Aston Villa's hero making up for lost time after crushing blow

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Few Aston Villa supporters would have predicted Emi Buendía playing a pivotal role in Unai Emery's squad this season. Yet these are the narratives that make football so captivating. There’s much to admire about the diminutive playmaker’s mentality, even if standout performances in claret and blue have been sporadic since his move from Norwich City .

To understand why, we need to go back over 26 months. On the cusp of the 2024/25 season, Buendía was struck down with an ACL injury that prematurely ended his campaign.

Just weeks prior, many had pegged him to be a key player in Villa's season, which included a return to European football - an achievement he had contributed to during Emery's initial tenure.

This devastating setback meant he missed a whole season of Villa's advancement, as they ascended the Premier League ranks and pipped Tottenham to secure fourth place.

Last season, Buendía's solitary highlight for Villa came against Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, where he netted the decisive goal at Adams Park. It appeared that this might be the last time he'd revel in scoring for the club.

A loan transfer to Bayer Leverkusen ensued at the beginning of the year, and the fact that Xabi Alonso - now at the helm of Real Madrid - was keen on him spoke volumes. However, the frustration persisted, as Buendía only made the starting line-up for three Bundesliga matches in the latter half of the season.

Isn't football a funny old game? With three goals in his last four outings for Villa, it's Buendía who's been instrumental in pulling the club from a dreadful season start. The team has transformed a shaky position into one where they've triumphed in their first two Europa League games and are just three points shy of the top four.

Buendía isn't merely catching up; the heartbreak of missing Villa's rise - given the standard he was playing at before his ACL injury - makes his return all the more commendable.

Even better, his Villa career was practically dismissed over the summer. Perhaps the club's financial constraints were the lucky break Buendía needed to be relied upon by Emery, who had approved a permanent departure.

Leverkusen had the option to snap up Buendía for roughly £17 million earlier in the summer. When they chose not to, the Argentine must have braced himself to find a new club once more.

Stuttgart expressed their interest late in the summer window, but Villa were never going to agree to a loan deal. That decision was made with the conviction that he could demonstrate his value - and demonstrate it he has, tenfold, considering where his reputation stood just a few months ago.

"From the start of the season I wanted to show everyone that I wanted to play for this team and for this club, and I am glad I do it every game," he shared with Sky Sports after netting the winning goal against Spurs.

"It feels amazing to come here; it's such a difficult place to play and a really tough opponent. At the start of the match they got the advantage, but the team showed character to come back and get a win."

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