Ranking every Champions League winner
By James Dudko
48. Aston Villa: 1981/82
Seeing Aston Villa scrapping to escape English football’s second tier in recent seasons makes it easy to almost forget when the Birmingham club conquered Europe.
The achievement came after a shocking domestic title win under Ron Saunders. Yet the defense of the First Division crown wasn’t going well by the time Villa began their campaign in the European Cup.
This wasn’t a team of terrific individual skill, but it was a classic triumph of the collective. Gary Shaw and Peter Withe provided firepower up top, while Tony Morley was a terror on the wings and Jimmy Rimmer defiantly tended goal.
Saunders’ team edged past Dynamo Berlin and Anderlecht before meeting Bayern in the final. This wasn’t the Die Roten machine of the ’70s. Far from it. Villa quickly adopted a siege mentality as Bayern poured forward in numbers. The English side seized the moment to pounce when Withe scored the winner seven minutes after the hour mark.
While Villa weren’t the most fashionable or impressive winners, the club’s resilience should be saluted. Saunders resigned during the European run in February, with his place in the dugout being taken by top scout Tony Barton.
Rimmer also withdrew from the final with a neck injury after only nine minutes. It was the cue for young Nigel Spink to enter the fray and thrive keeping Bayern at bay. This outstanding achievement couldn’t overshadow the fact Villa weren’t built to last, with the club relegated from the old First Division five years later.