‘It was historic’: former striker hails the goal that made his name at Aston Villa
Former Premier League striker Juan Pablo Ángel has discussed his best remembered and most important goal for Aston Villa.
Villa signed Ángel from Buenos Aires giants River Plate in January 2001 for a record transfer fee of £9.5 million. He was immediately taken to heart by Villa’s supporters, who regarded his signing as the result of fan protests against a lack of investment on the part of chairman Doug Ellis.
The Colombian striker had a difficult time in Birmingham and had to deal with non-football issues that exacerbated his adjustment to the Premier League. He scored once in the second half of the 2000/01 season but gradually found form.
In his first full season, Ángel scored 16 goals and started to live up to his fan favourite billing. His best season was in 2003/04, when he scored 23 goals in all competitions and helped Villa to finish in sixth place in the Premier League and reach the semi-finals of the League Cup.
One of the high point’s of Ángel’s Villa career came in the quarter-final of that competition when Villa beat Chelsea 2-1.
“They arrived at Villa Park with high expectations,” he told FourFourTwo.
“We were the underdogs for that quarter-final – nobody expected us to win. Early on I won a duel with William Gallas, feinted and dribbled past John Terry, then hit an incredible curving shot from a distance that was impossible for Carlo Cudicini to save.
“I also assisted the second goal that eliminated Chelsea. It was historic.”
Ángel scored another spectacular goal in the first leg of the semi-final at Bolton Wanderers but Villa were unable to overcome a 5-2 deficit despite winning the second leg at Villa Park.
‘I loved the club’
“My time at Villa was very special,” he added. “I loved the club from day one because of the affection from the fans, who even made up a song dedicated to my name.”
The Colombian striker was a popular figure at Villa Park, where he stayed for six years and made 205 appearances in all competitions. In total, he scored 62 goals for the club including a beautiful finish in a 3-1 win against Portsmouth in 2003/04 and a vital equaliser against Bolton the following season.
He scored big goals in the League Cup and the Intertoto Cup too, but is perhaps best remembered for his connection with the fans and one very special strike against Chelsea.
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