Former Premier League striker Juan Pablo Ángel discussed his best and most important goal for Aston Villa.
Villa signed Ángel van Buenos Aires Giants River Plate in January 2001 for a record transfer costs of £ 9.5 million. He was immediately taken to heart by the supporters of Villa, who considered his signing as a result of fan protests against a lack of investments 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 have worsened his adaptation 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 realize his favorite invoicing of fans. His best season was in 2003/04, when he scored 23 goals in all competitions and Villa helped to finish in sixth place in the Premier League and reach the semi -final of the League Cup.
One of the highlights of the villa career of Ángel came in the quarterfinals of that competition when Villa Chelsea defeated 2-1.
“They arrived in Villa Park with high expectations,” he said Vierfourtwo.
“We were the underdogs for that quarterfinals to win that we would win. Early I won a duel with William Gallas, fallen and dribbled past John Terry and then hit an incredibly curved shot that was impossible for Carlo Cudicini to save.
“I also helped the second goal that Chelsea eliminated. It was historic.”
Ángel scored another spectacular goal in the first stage of the semi-final in Bolton Wanderers, but Villa could not overcome a 5-2 deficit despite winning the second stage in Villa Park.
‘I loved the club’
“My time at Villa was very special,” he added. “I kept from the first day of the club because of the affection of the fans, who even made up a song by my name.”
The Colombian striker was a popular figure in Villa Park, where he stayed for six years and made 205 performances 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 equalizer 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 a very special strike against Chelsea.
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