A number of South American players have played for Aston Villa, but only a few can be considered the best ones in history.
Aston Villa have been quite reliant on South American players in the past few years. Such a thing was beyond imagination in the past. Historically, the Lions were more identical to the players from the British Isles, especially prior to the Premier League era.
However, as English football has become globally popular since the Premier League was inaugurated, the influx of foreign players to England has been inevitable, including from South American nations. However, the West Midlands side remains not a popular destination among the players in that region.
Throughout history, there have been only 13 South American players who plied their trade for Villa. Some have come and gone; some others have stayed up to this day. This season, the Argentine Emiliano Buendia is one of them. He has stolen the spotlight with his contribution lately, including his goal in De Kuip. He might not be the best one yet, but the former Norwich man certainly has the potential to be one, especially if he can stay in form.
Here are the top five most notable South American players in Villa Park so far.
The former Ecuadorian international was part of the Villa squad in the 2000s. He joined the Lions from Hibernian for £1.5 million when Graham Taylor was in charge.
De La Cruz did not take long to seal his spot in the starting line-up. When David O’Leary arrived, he managed to keep his place as the right back or right winger until the 2005/06 season. It was the campaign when he was no longer the first choice.
Overall, he featured in 100 games, scoring two goals and providing six assists in all competitions. Villa’s best position during his stint was sixth place in the 2003/04 season.
He eventually left Villa Park and signed for Reading. He had a brief spell with Birmingham City in 2009 before returning to home soil with LDU Quito.
He was Villa’s prolific goalscorer in the 2000s despite his slow start in the first season. Pablo Ángel was the key man in the team from the 2001/02 to the 2006/07 season. He arrived in the West Midlands for £9.5 million. It was the club’s record signing at that time.
The ex-Colombian international helped his team reach the semifinal in the EFL League Cup 2004 and win the Intertoto Cup 2001. He was instrumental in their campaign, as he registered seven goals and three assists in the former and bagged a brace in the final of the latter competition.
Overall, the former River Plate man scored 62 goals and made 12 assists in 205 appearances. Villa’s best finish during his stint there was in sixth place in the 2003/04 season.
The current Fenerbahçe man signed for The Lions at the age of 19 in January 2023, initially with a £14.75 million transfer fee from Chicago Fire. In the first season, he did not make a single contribution.
However, Durán soon made an impact in the following two seasons as a super sub. The Colombian international often scored crucial goals from the bench which helped Villa’s campaign in the 2023/24 season as they finished fourth as well as in the Champions League 2024/25.
His memorable goals were surely when he bagged a single winning goal against Bayern in the UCL and a brace while holding Liverpool in a 3-3 draw in May 2024. He also notched up one of the goals as Villa beat Manchester City 2-1 in December 2024. Overall, he made 78 appearances, chipping in 20 goals and one assist.
The Brazilian midfielder was the key figure in the Clarets and Blue since their promotion to the Premier League. He signed for Villa from Manchester City without making a debut under Pep Guardiola.
Luiz almost instantly cemented his spot in the starting XI under Dean Smith. He carried on being the key man as Villa made progress under Unai Emery. He left Villa Park after helping his team qualify for the Champions League in the 2023/24 season. The midfielder featured in 204 games, registering 22 goals and 24 assists in his first stint before making his return to the Midlands in January transfer window.
The Argentine goalkeeper is undoubtedly the best South American player in the squad and history to date. He joined The Lions for £17 million in summer 2020 after he did not get any guaranteed regular minutes at Arsenal despite contributing heavily while The Gunners won the FA Cup and Community Shield in 2020.
The 33-year-old shot-stopper has been instrumental in Villa’s campaign since his arrival. He was even awarded the FIFA Best Goalkeeper and Yashin Award twice. Martinez has played in 217 games with 71 clean sheets so far.
The post The Best South American players in Aston Villa appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.
