Trabzon-based clubs formed an alliance and made an agreement to choose opposing colors for their local rivals, Trabzon İdmanocağı (İdmanocağı SK).

Where is Aston Villa located?

Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897.

What is the symbol of Aston Villa?

The club’s traditional kit colors are claret shirts with sky-blue sleeves, white shorts, and sky-blue socks.

Their traditional badge is of a rampant lion, which was introduced by the club’s Scottish chairman William McGregor in honor of the Royal Standard of Scotland.

You May Also Like This

• 10 Of The Greatest Swedish Footballers
• 10 Chelsea Players With the Most Appearances