Aston Villa have had a few players who earned recognition for scoring some of the best goals in domestic and continental competitions.
Villa’s Emiliano Buendía has just won the fan-voted Goal of the Season award for the 2025/26 Europa League campaign. His stunning strike in the final against SC Freiburg was selected as the best goal of the tournament by supporters.
The Argentine attacking midfielder, who played a major role in Villa’s impressive season, found the net with a superb curling effort. Buendía cut inside from the right flank before firing a left-footed strike into the top corner.
However, despite winning the fan vote, the goal was not officially ranked as the best by UEFA’s technical observer group, as reported by avfc.co.uk.
“It is only ranked fifth best in the UEFA technical observer group selection for the Goal of the Tournament.”
The former Norwich City man is also in contention for another major accolade. His winning goal against Tottenham in October 2025 has been nominated for Villa’s Goal of the Season award alongside nine other strikes. It was another long-range effort, with Buendía dribbling into space before unleashing a left-footed shot beyond the goalkeeper.
Throughout Aston Villa’s history, only two players had previously won major Goal of the Season awards before Buendía’s achievement. One of them was even part of the squad that lifted the 1982 European Cup.
Tony Morley was one of Villa’s standout players under Ron Saunders during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The former winger was known for his pace, skill, and ability to beat defenders, mainly operating down the right flank.
Morley played for Villa from 1979 to 1983 and helped the club win the First Division title in 1981, followed by the European Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 1982. Overall, he made 178 appearances, registering exactly 34 goals and 34 assists.
The winger, who earned six England caps, became the first Villa player to win a Goal of the Season award. He claimed the accolade during the 1980/81 campaign when his team took on Everton on the road.
His memorable strike came in the first half. Morley burst forward down the left wing, cut inside slightly, and unleashed a powerful effort into the top corner to open the scoring in Villa’s 2-0 win at Goodison Park.
The second Villa player to win a major goal award was Dalian Atkinson. The former striker was part of the club during the early 1990s.
Atkinson joined Villa in 1991 and helped the club win the League Cup in 1994 under Brian Little before leaving Villa Park. The former Real Sociedad and Fenerbahçe forward made 111 appearances, scoring 34 goals and providing 13 assists.
He won the BBC Goal of the Season award in the 1992/93 campaign for his incredible solo effort against Wimbledon at Selhurst Park. Villa eventually secured a dramatic 3-2 victory thanks to Dean Saunders’ brace and Atkinson’s unforgettable goal. Picking up the ball deep inside his own half, he ran past several defenders before delicately chipping the goalkeeper from just outside the six-yard box. The strike was widely compared to the iconic solo goals often associated with Diego Maradona during his peak years.
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