The Villains have hosted many a legend in their midst, but there are a few that stand out and transcend history. Here is our list of top Aston villa players that ever stepped onto the pitch.
Charlie Aitken
There was no way to start this list without including the one and only Charlie Aitken. He played for the club for 17 years and appeared in 657 matches as a start and 660 matches overall. While it took some time for him to actually join the team, once he took hold of the left-back, he didn’t leave it until the end of his career. He made his appearance in three separate divisions. Who can forget him lifting the League Cup in 1975 after defeating Norwich? The 77-year-old Scotsman is still one of the greatest legends of the team.
Paul McGrath
Arguably the greatest Villain of all time was awarded the Footballer of the Year award in 1993. His name was one of the most chanted, if not the most chanted, by the Faithfull, in the form of: “Paul McGrath, M’Lord“. Some are even more impressed by his achievements when faced with the fact that McGrath was struggling with a drinking problem and bad knees. He played for seven years, won two League Cups, and was the scariest defender the club has ever seen.
Johnny Dixon
This inside forward is sadly no longer with use – he passed away in 2009. What’s interesting is that he chose to play for Aston Villa just because he liked the name of the club. He is also the last captain of the team to have held the FA Cup in his hands in 1957. The late 50s were the time when Dixon helped Villa come back up and he even coached the kids in his later years. Truly, he is a legend that will be missed, but never forgotten.
Peter Withe
Peter With is most famous for two things. He is the Villa player with the most goals scored in a season and also it was his shin that scored the one and only goal in the Villa-Bayern Munich match in the European Cup Final 1982. Though he played only for five years on the team, his achievements make them more than worthy to appear on our list.
Pongo Waring
Imagine getting your nickname from a cartoon Dalmatian. His debut was also when he scored his first hat-trick against Birmingham City. He was the star of the 20s and 30s, though his behaviour off the pitch was that of a wild card. Sometimes, he would not even show up for practice, but he would always maintain an average of three goals very four games – he was just that good.
Dennis Mortimer
Remember how Withe scored the winning goal in 1982? Well, Dennis Mortimer was the captain of the team then. Before the European Cup, he was responsible for putting the team into the First Division and was the glue that held it together. He played in over 400 games and scored about 40 goals.