Five players who played for Aston Villa and Celtic | OneFootball

Aston Villa face Celtic for the first time this evening in a Champions League ‘Battle of Britain’ at Villa Park.

Though it’s the first encounter between the sides, there’s plenty of shared history. Several stars have adorned the colours of both clubs and we’ve picked out five of the most memorable to have played for both Aston Villa and Celtic.

Chris Sutton

After winning the Premier League during a successful spell at Blackburn Rovers, a transfer to Chelsea failed to work out as hoped for Chris Sutton. After just one season and three goals in 28 appearances, Celtic swooped in to sign the striker in a £6m deal.

Sutton rediscovered his goalscoring form at Celtic and cemented himself as a favourite with a brace in a 6-2 win over Rangers in his debut campaign. He formed a prolific partnership with Henrik Larsson and helped The Bhoys to four Scottish Premier League titles, four domestic cups and the 2003 UEFA Cup final.

He was named PFA Scotland Players’ Player of the Year after scoring 28 goals – the best return of his career – in 2003/04.

After leaving Celtic for Birmingham City on a free transfer in 2006, he crossed the Second City divide six months later to conclude his career with a short stint at Aston Villa.

Alan Thompson

Alan Thompson formed part of Celtic’s successful side of the early noughties, having moved to the Scotland from Aston Villa in a £2.75m deal.

Thompson scored five times in 58 appearances for Villa before producing the best football of his career in Glasgow. He was an integral part of Celtic’s success under Martin O’Neil, where he won four league titles.

The left-winger played a key role in the club’s run to the 2003 UEFA Cup final, scoring in the quarter-final win over Liverpool at Anfield. A year later, he scored a famous winner in a 1-0 win over Barcelona in Europe.

Thompson made 227 appearances for Celtic, scoring 52 times, and became the first Celtic player to make his England debut after earning a solitary cap in 2004.

Stiliyan Petrov

A hugely popular figure at both clubs. Stiliyan Petrov won 10 trophies during a decorated career at Celtic, having arrived from CSKA Sofia in 1999.

He won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year in his second season and totalled 311 appearances and 64 goals for the Scottish giants. In 2006, he followed former Celtic manager Martin O’Neil to the Premier League and signed for Aston Villa in a £6.5m deal.

Twice named Aston Villa Players’ Player of the Year, he was inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame in 2013 having made 219 competitive appearances for the club.

Petrov, who is Bulgaria’s most-capped player with 105 appearances, announced his retirement in May 2013, having paused his career in 2012 to under successful treatment for acute leukaemia.

Shaun Maloney

A product of the Celtic academy, Maloney made his debut for The Bhoys in an Old Firm clash against Rangers as a teenager. After settling into the first team, he developed a reputation as a set-piece specialist before an ACL injury stalled his progress.

However, Maloney bounced back with a brilliant 2005/06 season that saw him become the first player to win the SPFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards in the same season. He scored 16 goals and provided 28 assists to attract interest from England.

Maloney joined former manager Martin O’Neil at Aston Villa in a cut-price £1m deal, as he neared the expiry of his Celtic contract. He spent 18 months at Villa Park and scored seven goals in 33 games, before returning to Celtic for a fee of £3m.

His second spell with Celtic saw him swell his career appearances for the club to 215, with 52 goals scored.

Robbie Keane

Robbie Keane’s nomadic latter career saw the forward bounce between clubs, including loan spells at Celtic and Aston Villa.

The Republic of Ireland international signed for Celtic in February 2010 after falling out of favour at Tottenham; the fulfilment of a childhood dream.

“The club is massive,” he said at the time. “I am a Celtic fan and did not have to ask much about it. I always wanted to play for Celtic and it works for all parties.”

Keane scored 16 goals in just 19 games for Celtic and was named Celtic’s Fans’ Player of the Year.

After moving to MLS with LA Galaxy, he returned to English football to sign for Aston Villa on a short-term loan deal in 2011/12. He scored three goals in seven games for The Villans.

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