Gabriel Agbonlahor

Early career

Before being scouted by Aston Villa, Agbonlahor was playing for Great Barr Falcons and his district. It was at a district game where he was scouted by Aston Villa. During this time he had also been scouted by Wolverhampton Wanderers and played a few games for them, but chose to join his boyhood football team Aston Villa in 1994. Agbonlahor came through the youth ranks at local club Aston Villa. He signed a two-year professional contract at the club in June 2005. On 22 September 2005, he was loaned to Championship club Watford, where he made his senior debut six days later, replacing Trevor Benjamin at half time in a 3–1 defeat away to Coventry City. He made his first start in his only other match for Watford, a goalless draw against Leeds United at Vicarage Road on 1 October, in which he made way for Francino Francis after 65 minutes. Agbonlahor was loaned to another team from the division on 28 October, Sheffield Wednesday, where he made eight appearances without scoring. Agbonlahor's Premier League debut for Villa came on 18 March 2006 at the age of 19, under manager David O'Leary, against Everton at Goodison Park. O'Leary was forced to delve into the youth academy because of a lack of senior strikers due to injury, thus earning Agbonlahor a rare start. He scored after 63 minutes, although Villa went on to lose the match 4–1.

2006–2008

In five pre-season matches of the 2006–07 season, Agbonlahor netted three goals for Aston Villa; a quick…

Youth

Agbonlahor's ancestry qualified him to play for Scotland or Nigeria at international level, but he chose to play for his homeland of England. On 20 September 2006, Agbonlahor was pencilled in as a player in the Nigeria under-20 team for the match against Rwanda. He turned down the call, whilst not ruling out playing for the country in the future, but subsequently pledged his future to England. On 28 September 2006, Agbonlahor received his first call-up to the England under-21 team, and won his first cap as a substitute for Wayne Routledge against Germany on 6 October. Four days later he started in place of Routledge against the same opponents. Agbonlahor was then omitted from the England's 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship squad, by manager Stuart Pearce, as a result of missing the England U21 training camp in Spain. Agbonlahor was later recalled to the team by Pearce, in September 2007, netting his first goal for the under-21s, the second of a 3–0 victory over Montenegro.

Senior

On 7 March 2007, Agbonlahor was one of several surprise names called up as part of a 37-man provisional Nigeria squad by new manager Berti Vogts, alongside fellow English players Victor Anichebe and Carl Ikeme, and full Israel international Toto Tamuz. On 1 February 2008, Agbonlahor was named in Fabio Capello's 23-man England squad to play Switzerland later in the month, although a hamstring injury forced him to withdraw from the match. Agbonlahor was also an unused…

Club

International

Agbonlahor was born in Birmingham, West Midlands. His parents separated while he was still young and he was brought up by his father. He went without contact with his mother for about 20 years. In 2009, ahead of the striker's 23rd birthday, his mother made a public appeal to him via the city's Sunday Mercury newspaper in order to become part of his life once more. Agbonlahor later contacted his mother and the pair then reconciled. Following retirement, he has worked as a pundit for both Sky Sports and Talksport, and written columns for online magazines such as Football Insider. Agbonlahor has four children.