Aston Villa's all-time academy XI | OneFootball

Highlights

Aston Villa's world-renowned academy have spawned, developed and contributed some of English football's greatest-ever talents over the years, with the West Midlands outfit boasting a well-respected youth pedigree.

A beating heart of talent production, not only have the one-time European champions benefited from their academy products on the pitch, they've also been able to command record transfer fees for their home-grown stars off it. Widely regarded as one of England's best places to develop youth team footballers, few clubs have a list of academy alumni like Aston Villa do.

So to celebrate, GIVEMESPORT has put together a best XI of the best Aston Villa academy graduates from the Premier League era...

GK - Boaz Myhill

Somewhat of a journeyman, our entry for the best-ever goalkeeper from the Aston Villa academy didn't even play a competitive fixture for the Villans at all.

Instead, Myhill is probably best known for his spells with Hull City and West Bromwich Albion, with the Welsh international eventually retiring in 2012 with close to 400 senior appearances to his name. Granted, that career would stretch across nine different clubs - including a season-long loan with rivals Birmingham City at the end of his time as a professional.

A top talent nonetheless and the first entry into our all-time Aston Villa academy XI.

CB - Gary Cahill

Adopting a 3-4-3 formation for our Aston Villa academy XI, 61-cap England star Gary Cahill takes the first of three spots in the backline.

A winner of the Premier League, Europa League and even Champions League, Cahill would eventually make his name for Chelsea in the mid-00s and early-10s, but his fruitful career actually began at Bodymoor Heath.

Cahill spent four years in the academy set-up at Aston Villa, before graduating to the senior side in 2004, where he would go on to register 31 first-team appearances for the club.

After Aston Villa, it was a four-year spell with Bolton Wanderers, before the defender then moved to Chelsea for £7 million in 2012.

CB - Liam Ridgewell

Somewhat of a controversial pick, given Liam Ridgewell's connections to bitter rivals Birmingham, it was actually at Aston Villa where the Bexleyheath-born defender began his career which spanned three different decades and two separate continents.

Making close to 100 senior appearances for the Villa Park outfit, Ridgewell eventually left Aston Villa for Birmingham after six years with the club in 2007, where he'd go on to star in Blues' 2010 League Cup final victory over Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

Following that, Ridgewell would eventually rock up in Major League Soccer, where the centre back became somewhat of a cult hero at the Portland Timbers.

CB - Ciaran Clark

Unlike Ridgewell, there cannot be any questioning Ciaran Clark's connection to Aston Villa, with the academy graduate having featured over 150 times for the Aston Villa senior side.

Arriving as a kid back in the year 2000, Clark spent nine years in the academy programme, before making the big jump up to the first team in 2009. Clark would eventually depart from Newcastle United in 2016, where he went on to lift the EFL Championship title the same season.

Still active in the modern game, at the time of writing, Clark is plying his trade for Championship outfit Stoke City.

CM - Gareth Barry

Moving into midfield now and starting things off with one of the better-known stars on this list. No player in Premier League history boasts more appearances in the competition than Gareth Barry, whose journey as a professional started at Aston Villa.

While he may have spent a chunk of his developmental years at Brighton & Hove Albion, it was, of course, at Aston Villa where Barry made his first senior appearance. The highlight of Barry's career in England's top flight was lifting the Premier League trophy itself with Manchester City in 2011/12, who he joined from Aston Villa for £12 million.

CM - Steven Davis

Another man with a bustling trophy cabinet, Steven Davis might be best known for his time with Rangers in Scotland, but he is also a product of the Aston Villa academy.

Spending four years in the set-up between 2002 and 2004, Davis would play on 102 different occasions for Aston Villa, before being sold to Fulham for around £4 million in 2007.

After that, Davis joined Scottish giant Rangers, where he would enjoy two different spells with the club, winning four league titles in the process. The most recent being in 2020/21, when he featured 30 times in the league for the Ibrox outfit.

CM - Jacob Ramsey

The only entrant who is still contracted to Aston Villa at the time of writing, Jacob Ramsey has a strong case to not only be in the all-time Aston Villa academy XI, but also be considered the best player it has ever produced altogether.

Ramsey has been part of the furniture at Aston Villa since 2007, with the attacking midfielder having already notched up over 100 appearances for the club.

What's more, Ramsey has also tasted success on the international stage too, shining for England during the recent under-21 European Championships triumph.

Not only one for the present, Ramsey remains a star to watch in the future too, while journalist Ryan Taylor told GIVEMESPORT previously that he could now be worth £50m. Given he has helped guide Villa into European football again under Unai Emery, the sky really is the limit for what he can do, and even eclipse a man who is still yet to feature on this list...

CM - Lee Hendrie

For those of a certain generation, Lee Hendrie is best known for his characterful punditry on Sky Sports news, but there was once a time when this combative midfielder was adored by the Holte End.

Making 300 appearances for Aston Villa during his 13-year stint with Aston Villa, Hendrie first broke into the team as a teenager in 1994, before sticking around until the summer of 2007.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Hendrie's career is the fact he went on to play for a whopping 19 different clubs after his Aston Villa departure, including the likes of Sheffield United, Derby County and even Indonesian outfit Bandung.

RW - Marc Albrighton

A player who is probably now more remembered for his team with fellow midlands outfit Leicester City, Albrighton began his life as a footballer playing for Aston Villa's academy.

The industrial right-sided attacker broke onto the scene in 2009, with Albrighton going on to make 102 appearances for the senior side in five years at Villa Park.

Of course, Albrighton's biggest success came after life with Aston Villa, where he won the Premier League and FA Cup during a memorable period at Leicester. The Staffordshire-born star, now well into his thirties, is still playing for the Foxes and is considered one of the club's living legends.

ST - Gabriel Agbonlahor

Not only is Gabriel Agbonlahor one of the best academy products Aston Villa have produced, he has also been the most productive graduate for the club.

Sitting top of the all-time list of Aston Villa goalscorers in the Premier League, the Birmingham-born star netted 74 times for his hometown club in England's first tier. Overall, Agbonlahor would notch up an eye-catching 391 appearances for Aston Villa across all competitions, while contributing to an impressive 146 goals during that time.

Revered at Villa Park, Agbonlahor has been given the nod to lead our line in the all-time Aston Villa academy XI.

LW - Jack Grealish

And finally then, the once-most expensive Britsh player of all time, Jack Grealish.

Before his £100 million move to Manchester City in 2021, Grealish had only ever known life at the club he supported as a child. Making his first-team debut back in 2013/14, the dynamic attacker would go on to feature over 200 times for Aston Villa, while also captaining the side to promotion back in 2018/19.

Since leaving Aston Villa , Grealish has won a multitude of trophies with City, including the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, while also playing in the 2020 European Championships final for England.