One Aston Villa legend has come under fire in a recent spot of banter on talkSPORT relating to the club’s 2024/25 kit launch.
Aston Villa are preparing for the pre-season tour of the United States, as Unai Emery hopes his team can kick on from the highs of last term.
Despite pre-season being in full flow, yesterday, the attention surrounding the club diverted from actions on the pitch to the club’s kit launch ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
On Tuesday, the Midlands club presented their new Adidas home kit to supporters in a video that starred many familiar faces.
Gabby Agbonlahor called the ‘worst professional’ after appearance in Aston Villa’s 2024/25 kit launch
Alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Emery and many others was Villa’s Premier League record goalscorer, Gabby Agbonlahor.
It was only right for the Birmingham-born club legend to be featured in the video however, his appearance led to him being the brunt of a joke by his talkSPORT colleagues.
On talkSPORT, Kevin Nolan and Jamie O’Hara reacted to Villa’s kit launch, sharing some words on Agbonlahor’s role in the video.
Nolan explained why the former Villa striker’s involvement made him laugh, reciting a conversation he had with Abgonlahor’s former teammate, James Collins.
“I must admit he does make me laugh Gabs you know, he’s saying he’s ready, he was never ready in pre-season was he.
“Ginger [James Collins] told me, ‘Have you heard Gabby Agbonlahor on the radio, giving it saying he’s not professional enough. He was the worst professional I ever played with’.
“Obviously I never played with Gabs, I only knew him on a footballing level but he absolutely hammered him, it was brilliant to see and him saying ‘I’m ready’ takes it to a new level.”
The conversation caused the duo to laugh at Agbonlahor’s expense, as Nolan continued by relaying a story of what the forward used to do in Villa’s pre-season training.
“Apparently at Villa he used to stop after the first one [pre-season run], wait in the bushes and then at the end of it when the lads were all coming round for the last one, he’d jump back in and get a decent time.”
It was light-hearted banter between the two pundits, who shared a humorous insight into Agbonlahor’s approach to pre-season when he was a player.
Approach to pre-season has changed over the years
Back in the day, it wasn’t particularly detrimental for players such as Agbonlahor to make fun of pre-season, as the forward was a favourite at Villa Park.
Given the 140 goals he contributed to over the years at Villa, the 37-year-old’s role in the squad was always understood, whether it be as a starter or as a squad player.
Times have changed significantly, with pre-season now being a crucial time for players, whose chances in the upcoming campaign can ride on their performance in the build-up.
It’s funny to look back on how football has changed, with an insight into Agbonlahor’s playing days always an entertaining subject to learn more about.
