Gary Lineker has played against his fair share of world-class players during his career.
Diego Maradona, Lothar Matthaus, Palolo Maldini and Roberto Baggio, to name just a few.
Yet, despite the star-studded names mentioned, the former England striker has named an Aston Villa player as the hardest he’s faced.
Gary Lineker names former Aston Villa player as toughest opponent
Talking on the Rest is Football Podcast, Lineker has claimed Paul McGrath is a player he “struggled” against.
He said: “From my time, I’d go two. Des Walker and Paul McGrath. When he was at Villa, I struggled against him. He was very good.”
McGrath joined Villa from Manchester United in the summer of 1989. The Irishman would make 291 appearances for the club, scoring eight goals and registering three assists.
Dean Smith suggested that Ezri Konsa has traits similar to McGrath in November 2023 whilst talking on BBC 5 Live’s Monday Night Club.
“I likened him to Paul McGrath, who is a god at Aston Villa to the fans,” he said.
“When he broke into the team, I said he’s got traits that Paul McGrath had in terms of his reading of the game, how he makes the game look simple, how he makes defending look simple.
“McGrath got player of the year five years on the spin. Ezri is a long way from that at the moment, but he’s got so much potential because of the way he is.”
It does feel like this group of Villa players could be a team that is talked about in the same way McGrath is.
The quality Unai Emery has brought to the club cannot be questioned. Furthermore, the Spaniard’s coaching ability is why players like Konsa are being spoken about in the same breath as McGrath.
If Villa can land silverware or finish in the top four, this group will undoubtedly be well-thought-of in the coming years. But, as we all know, there’s a lot of football to be played between now and the end of the season.
Up next is a finely poised UEFA Conference League tie against Ajax at Villa Park on Thursday.
