Aston Villa once had a star who deserved a proper farewell but did not even get one.
Aston Villa have secured a German signing this season, Leon Goretzka. The midfielder was snatched as a free agent after his contract with Bayern Munich was extended. Unfortunately, he has yet to make his debut with The Lions.
Goretzka is the first German player for Aston Villa since the early 2000s. That was the time when the West Midlands side had a key man from Germany. He was the best German Villan so far, Thomas Hitzlsperger.
The versatile midfielder arrived in Villa Park in summer 2000 at the age of 18, and stayed and cemented his place in the team before switching sides to VfB Stuttgart. He had a fine stint there but unfortunately he was denied for his own farewell match, which could have been 100th Premier League appearance.
Hitzlsperger recalled such a devastating memory during the interview with Plant Football, as reported in the Birmingham mail.
“I was furious, I wanted to leave the ground. I thought, ‘don’t do it now and ruin everything with this,’ but I was deeply hurt, he (his boss David O’Leary) could have given me five minutes and he didn’t.”
Hitzlsperger truly deserved a farewell game. The midfielder had been one of the key figures in Villa from 2001 to 2005. In his first season, the 2000/01, he only featured in one game.
Overall, he played 114 games, with 12 goals and 14 assists in all competitions. He helped Villa finish fifth and reached the semifinal in the EFL League Cup in 2003/04.
The product of Bayern Munich academy also put much effort into life in the Midlands when he moved there. He immersed himself in the people and culture there apart from just playing for Villa. That was why it broke his heart when he could not even get his farewell after five years there.
“Even though we didn’t have anything to play for, David O’Leary decided not to put me even on the bench. I was gutted, I wanted to say farewell to the fans after five years and a great time at the club.
“That was really hard to take in, my family were there and all wanted to go out into Liverpool afterwards to celebrate, but I wasn’t in the mood and I went back.”
It was really an anticlimactic ending for the player who had his own distinguished nickname during his spell in B6. Hitzlsperger remains the cult hero in Villa Park.
Among his fine contributions. Yet, the most memorable one was probably a Second City derby back in the 2003/04 campaign. The German versatile midfielder bagged one goal to double their lead against Birmingham City. Unfortunately, Villa conceded twice and had to share spoils with their local rival.
Hitzlsperger recalled how the match was during the heated clash.
“I know there was always discussion among the fans that foreign players don’t understand what it means to play in the derby, but I would say that I did know what it means to the people and what it means most to the players.”
“The run up to the game is a different preparation, the entire week, it’s in the press and everyone is talking about it, it’s not a regular game.”
The ex Germany international who mainly played as the defensive midfielder can be deployed as left wing and left back. He also scored one goal in a 3-2 win over Chelsea in the same season. Nevertheless, the player with 52 international caps had a memorable stint in Bodymoor Heath, despite his unexpected ending.
“The move abroad to Birmingham and Aston Villa has changed my entire life and was probably one of the best moves I ever made.”
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