Every era of Aston Villa football, one XI. These are the highest-rated Aston Villa legends across the 1960s to today — a full 11 from goalkeeper to attack, chosen by iKnoBall's era-adjusted engine — and the record they'd post over a 38-game Premier League season.
Attack is weighted 55%, defence 45% — exactly how iKnoBall scores an XI. Think you'd start a different 11? Prove it.
Emiliano Martinez headlines the group at a 91 overall — the kind of number only genuine all-time greats reach on iKnoBall's scale. Around Martinez, the model fills out a complete XI that balances a goalkeeper, a back four, a midfield engine, and a front line across Aston Villa history, then simulates all 38 matches. The result — 27–11 — reflects both the raw talent and how the pieces fit at both ends of the pitch.
Every Aston Villa legend in the iKnoBall pool, ranked by era-adjusted overall. The top group forms the starting XI above; the rest are the depth chart and the debate.
| Player | Position | Era | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emiliano Martinez | Goalkeeper | 2020s | 91 |
| Paul McGrath | Defender | 1990s | 93 |
| Charlie Aitken | Defender | 1970s | 90 |
| Ken McNaught | Defender | 1980s | 90 |
| Gareth Southgate | Defender | 1990s | 89 |
| Andy Townsend | Midfielder | 1990s | 91 |
| David Platt | Midfielder | 1990s | 91 |
| Gordon Cowans | Midfielder | 1980s | 88 |
| Ollie Watkins | Forward | 2020s | 91 |
| Dwight Yorke | Forward | 1990s | 90 |
| Christian Benteke | Forward | 2010s | 88 |
| Brad Friedel | Goalkeeper | 2000s | 90 |
| Peter Withe | Forward | 1980s | 87 |
| Emiliano Buendia | Midfielder | 2020s | 87 |
| John McGinn | Midfielder | 2020s | 87 |
| Andy Gray | Forward | 1970s | 87 |
| Douglas Luiz | Midfielder | 2020s | 87 |
| Tony Morley | Midfielder | 1980s | 86 |
| Leon Bailey | Forward | 2020s | 86 |
| Brian Little | Forward | 1970s | 85 |
| Dennis Mortimer | Midfielder | 1970s | 85 |
| Ugo Ehiogu | Defender | 1990s | 85 |
| Dean Saunders | Forward | 1990s | 85 |
| Mark Bosnich | Goalkeeper | 1990s | 85 |
| Ezri Konsa | Defender | 2020s | 85 |
| Nigel Spink | Goalkeeper | 1980s | 84 |
| Steve Staunton | Defender | 1990s | 84 |
| John Deehan | Forward | 1970s | 83 |
| Jimmy Rimmer | Goalkeeper | 1970s | 83 |
| Allan Evans | Defender | 1980s | 83 |
Draft your own all-time Aston Villa — or any club across five sports — build your XI, and sim a full season chasing a perfect 38–0. Free to play.
Build Your All-Time XIGet the AppBy iKnoBall's era-adjusted ratings the all-time Aston Villa XI is Emiliano Martinez (GK, 2020s), Paul McGrath (DEF, 1990s), Charlie Aitken (DEF, 1970s), Ken McNaught (DEF, 1980s), Gareth Southgate (DEF, 1990s), Andy Townsend (MID, 1990s), David Platt (MID, 1990s), Gordon Cowans (MID, 1980s), Ollie Watkins (FWD, 2020s), Dwight Yorke (FWD, 1990s), Christian Benteke (FWD, 2010s). Together they project to a 27–11 Premier League season.
iKnoBall's simulation projects this 11-player XI at 27–11 over a 38-game season, with an average starter rating of 90. The model runs each match as a probability from the XI's combined attacking and defensive strength, so an all-time XI contends for a near-perfect campaign but nothing is guaranteed.
Each player's overall is era-adjusted so a 1960s icon and a modern superstar sit on the same 70–99 scale. Attack (midfield and forwards) is weighted 55% and defence (goalkeeper and back line) 45%, and only true all-time greats reach the mid-to-high 90s.
Yes — iKnoBall is a free game where you draft one legend per era, build your all-time XI, and simulate a full season chasing a perfect 38–0. Play it free at play.iknoball.com.
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Ratings are era-adjusted and computed by iKnoBall's simulation engine. Records are model projections for entertainment, not predictions. Player names belong to their respective owners; iKnoBall is an independent fan-made game.