da winzada777： Across Aston Villa’s 149-year history, they’ve played host to a plethora of talented players, and many of them have picked up global notoriety. Football FanCast has named 12 of the most famous players to don the claret and blue strip.
da 888： Here are our selections: Who is the most famous Villa icon on this list?
12 Dean Saunders
Welshman Dean Saunders topped Villa’s goalscoring charts in each of his three seasons at the club before moving to Turkish giants Galatasaray.
He will be fondly remembered among Villa fans for scoring a brace in the 1994 League Cup final, helping his side defeat Manchester United.
After hanging up his boots, the former Liverpool forward dipped into management – taking charge of Wolves and Doncaster Rovers, among others – and has appeared in the media, working with the likes of talkSPORT and BT Sport (now TNT Sports).
So, given his exploits in the media post his playing days, he’s become a pretty recognizable face for viewers across the nation.
11 Andy Townsend
Andy Townsend was a classy midfielder for the West Midlanders and was an integral part of the club’s League Cup triumphs in 1994 and 1996.
The 70-cap Republic of Ireland international donned the captain’s armband for periods of his Villa career and was ranked among the top 20 players to ever play for the club in the Premier League era, by the Birmingham Mail.
His life after football has borne fruit, becoming a recognised voice across the Premier League and international football with ITV Sport.
Townsend has also featured regularly as a commentator alongside Clive Tyldesley in the best-selling football video game, FIFA, where much of his fame has blossomed.
10 Paul McGrath
Paul McGrath is one of the best players to ever grace Villa Park. He played for the club across seven seasons, winning the League Cup twice and the PFA Player of the Year award in 1993 after helping his side to a second-placed finish behind Manchester United.
McGrath is also widely regarded as one of the best to ever play for the Republic of Ireland, earning a whopping 83 caps and winning two FAI Senior International Player of the Year awards.
Following his many successes during his football career, he now carries out charity work for the Brain Injury Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Ireland.
9 Gabriel Agbonlahor
Aston Villa’s top all-time Premier League goalscorer, Gabby Agbonlahor, was a nightmare for defenders during his prime years. His scintillating pace paired with his finishing ability saw him rack up a commendable 73 Premier League goals.
Agbonlahor’s most prolific year in front of goal came during the 2009/10 season, when he struck 13 league goals, helping the Villans achieve a sixth-placed finish, just three points adrift of fifth-placed Manchester City.
The Villa youth product has carved out a fruitful career in the media, post his playing days, and is often heard on talkSPORT, one of the nation’s leading radio stations.
The three-cap England international, although well-liked by most, is often causing a stir on social media with his, at times, controversial footballing opinions.
8 Dion Dublin
Villa boss John Gregory outlaid £5.5m to sign Dion Dublin from Coventry City in 1998 and the frontman went on to net 56 goals in 188 appearances for the Villans.
As well as his football career, he’s carved out a successful career in television, becoming the host of the popular ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ programme, which airs on BBC One at day-time.
Dublin also features regularly on Football Focus and Match of the Day and occasionally provides co-commentary for FA Cup fixtures.
His social media following stretches to over 650,000 across Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).
7 Christian Benteke
The towering centre-forward enjoyed a proflic three-year stay with the West Midlands club before departing in a mega-mega move to Liverpool in 2015.
The 45-cap Belgian international netted 49 times in 101 outings for the Villans and was, for a period, considered one of the best strikers in the division.
Ultimately, his switch to the Reds didn’t quite work out and he eventually moved on to Crystal Palace pretty swiftly after Jürgen Klopp’s arrival, though, his fame naturally skyrocketed during his time in Merseyside, given Liverpool’s global fanbase.
And his following has only continued to increase after moving to the MLS, where he now plies his trade with D.C. United.
The former Villa frontman now has over one million followers across Instragram and X.
Read more: The story of Aston Villa’s successes in Europe
6 Dwight Yorke
Dwight Yorke was a tremendous forward for the West Midlanders, scoring 81 goals across 256 appearances. The Trinidad and Tobago international netted 17 league goals in back-to-back seasons, which was the catalyst for Manchester United to come calling in 1998.
The Red Devils outlaid a record fee worth £12.6m to sign the prolific striker and it’s fair to say it paid off. Yorke scored a colossal 29 goals the year United won the treble and continued his remarkable fortunes the season after, netting 24 times and helping his side win another league title.
His trophy-littered four-year stint in Manchester saw him become one of the Premier League greats, and with that, one of the most famed players in the illustrious division’s history.
5 Paul Merson
Paul Merson was ranked (by the Birmingham Mail) as the seventh-best player to wear the Villa shirt in the Premier League era, evincing quite how brilliant he was in claret and blue.
His four-year stay at Villa Park saw him make 144 appearances, scoring 19 goals whilst producing several magical performances.
Post football retirement, the former Arsenal man has become of fixture of Sky Sports, appearing on the popular ‘Gillette Soccer Special’ programme.
He also writes a weekly column for the Daily Star, where he predicts Premier League scores.
4 James Milner
The 61-cap England international, James Milner, has enjoyed a marvellous career and is still going strong with Brighton and Hove Albion at the age of 37.
His 126 games for Villa saw him operate in a number of different roles, evincing his useful versatility and he was a pivotal part of Martin O’Neill’s side that finished sixth in successive seasons.
His fame, however, has significantly enhanced following his trophy-laden eight-year spell with Liverpool, where he won one Premier League title, one FA and League Cup, one Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup.
He boasts a following of 5.6m across Instagram and X.
3 Ashley Young
Ashley Young was an electrifying winger during his first stint at the Villans. His impressive showings in claret and blue earned him a £17m move to Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 2011, where he reached global fame.
The 39-cap England international enjoyed an eight-and-a-half-year spell at Old Trafford before moving to Italian giants Inter Milan, where he won the Scudetto under the stewardship of Antonio Conte and furthered increased his fame.
His second spell with Villa ended in the summer gone by, taking his total appearances for the club to an admirable 247.
Young now plies his trade in Merseyside with Everton and is one of the most recognised faces from the previous generation of Premier League players.
A total of 5.2 million people follow the former Villa wide player.