When you think of Aston Villa strikers, a real mixed bag comes to mind. For every Dwight Yorke or Dion Dublin, there’s been a Marlon Harewood or Libor Kozak.
No doubt, however, the Villans have boasted some talented front-men throughout the Premier League era, such as John Carew, Christian Benteke and the cultiest of cult heroes Juan Pablo Angel.
But we at Football FanCast want to put the shoe on the other foot, by taking a look at the ten forwards who’ve caused the Birmingham outfit, and their fan base, the most torment, pain and anguish over the years.
So with the help of our bromantic buddies at Transfermarkt, here’s a rundown of the ten strikers with the best scoring (and assist) records against the 15th-placed Championship side.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool favourites feature, but there’s a fair few surprises along the way as well.
Maybe Villa fans wouldn’t mind staying in the second tier a little longer, with some of these fearsome front-men still on the loose in the top flight…
10. Robin van Persie – 12 Apps, Eight Goals, Two Assists
One of the most talented strikers to ever grace the Premier League, Robin van Persie unsurprisingly claims a place in the top ten. He’s netted past Villa for both Arsenal and Manchester United, including a hat-trick to famously win the Premier League title for the latter club in 2013.
9. Ruud van Nistelrooy – Nine Apps, Eight Goals
From one Dutchman to another, Aston Villa are by no means alone in suffering Ruud van Nistelrooy’s almighty goalscoring wrath. The Oranje great bagged almost a goal-per-game against the Villans, and probably would have got more had it not been for an injury-plagued 2004/05 season.
8. Olivier Giroud – Eight Apps, Eight Goals, One Assist
Villa fans must already be fearing the sight of Olivier Giroud should their side return to the Premier League next season. The Arsenal man boasts a goal a game versus the Birmingham outfit, with an assist for good measure. That includes a hat-trick on the final day of last season, rubbing salt into Villa’s relegation.
7. Les Ferdinand – 16 Apps, Nine Goals
One of the Premier League’s early goal-scoring greats, Les Ferdinand always seemed to play well against Villa, netting past them for QPR, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur. He famously notched up a brace in a memorable 4-3 during the 1996/97 season.
6. Cristiano Ronaldo – 14 Apps, Nine Goals, Four Assists
There’s no shame in being dealt a masterclass by Cristiano Ronaldo, arguably the greatest player of his generation. 14 outings against the Villans have seen the Portugal star play a part in 13 goals, netting nine himself. In fact, he contributed to at least one goal versus Villa during all six of his Premier League campaigns.
5. Jermain Defoe – 26 Apps, Ten Goals, Three Assists
Jermain Defoe’s benefited from the sheer number of times he’s faced the Villans, with the second-most appearances of any player on this list. Indeed, the veteran striker has got on the scoresheet against Villa for West Ham, Spurs, Portsmouth and Sunderland and helped the latter club stave off relegation with a brace at the Stadium of Light last season.
4. Robbie Fowler – 17 Apps, 12 Goals
Another golden oldie, Robbie Fowler faced Villa 17 times during his stints with Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester City, producing a return of twelve goals. However, he only actually scored against them for the Reds, most notably grabbing a hat-trick back in 1998.
3. Thierry Henry – 15 Apps, 12 Goals, Two Assists
No less than we’d expect from Thierry Henry, the Frenchman played a part in 14 goals during 15 outings versus Aston Villa, scoring at least twice against them for four consecutive seasons. He also contributed to every goal – one strike and two set-ups – during a 3-1 win in 2004.
2. Alan Shearer – 25 Apps, 13 Goals
As the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorer, Alan Shearer inevitably pops up on lists of this variety. And this strike-rate certainly meets his usual standards, slightly better than one-in-two. Curiously, however, Shearer scored more than one goal against Villa just on just one occasion – back in 1994 for Blackburn Rovers.
1. Wayne Rooney – 29 Apps, 15 Goals, Six Assists
So there you have it – no striker has caused Aston Villa more misery than Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney, being in some way responsible for 21 goals in 29 outings. In fact, Wazza Roo hasn’t scored more goals against a single club throughout his entire career.