Aston Villa men who played at FIFA World Cup despite the club’s dark age

A few Aston Villa players managed to make the cut in the FIFA World Cup squad despite playing during the club’s dark age.

 This summer, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be held in North America. Several players in the squad are expected to make the cut in the final squad. Yet, it was different story in the last decade.

Exactly ten years ago, during the 2015/16 season, it was the beginning of Aston Villa’s dark age. They were relegated from the topflight for the first time in the Premier League era and their first second-tier competition since the late 1980s.

 Villa would eventually return to the top tier in 2018/19 and have grown stronger ever since Unai Emery took charge of the team in October 2022. Nevertheless, during their dark age, or the time when The Lions competed in the Championship from 2016 to 2019, one edition of the FIFA World Cup was held: Russia 2018.

 It was the edition when the Three Lions bounced back to the final four in the tournament after their decades of struggles. Sadly, there was not a single Aston Villa man in the England squad. Yet, they were still included in other teams, despite their woeful campaign in Russia. Here are those three rare Villa men who were called up for the FIFA World Cup squad.

 Birkir Bjarnason (Iceland)

The former Iceland international was part of The Lions’ squad from 2017 to 2019. He was a versatile central midfielder but did not always get a nod in the starting line-up.

 Bjarnason’s best season was in 2017/18, when he played 29 times in all competitions, contributing 4 goals and three assists. However, his regular minutes were reduced in the following season.

 Overall, he only made 54 appearances, scoring six goals and setting up three times before he was released in 2019, when Villa was promoted to the Premier League.

In the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the former Basel and Sampdoria man was one of the key men in the Icelandic squad. He played in all three games in the competition.

 Mile Jedinak (Australia)

The former versatile defensive midfielder was playing for the Clarets and Blues during their years in the Championship only. Jedinak was the mainstay in Villa Park from 2017 to 19, but his contract was not extended when they gained promotion in his last season.

 The ex-Australian international appeared in 80 games with Aston Villa, bagging two goals and providing two assists only. In 2017/18, he played 28 times and netted his only goals for the West Midlands side.

 In Russia 2018, the former Crystal Palace man was the skipper of the Socceroos and racked up two goals, both from penalties, against the champions, France and Denmark. He also played in all three games and was part of the Australia World Cup squad in Brazil 2014.

 Ahmed Elmohamady (Egypt)

The former fullback was part of the Villa squad from 2017 to 2021. The Lions were practically his last club in his professional playing career.

 Elmohamady was one of the key men in Egypt’s squad when they returned to the global stage after their long absence. Alongside Mo Salah, he helped his nation qualify for Russia 2018, their first appearance since Italy 1990. Unfortunately, the ex-player who is currently working for the club’s commercial department did not make a single appearance in the tournament.

 The former Sunderland and Hull City man was instrumental in Villa’s campaign, especially during their championship years and the early days of Premier League 2019/20. The Egyptian made five assists in 45 appearances in the 2017/18 season under Steve Bruce, who signed him from Hull City and worked with him at Sunderland.

 Elmohamady’s role remained crucial under Dean Smith as he played 41 times, registering two goals and eight assists, including one in the Championship final playoff in 2018/19. Overall, he made 129 appearances, scoring four goals and providing 16 assists before his retirement. Such a fine record for the Egyptian international in England.

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