- Gary Shaw died at the age of 63 in September after injuring his head from a fall
- The iconic forwards lifted the European Cup 42 years ago against Bayern
- Unai Emery’s side face the same foes tonight in front of a packed Villa Park
Aston Villa have made a touching tribute to club legend Gary Shaw ahead of their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich.
The 1982 European Cup winner died at the age of 63 in September after injuring his head from a fall.
Shaw made 213 appearances for his boyhood side and scored 79 goals. He is regarded as one of the best forwards in the club’s 150-year history.
And tonight, ahead of a repeat of the final 42 years ago, Villa paid tribute to the iconic player by including his name on the teamsheet in the match programme.
Shaw is listed at the bottom of the list of squad members and has a symbol representing the Champions League trophy next to his name, where others have their numbers.
Aston Villa have made a touching tribute to club legend Gary Shaw ahead of their Champions League clash with Bayern Munich
AstonVilla legend Gary Shaw passed away at the age of 63 after suffering a head injury
Shaw (left) is an icon at Villa after he won the European Cup with the club back in 1982
Last month, Villa announced the tragic news in a club statement and paid tribute to one of the heroes of their 1982 triumph.
‘Gary was one of our own, a talented striker who delighted supporters with his goalscoring exploits which helped fire Villa to success in the 1980s,’ the statement read.
‘Individual accolades would also follow for a player who was idolised by many on the terraces. He passed away peacefully earlier today surrounded by his family, who asked Aston Villa to release a statement on their behalf.
‘The thoughts of everyone at the club are with Gary’s family and loved ones at this extremely difficult time.’
Shaw, born in Kingshurst, Birmingham, in January 1961, became an apprentice at Villa in 1977 and went on to make his debut for the club the following year.
He quickly established himself as one of the top forwards in England and was crowned PFA Young Player of the Year in 1981 after a season in which he scored 18 goals en route to Villa winning the League Championship.
Shaw also scored the first of Villa’s three goals in their 3-1 victory over Barcelona to win the 1982 European Super Cup.
Sadly Shaw’s time at Villa Park was curtailed due to injury issues and he eventually departed his boyhood club in 1988, going on to play in Denmark, Austria and Hong Kong.
After he retired in 1992, Shaw returned to Villa where he became a youth coach.
In recent years, Shaw was a constant presence at Villa Park where he entertained corporate guests with Q&A sessions.
Shaw (left) began his career with Aston Villa and went on to win three trophies with the club
Shaw departed Villa in 1988 after his final years at the club were ruined by various injuries
His club’s clash with Bayern tonight sees their return to the top table of European football more than 40 years on from their triumph in Rotterdam
Meanwhile a star-studded Bayern side sees the likes of Joshua Kimmich (left) and Harry Kane (left-centre) face off against Villa
His club’s clash with Bayern tonight sees their return to the top table of European football more than 40 years on from their triumph in Rotterdam.
Unai Emery’s squad announcement showed one change from the Villains’ 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town in the Premier League on Sunday with Jaden Philogene replacing Leon Bailey.
Meanwhile a star-studded Bayern side sees the likes of Manuel Neuer, Joshua Kimmich and Harry Kane face off against Villa tonight.
