Some of the best players in Villa history have been defenders who have led the team to its greatest achievements and moments of greatest triumph. Villa’s greatest years were undoubtedly the 1980s and 1990s, when they won the First Division, the European Cup, and the League Cup twice. Their defense was a key factor in all of those championship victories.
People often point to defenders from this era, in particular Allan Evans and Paul McGrath, as the reason behind Villa’s success, but there have been many other defenders over the years who have been absolutely exceptional and integral components of some fantastic Villa teams. In light of this, these are Aston Villa’s top ten all-time center backs.
10Derek Mountfield
Aston Villa career span: 1988-1991
Despite Derek Mountfield’s career being mainly associated with Everton, his three-year spell at Aston Villa arguably saw him play some of the best football of his career. Mountfield joined the newly promoted side for a fee of around £400,000 in 1988 after enjoying an incredibly successful spell with the Blues.
During Mountfield’s time at the club, Villa were regularly competing at the top end of the First Division and his incredible defensive abilities in the Villa back line saw them go close to winning the first division after a very good season, only to be pipped by Liverpool. Mountfield was known for his organisation and solidness at the back and used his aerial dominance and physical tackling style to make Villa an incredibly hard-to-beat side during his time there. In addition to his brilliant defensive abilities, Mountfield was also a goal-scoring defender and managed to net 11 times for Villa in 94 games.
| Derek Mountfield’s Aston Villa Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 94 |
| Goals | 11 |
| Trophies | 0 |
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