Gabriel Imuetinyan "Gabby" Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986)[3] is an English footballer who plays for Aston Villa of the Premier League. He is of Nigerian and Scottish descent.[4][5] Agbonlahor is a product of Aston Villa's Academy system and has earned three caps for the English national team.[6] He is currently the longest-serving player at Villa Park, playing professionally for the club since 2005.[7]

Club career

Aston Villa

2005–06 season

Born in Erdington, Birmingham, Agbonlahor came through the youth ranks at local club Aston Villa. As an 18-year-old, he was loaned out to Sheffield Wednesday and Watford in 2005 to gain first team experience. Agbonlahor's FA Premier League debut for Villa came on 18 March 2006 at the age of 19, under manager David O'Leary, against Everton at Goodison Park. O'Leary was forced to delve into the youth academy because of a lack of senior strikers due to injury, thus earning Agbonlahor a rare start. He scored after 63 minutes, although Villa went on to lose the match 4–1.[8]

2006–07 season

In five pre-season games of the 2006–07 season, Agbonlahor netted four goals in five games for Aston Villa. After netting a quick double salvo against Walsall (the first a near-post header, the latter a close range finish) in a 5–0 victory.[9] Agbonlahor also netted in the second match of Aston Villa's tour against NEC, which turned out to be a consolation goal, in a 2–1 victory for NC.[10]

Agbonlahor started the season on the right wing in Martin O'Neill's new-look Villa side, and would be part of the team that managed a get a point from the first Premiership game at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium.[11] Agbonlahor's first goal of the season came at home against Charlton Athletic, in a 2–0 win.[12] On 30 September, Agbonlahor scored a crucial equaliser against Premiership champions Chelsea just before half-time, heading in Liam Ridgewell's cross with a glancing header to earn Villa a 1–1 draw.[13]

Agbonlahor also provided cup heroics in 2006, scoring an extra-time injury-time winner to beat Leicester City 3–2 at the Walkers Stadium.[14] The following game, he scored a consolation effort in Villa's first loss of the season, on 28 October, ten games in.[15]

Agbonlahor completed his run of scoring against the Big Four, when he added Manchester United to a list of his victims that included Chelsea and Liverpool. Aston Villa were beaten 3–1 in the game at Old Trafford.[16] Agbonlahor then scored deep into injury time in the following game, against Watford on 20 January, to end a Villa winless run that stretched back to 11 November.[17]

Agbonlahor had played every minute of Aston Villa's campaign in 2006–07, until he was replaced by Patrik Berger, in the 2–0 away fixture against Reading, on 10 February 2007. The following match was the first of the season that Agbonlahor did not start — he instead appeared from the bench, replacing new Villa signing Shaun Maloney. Manager Martin O'Neill suggested that Agbonlahor, who had been playing out of position on the right wing for much of the season, had done superbly, and being dropped from the first 11 was in order to rest him, and alleviate growing crowd pressure.

Following this break, Agbonlahor went on a scoring spree. He scored from the right-wing against Everton on 2 April, to gain Villa a valuable point.[18] Following this match, Agbonlahor signed a new-four year contract at Aston Villa.[19] The following Saturday, in the absence of John Carew, he was moved back to his natural position at centre forward and again found his name on the scoresheet.

Agbonlahor made it three in a row on Easter Monday, again scoring an equaliser, adjudged to have crossed the line by assistant referee Dave Richardson.

2007–08 season

Agbonlahor also scored the vital second goal in the match between Aston Villa and Chelsea on 2 September, in which Villa won 2–0.[20][21] Agbonlahor scored the winning goal in the 86th minute of the Birmingham Derby, 60 seconds after saving the ball on the line from a Liam Ridgewell shot. After 13 games, Agbonlahor was the clubs top goal scorer, with six Premier League goals. On 7 December it was announced that Agbonlahor had won the Barclays Premier League Player of the month award and Manager Martin O'Neill had won the Manager of the month award for the same month.[22]

On 12 April 2008, Agbonlahor scored the fourth goal against Derby County in a 6–0 victory at Pride Park in the Premier league.[23] In the Birmingham derby on 20 April 2008, he scored the fifth and final goal in the 5–1 victory.[24]

2008–09 season

On 15 August 2008, Aston Villa announced that Agbonlahor had signed a new four-year deal, tying him to the club until 2012.[25]

Following his contract extension, on 17 August 2008, Agbonlahor scored a "perfect" hat-trick (scoring goals with his head, right foot and left foot) against Manchester City in Villa's opening game of the 2008–09 season at Villa Park. The three goals were netted in the space of seven minutes, making it the second-fastest hat-trick in the history of the Premier League. He was later named man of the match for this performance, which led to a 4–2 victory.[26]

Early in the season he began to form a successful strike partnership with team-mate John Carew, this demonstrated in the Premier League away games against West Bromwich Albion[27] and Wigan Athletic[28] where both players scored in both games and provided assists. On 3 November, Agbonlahor was at the centre of a controversy with Newcastle United's Joey Barton when, during the match, Barton appeared to brush his fingers on Agbonlahor's face. It later emerged that Barton's attack might have been race-orientated but, after careful consideration by both Aston Villa and the FA, no further action was taken.[29][30] On 8 November, it emerged in some national newspapers that the reason Agbonlahor decided not to pursue legal action against Barton was because he "felt sorry" for him.[31][32] On 15 November, he scored once and played a part in the other goal, when Aston Villa beat Arsenal 2–0 at the Emirates Stadium.[33] He scored a brace against Bolton Wanderers on 13 December.[34] Agbonlahor notched his tenth league goal of the season in the 90th minute in a 2–0 win against Blackburn Rovers on 7 February.[35]

However, this was a high point in a dismal run of form in which he scored just 1 goal in 12 league games. Some fans began to get frustrated with Agbonlahor and in Villa's home defeat against Spurs there were some sarcastic cheers as he was substituted off by Martin O'Neill. He was subsequently dropped to the bench for Villa's next game away to Liverpool which Villa lost 5–0. After the heavy defeat to Liverpool and despite his lack of form Agbonlahor was recalled to the starting 11 and went on to score a goal against Manchester United on 5 April in a 3–2 defeat for Villa. Gabriel Agbonlahor was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year with fellow team mate Ashley Young winning the honour.

2009–10 Season

Agbonlahor's first goal of the 2009–10 season came at home in a 2–0 victory over Fulham on 30 August 2009. The striker brought the ball from the centre of the field to strike, left-footed, past Mark Schwarzer from around 20 yards out.

The striker scored the only goal in the season's opening Second City Derby against Birmingham City, netting an open header past Joe Hart as a result of a free kick taken by Ashley Young. Agbonlahor scored his third goal of the season scoring in a 2–0 win against Portsmouth.[36] He scored his fourth and fifth consecutive goals of the season against Cardiff City in the League Cup and Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League. His next goal came on 24 October 2009 against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in the Premier League. Fellow Villa forward Emile Heskey played the ball into the penalty area where Agbonlahor turned a defender and placed a low shot past Wolverhampton goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. The game finished 1–1. He scored the only goal in the 1–0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford, heading in a cross from Ashley Young after 21 mins, providing Villa's first league win at Old Trafford since 1983. In the first leg of the League Cup semi final at Ewood Park against Blackburn Rovers Agbonlahor was booked for diving. Agbonlahor scored in the scond leg of the game helping Villa to get to the final where they lost to Manchester United 2–1. He scored twice in 2–0 win at Fulham on 30 January 2010. On 21 February, Agbonlahor provided an assist for Emile Heskey before adding Villa's final goal in a 5–2 victory over Burnley for his 11th league goal of the season.

Agbonlahor finished the season with thirteen goals in the Premier League, and 16 in all competitions.

2010–11 Season

Agbonlahor had a difficult start to the 2010–11 season due to injury. He did not feature until 26 August 2010 in a UEFA Europa League fixture at home to Rapid Vienna; a game that saw Villa bow out of the competition via a 3–2 loss. Agbonlahor opened the scoring, but had to be withdrawn prior to half time due to more injury concerns.

Despite Villa suffering some issues on and off the field at the beginning of the season such as the resignation of manager Martin O'Neill and a humiliating 6–0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United, Agbonlahor defended the club and stated his intent to remain there for the long term.[37]

International career

Agbonlahor's ancestry qualifies him to play for Scotland or Nigeria at International level, but he chose to play for his homeland of England.

On 20 September 2006, Agbonlahor was pencilled in as a player in the Nigeria U20 team for the match against Rwanda. He turned down the chance, whilst not ruling out playing for the country in the future.[38] He later pledged his future to England.[39][40]

On 28 September 2006, Agbonlahor received his first call-up to the England U21 squad, and won his first U21 cap as a substitute against Germany U21 on 6 October.

Agbonlahor was then omitted from the England's U21 Championship squad, by manager Stuart Pearce, on 30 May 2007, as a result of missing the England U21 training camp in Spain. David Bentley, also included in the England first team lineup, took his place.

Agbonlahor was later recalled to the side by Pearce, in September 2007,[41] netting his first goal for the under-21s, by scoring the second in a 3–0 victory, over Montenegro U21.

On 1 February, Agbonlahor was named in Fabio Capello's 23-man England squad to play Switzerland in February 2008,[42] although a hamstring injury forced him to withdraw from the game.[43]

Agbonlahor was also an unused substitute in England's respective 2–0 and 3–0 friendly victories against the United States[44] and Trinidad & Tobago[45] in May–June 2008.

On 15 November 2008, he was called up to Fabio Capello's squad for the upcoming match against Germany in Berlin, joining three other Aston Villa players in the squad; Ashley Young, Curtis Davies and Gareth Barry. On 19 November, he was named to start against Germany. He played for 76 minutes, had a goal disallowed[46] and received high praise from John Terry. Terry declared Agbonlahor in his post-match interview "a nightmare to play against".[47]

On 11 February 2009 he was in the starting line up against Spain, he played for 75 minutes before being substituted for debutant Carlton Cole.

On 31 March 2009 he was called into the England squad to face Ukraine in a World cup qualifier after Darren Bent limped out of training with an injury. Bent was the third England striker to drop out of the squad through injury, after Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole.[48]

On 15 October 2009 he started for England against Belarus and was replaced in the 66th minute and was replaced by Carlton Cole. Agbonlahor playing in his first competitive international, managed to assist a goal.

Honours

Aston Villa

League Cup: Runners Up 2009–10

Individual

Young Player of the Season: 2006–07,2007–08

Player's Young Player of the Season: 2006–07,2007–08

England

UEFA European Under-21 Championship: Runner Up 2009

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