Mark Walters

Aston Villa

Walters began his career as an apprentice at Aston Villa on leaving school in the summer of 1980, turning the professional a year later – just after Villa's Football League First Division title triumph – and made his competitive debut on 28 April 1982 in a 4–1 league defeat at home to Leeds United, two months after the departure of manager Ron Saunders – who had given Walters his first professional contract – and the promotion of assistant Tony Barton to the manager's seat. Walters was not included in Villa's squad for the final of the European Cup on 26 May 1982, which they won 1–0 against Bayern Munich, the West German champions. Walters, still only 18, made 22 league appearances in the 1982–83 campaign as Villa finished sixth. He scored once that season. He was firmly established as a regular player in the 1983–84 season, appearing 37 times in the league and scoring eight goals, though Villa had a disappointing season and finished 10th, with Tony Barton being sacked at the end of the season and replaced by Graham Turner. On the opening day of the 1985–86 season Aston Villa were soundly beaten 4–0 by Manchester United prompting Walters to suggest to Graham Turner that he takes up a free role in the upcoming second game against Champions Liverpool. The move was initially a great success and Walters scored what he thought would be the winner, only for Jan Molby to equalise late on in a credible 2–2 draw. Walters scored a dynamic overhead kick in front…

Walters represented England at schoolboy and under 21 levels before he earning his only full cap under Graham Taylor whilst he was with Rangers. It came on 3 June 1991 in the 1–0 friendly victory over New Zealand in Auckland.

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Walters was born in Birmingham to the Nigerian footballer Lawrence Wabara, and a Jamaican mother who moved to England as part of the Windrush generation. His father walked out of the family when Mark was a child, and Walters was mostly raised by his mother, whose last name he uses. Walters is the half-brother of the professional boxer Pelé Reid, and the uncle of fellow footballers Simon Ford, and Reece Wabara.