Take Tyrone Mings back to 2012.
He was driving a Citroen Saxo, a £100 dirt-cheap car and engulfed in the grind of being a late teen. Mings had fading dreams of becoming a footballer while accepting the cold reminder that he needed to start earning money. He was a barman and then a mortgage advisor, playing for Yate Town in the Division One South & West league before moving to Chippenham Town.
It was in 2012 that he feigned sickness to go on trial at Ipswich Town. That year he broke into the professional ranks, having considered throwing in the towel just months before.
Take John McGinn back to 2012. He had received his first semblance of success, joining St Mirren’s first team on an unglamorous pre-season tour of North England, consisting of teams such as Accrington Stanley and Carlisle United.
Take Ollie Watkins back to 2012. He was the youngest of the three and had reached the first touchpoint of an emerging career, signing schoolboy forms at Exeter City after leaving school. Nine years earlier, he failed a trial at the club. Watkins was a raw, though scratchy, wide forward, prolific at youth team level but erratic in his overall game.
Aston Villa’s rise can be symbolised through the prism of three players. They each characterise an unlikely ascent, boasting underdog careers and a determination to elevate their levels in keeping with their team.
Twelve years on from those tough knocks, Mings, McGinn and Watkins started Villa’s 3-0 victory against Club Brugge (6-1 on aggregate), helping their team secure a place in the Champions League quarter-finals next month.
Mings joined Villa in January 2019, initially on loan until the end of the season. It was a short-term solution for Mings, who was wrestling for rhythm at Bournemouth. His first anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury — suffered six minutes into his Premier League debut three and a half years earlier — had defined his time on the south coast. He would play for Bournemouth’s under-21s, be on the first-team bench and start fleetingly in case of defensive injuries, but was never a key figure. The jury on whether he was Premier League standard was out, so he took a step back and headed for a team just above mid-table in the league below, honing in on a play-off spot.
Mings got his first chance in professional football at Ipswich (Ben Hoskins/Getty Images)
McGinn became a team-mate. He had arrived six months earlier from Hibernian and though unflashy, had the characteristics of a Championship midfielder. He had a bent posture that saw his chest point towards the floor, a protruding backside and legs that frantically scurried across the turf, seizing on second balls and relishing 50-50 challenges. Naturally, he had some strike on him; his volley against Sheffield Wednesday was a thunderous example. However, no one could foresee him not only competing but flourishing as captain of a Champions League outfit.
Watkins bookended things. He signed from Brentford in the summer of 2019, with Villa spending Premier League riches (£28million in fact) on a player who was swiftly becoming a multi-faceted, scoring No 9. He had surprised his early coaches, spending hours correcting the blind spots which were detected at his loan spell at sixth-tier side Weston-super-Mare — such as his heading and hold-up play — and making more incisive movements.
Mings remained in the heart of defence, despite the improving fitness of Pau Torres. He is Villa’s on-field leader, critical to defensive set plays and, as shown in the second half against Club Brugge, where he demonstrated the shielding technique of an old-fashioned striker, being a threat in the opponent’s box. His touch and shot stung Simon Mignolet’s palms and got Prince William, a friend of Mings, briefly off his seat from the stands above.
McGinn and Unai Emery share, in the former’s words, a “love-hate relationship”, with Villa’s captain perennially immersed in a battle to comply with his manager’s demands. They have frank exchanges in the week before games and after them but mutual respect endures.
“How football is going and changing, I appreciate a lot of versatile players,” said Emery on Tuesday before the game. “One of them is John McGinn. This versatility and performing like we need always is very important.”
McGinn’s malleability was relied upon once more. Boubacar Kamara returned to the base of midfield and pushed the Scotland international into the No 10 role. This meant McGinn could use his energy upfield but drop deeper whenever Kamara moved to a third centre-back in possession.
Watkins was substituted at half-time after picking up a knock. Provided he is available, in less than a year, Watkins will have played in a European Championship final, having scored the winning goal in the semi-finals, as well as a Champions League quarter-final in Paris. That is a far cry from those Devonshire fields in 2012.
McGinn battling for the ball on Wednesday night (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Mings received a standing ovation when he was substituted in the 66th minute. Villa were leading 3-0 on the night and the tie was done, affording the defender a chance to soak in the adulation. He had ultimately sought his redemption from his group phase game against Club Brugge, where he picked the ball up in his own box. A miraculous block in the first leg came before another solid showing in the second. The range of emotions experienced in the three fixtures against Club Brugge have, in some ways, characterised his career. Not without lows, yet always with an immediate resolve to overcome them.
McGinn returned to a deeper midfield position following Kamara’s substitution. At a time when Villa could have been complacent, McGinn was at his scrapping best, picking the pockets of players outside the box and squaring for Leon Bailey. Bailey set up Marco Asensio for Villa’s opener.
“We’re giving these fans experiences they’ll remember forever,” McGinn told TNT Sports. “We want to write our names in history and make these nights more frequent.”
“When you’re in it, it’s hard to take it in and appreciate the level we’re playing at,” added Mings. “The bar keeps rising. The Championship feels like a long time ago. I’m really enjoying the journey.”
Another case of fireworks was released into the night as the stadium announcer confirmed Villa’s next match in Paris. Mings exchanged shirts while McGinn, typically, led the applause towards the Holte End. A seventh win in this year’s Champions League — more than the six matches won when Villa lifted the European Cup in 1982 — is remarkable, regardless of the new format providing mitigation.
None of Mings, McGinn or Watkins were pencilled in for superstardom or to reach the levels of playing — and enjoying — Europe’s blue-chip competition. In truth, they were not expected to come anywhere close. They each reflect Villa’s transformation, turning from an average Championship side to Champions League quarter-finalists in six years.
(Top photos: Getty Images)
