Gabriel Agbonlahor
Nationality :
English
Date of Birth :
13/10/1986
Height :
5' 11" (180cm)
Weight :
12st 5lbs (78.54kg)
Squad Number :
11
Previous Clubs :
Sheff Wed (loan), Watford (loan)
Position :
Striker
Gabby Agbonlahor is one of Villa's star strikers - mixing scorching pace, terrific awareness and a deadly eye for goal.
But the 2010-11 campaign will go down as one to forget for the popular dressing room dynamo.
The pacy forward was dogged with several frustrating issues during the term. He missed a bulk of pre-season, the West Ham and Newcastle top-flight games as well as the Europa League first leg clash against Rapid Vienna with back and hamstring problems.
The speed demon then limped off in the return leg at Villa Park with tight calves and was subbed with the same problem in the Carling Cup third round match against Blackburn.
He was then diagnosed with a painful groin injury ahead of the Tottenham match and underwent a minor operation to cure the problem.
He was welcomed back into the fold against Blackpool and played his heart out in subsequent matches with Manchester United and Blackburn before illness struck before the Arsenal game.
He played against Birmingham City and Liverpool before being struck down with a chest infection against West Brom.
The fab forward also missed the Wigan clash towards the end of the campaign with the flu.
He also struggled with not being a middle man when he was fit, seeing his role shift to the wing rather than as a centre-forward.
He did still manage goals though when he played, bagging efforts against Rapid Vienna, Birmingham City, Wigan, Blackpool and West Ham.
However, he'll be looking for a far healthier goal tally in 2011-12, with hopes he can partner Darren Bent throughout the campaign.
He really showed his skill during 2009-10, when the speed demon bagged goals in five consecutive games - against Fulham, Birmingham, Portsmouth, Cardiff and Blackburn.
His goals against the Cottagers and the Bluebirds were beautiful efforts - the former a tremendous blast into the top corner, the latter a deft backheel in the opening minutes of our League Cup third round clash.
His fab five feat was the first time anyone had achieved such a distinction since David Platt in the early 1990s.
He also ended the campaign with a flourish, bagging two goals in three games against Everton and Hull, ending with 16 in all competitions.
He was also in fine form during the 2008-09 term, finishing with a total of 13, two more than the previous season. And his haul included a hat-trick which was significant for a number of reasons.
His eight-minute treble in the opening game against Manchester City was the first Barclays Premier League hat-trick of the season and the fastest since Robbie Fowler's three for Liverpool against Arsenal in 1994.
It was also the first time a Villa player had scored a hat-trick on the opening day since Pongo Waring hit four against Manchester United in 1930.
Agbonlahor's pace is always a handful for opposition defenders, just as it was throughout his graduation from Villa's youth teams to the senior side.
On the international front, Fabio Capello is definitely no stranger to Agbonlahor and rates the pacy striker highly, despite omitting him from his World Cup squad.
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