'From Brink Of Relegation, To European Nights': The Ultimate Rise Of Aston Villa

Aston Villa's rise in football is nothing short of an inspirational story, as the sleeping giant of English football has finally started to rediscover the older days of glory.

Aston Villa defeated PSG 3-2 in the 2nd leg of their UCL quarter-final match, but were eliminated 5-4 on aggregate

Source : Aston Villa

Aston Villa have made a sensational turnaround in their fortunes ever since the turn of the decade, as the sleeping giant of English football is rediscovering it's former self in European football.

The former European champions, who were struggling to get promoted into the top flight previous decade, have just achieved one of their greatest-ever wins in history, as they downed a highly-consistent & strong PSG side in the UEFA Champions League.

Aston Villa's European adventure has ended, as a 3-2 win over PSG at Villa Park was not enough to seal a ticket for the semi-finals, due to the aggregate score of 5-4 (PSG won the 1st leg 3-1).

However, no one can take away from them the fact that they just produced one of the most remarkable comebacks on the big stage, as this was the same club battling for survival in the top flight 5 years ago.

The Big Downfall

Aston Villa was a houselhold name back in the days. Throughout the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's, Aston Villa was amongst the Premier League regularly qualifying for European competitions.

But the club from Birmingham suffered their biggest ever downfall in the 2015-16 season, as they were relegated from the Premier League for the first time in their history.

The season witnessed a disaster for the club, as they had 4 managerial changes, and still managed to finish 20th, with only 3 league wins throughout the 38 games.

The Promotion

After 3 years in the Championship, Aston Villa gained promotion to the Premier League, and the club barely managed to retain their top-flight status.

Jack Grealish was the main star of the side, as the winger produced clutch moments in his side's 17th-place finish in the league that season, but what followed afterwards was pure joy for the club.

UCL Qualification

Aston Villa qualified for Europe by finishing 7th in the 2022/23 season, but bettered that feat by finishing 4th in the 2023/24 season, and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in 41 years in the process.

Their UCL campaign in 2024/25 saw them remain unbeaten at home, and in their last match of the campaign, they triumphed over a PSG side that are hot contenders for title this season.