Gabriel Agbonlahor Biography

Gabriel Agbonlahor nationality

is English. England has the oldest national team with extraordinary footballers. Gabriel first started his professional career at Aston Villa academy. He was a determined footballer who dedicated himself to make a name in football. Gabriel has a unique style of play with excellent pace which has made him a tough opponent to go up against on the field.

His goal scoring abilities and speed were praised by football pundits on several occasions. Theo Walcott the English forward stated about him: “With Gabby you can over-cook a pass and he'll still get there because his pace is phenomenal, it's a joke. I love playing alongside players with pace. He's a clever player and he's got a good finish on him.”

Details About Gabriel Agbonlahor Biography You Probably Didn’t Know 

Gabby made his big break as he came through the ranks at Aston Villa. On his debut he managed to aim the net for a goal. He made a solid reputation for himself and several clubs were eager to sign a contract with him. The talented footballer managed to break Dwight Yorke’s record and became Villa's record Premier League goal scorer in 2012-13. Stay tuned for more details about Gabriel Agbonlahor biography.

Gabriel Agbonlahor Information

Before we get into the details of

Gabriel Agbonlahor childhood

and early life we will fill you in with the details of his bio and other information. 

Gabriel Agbonlahor Bio

• Full name: Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor

• Nickname: Spewy Louis

Personal information

• Gabriel Agbonlahor date of birth: 13 October 1986 (age 35)

• Zodiac sign: Libra

• Place of birth: Birmingham, England

• Gabriel Agbonlahor religion: Christian

• Father’s name: Samson Agbonlahor

• Mother’s name: Tina Burgess

• Gabriel Agbonlahor nationality: English

• Children: Gabriel Agbonlahor Jr., Evelyn Agbonlahor

Body measurements

• Height: 180 cm

• Weight: 78 kg

• Eye color: Dark brown

• Hari color: Black

Football Information

• Position: Forward

• Debut in profession: Aston Villa (2005)                                                              

• Clubs served: Aston Villa, Watford (loan), Sheffield Wednesday (loan)                 

Gabriel Agbonlahor Early Life

Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor was born on 13 October 1986 in Birmingham, England, to Samson Agbonlahor and Tina Burgess. According to

Gabriel Agbonlahor date of birth

, his zodiac sign is Libra. As a child, he was very passionate about football and dreamed of one day becoming a professional footballer. However, his father was very strict and had his own rules. He didn’t allow Gabriel to play on the street, only in the park or the back yard of their house.

 “We were never allowed to hang around by the shop with the lads in the area.” He recalled: “It was just my strict Nigerian dad, basically. He didn’t want me to be on the street. I couldn’t even play the PlayStation or watch films. It was just football, education and that’s it. What you do in your younger years you’ll reap when you’re older.’. That was his motto, you know. Being a kid isn’t to enjoy life, it’s to start your journey as an adult.”

John Hartson Profile

Over the years the footballer came a long way and made a name for himself as a top goal scorer. Based on

Gabriel Agbonlahor bio

he played as a forward. We have gathered all the details about his career both in clubs and on the international level. Join us in this journey and find how the footballer set foot on the road to fame in the following.

Early Career 

Gabriel began chasing his dream of becoming a professional footballer seriously. He joined Great Barr Falcons which was a local club at the area he lived. He stated: “The home pitch was in Kingstanding. I just remember loving football from a young age. It was everything to me. At school, I’d be coming home with my shoes all torn and my shirt yellow from sweating all day playing football in the playground.”

He added: “I was always like, ‘Where’s the football at?’. It was like an addiction. That carried on for Great Barr Falcons. I was scoring a ridiculous amount of goals. At six and seven, if you’re so much quicker than anyone else you’re going to score goals.”

Scouted by Aston Villa 

His remarkable talent on the pitch and speed saw him being scouted by

. He had other options too. In addition to Aston Villa he was also scouted by Wolverhampton Wanderers and featured in a few games for the side. However, he wanted to join Aston Villa. “My speed helped me stand out and, by the age of 12-13, that’s when I got scouted playing for my local district, Erdington & Saltley.”

 He further explained: “I went to St Edmund Campion School and, because I was one of the better players, I played for the district and got scouted. It was the best players in each school that’d play for the district. I did well and that’s when I got scouted for Villa.”

Agbonlahor’s Golden Opportunity 

Gabriel signed a two-year contract with the club back in 2005. On 22 September 2005, he was loaned to Watford. He made his senior debut for the side while substituting Trevor Benjamin in a 3–1 loss to

. He made his first start in his only game for Watford which was a 0-0 draw with Leeds United at Vicarage Road on 1 October. On 28 October he was loaned to another club Sheffield Wednesday.

Gabriel featured in eight games without scoring any goals for the side. On 18 March 2006, he made his Premier League debut for the side while he was 19 years’ old in a game over Everton under the supervision of David O'Leary. Due to the injury of strikers, the manager had to look for other players in the youth system which gave Gabriel the golden opportunity. The footballer aimed the net after 63 minutes. However, Aston Villa lost the game 4-1. Stay tuned for more details about

Gabriel Agbonlahor biography

.

Aston Villa Top Goal Scorer

In the first preseason games of the 2006-07 season, the footballer scored three goals. The first was a header and the second was a close-range finish in a 5-0 thrashing of Walsall. The third was a consolation goal in a 2-1 loss at NEC. Gabriel started the season in Martin O'Neill's new form. He was a member of the squad that managed to get a point from the first Premier League game at Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium. He scored his first goal of the season in a 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic. On 30 September, he scored a vital equalizer over

before halftime.

The footballer maintained his good form and went on and scored a perfect goal while providing cup heroics in 2006 in a 3-2 win over Leicester City. On 28 October, Gabriel scored another consolation goal in Villa’s first defeat in the season. He completed the chain of scoring goals which was called "Big Four" while aiming the net in a game over Man United. However, Aston Villa was defeated 3-1 in the game. On 20 January 2007, Gabriel ended Aston Villas's winless run while scoring in a game over

. Stay tuned for more details about Gabriel Agbonlahor biography.

Premier League Player of the Month

Gabriel featured in all the games of the 2006-07 season. However, on 10 February 2007, he was substituted by Patrik Berger in a 2-0 away game over Reading. The footballer didn’t feature in the next game. He later appeared from the bench, while substituting the new Villa signing Shaun Maloney. Martin O'Neill wanted Gabriel who had a great performance on the right-wing rest a little. Following his break on 2 April, he went on and scored from the right win over Everton and Villa earned a perfect point. Gabriel proved himself to be a key role player of the team with his great performance.

Later he signed a new four-year contract with the side. In the following game while John Carew didn’t make an appearance Gabriel found himself in his natural position which was on center forward. He scored another equalizer, adjudged to have crossed the line by assistant referee Dave Richardson. On 2 September he scored a vital goal in a game against Chelsea which was a 2-0 victory for Villa. Gabriel showed such an amazing performance and great goal-scoring abilities which earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award for November and manager Martin O'Neill won the equivalent award for the same month.

The Third-Fastest Hat-Trick in The History of the Premier League 

On 15 August 2008, the footballer extended his contract with the club until 2012. In Aston Villa’s opening game of the 2008-09 season, Gabriel aimed the net for a perfect hat trick against Man City. His pace was amazing which made it the third-fastest hat-trick in the history of the Premier League after Robbie Fowler and Sadio Mane. Later Gabriel was named man of the match for his performance in the 4-2 win.

At the beginning of the season the footballer started a good partnership with John Carew and the due operated well in the

away matches against West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic as they both grabbed a brace in the games and provided assists. On 7 February, Gabriel aimed the net for his tenth league goal of the season in the 90th minute of a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers. However later his performance lacked the previous quality as he scored only one goal in 12 league games. Fans were frustrated by his form as there were some sarcastic cheers in Villa’s loss to Tottenham Hotspur while Gabriel was replaced by Martin O'Neill.

Gabriel Agbonlahor Lack of Form 

For the next game against Liverpool he was dropped off to the bench in their heavy 5-0 defeat. Despite his lack of form, the footballer was called up to feature in a 3-2 loss to Man United. He managed to aim the net for a goal. He was nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year. However, his teammate Ashley Young eventually won the title. The footballer scored the first goal of the 2009-10 season in a 2-0 home win against Fulham while aiming the net from 25 yards.

In the opening Birmingham derby of the season Gabriel scored a goal via an open header passing the goalkeeper Joe Hart as a result of a free kick taken by Ashley Young. His third goal came in a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth. He aimed the net for his fourth and fifth consecutive goals of the season against Cardiff City in the League Cup and Blackburn in the Premier League. Find out more details about

Gabriel Agbonlahor biography

in the following.

Gabriel Agbonlahor 300th Premier League Appearance

On 10 September 2014, the footballer extended his spell at Aston Villa for four years. Upon signing his contract, he stated: “I can still remember making my debut, so to still be able to contribute is a great feeling.” Three days later he aimed the net for a goal against

. He only scored once against Liverpool in the past.

On 20 December he was given a red card for making a move on his former teammate Ashley Young in a 1-1 draw with

. The footballer made his 300th Premier League appearance for the side on 14 March 2015 in an away game over Sunderland. He managed to grab a brace and it was a 4-0 victory for Villa.

Retirement 

For the 2015-16 season the footballer was named club captain and Micah Richards the new member of the squad was named the team captain. As the new manager, Remi Garde was appointed, Gabriel was dropped from the lineup. There were speculations that Gabriel was going to leave Villa for the Turkish club Kayserispor. However, Garde declared that it wasn’t true. At the end of the 2017-18 season, the footballer left the club after 17 years of association. On 27 March 2019, he announced his retirement while he was 32 years old.

Gabriel stated about his retirement: “My game relied on a lot of speed. When I left Villa it was more ‘My body is letting me down, I am not as quick as I used to be, maybe now is the time to stop’. And ‘Do I want to play for another club? Not really, no’. After being at Aston Villa for that long. Some players will play until their legs don’t work anymore, 37, 38 but for me it was like ‘I don’t want to play for another club’. There wasn’t a chance to play for Aston Villa any more so it like ‘That’s it’.” Stay tuned for more details about

Gabriel Agbonlahor biography

.

International Career

The footballer had Scottish and Nigerian roots which allowed him to feature in both countries' national teams however he chose to play for his homeland, England national team. In September 2007, he was called up to England's under-21 team while aiming the net for his first goal which was the second goal in a 3-0 win against Montenegro. Eventually, the footballer made his way to the first team and managed to make a lot of wonders. John Terry praised his form and described him to be a nightmare to play against following a game against

on 19 November 2008.

Style of play 

Gabriel proved himself to be a valuable player at Aston Villa which earned him several contract extensions and spent his entire football career with the side. The former footballer played as a forward and mostly featured as a central striker. He was capable of playing on the wing as well and was praised for his goal-scoring abilities along with great pace on many occasions. Gabriel recalled in an interview: “Luckily for me, O’Leary left that summer and O’Neill came in and he was addicted to me. He was like, ‘Wow, you’re quick, you’re in.”

He further explained: “He just loved youth and pace and a lot of players left. He basically built a team in his first season of like Luke Moore on the left, me on the right and Angel through the middle. It was 4-3-3. I didn’t enjoy playing right-wing but I did OK there in my first season. I remember being more comfortable with Martin. If he didn’t come in, O’Leary might’ve signed more players and I wouldn’t have got a chance.” Stay tuned for more details about Gabriel Agbonlahor biography.

Reception 

Over the course of his career Gabriel was praised for his extraordinary speed and goal scoring abilities. He won several awards and titles for his form. Gabriel managed to score the third-fastest hat-trick in the history of the Premier League. He stated upon the subject: “That third goal, I remember John Carew doing a little flick in that corner then Gareth Barry putting me through. He’s always going to put the right pace on the pass and then when I got through I just tried to get a finish off.”

Goal Celebration 

As for Gabriel’s goals celebration the footballer runs in joy with open arms to the crowd and makes a fist as a sign of victory.

Gabriel Agbonlahor Outside Football 

Outside the football pitch, Gabriel is a father figure and enjoys quality time with his kids. Gabriel is an outdoor person who loves to hang out with his family and friends. He also supports young footballers on his Instagram page. On February 6 he posted a photo of Ollie Watkins and captioned: “Olli Watkins appreciation post… Best striker I’ve seen at Villa Park for many years. Pace, work rate, goal scorer, future England international.” He pursued his career as a pundit for Sky Sports and wrote columns for online magazines such as Football Insider.

Gabriel Agbonlahor Personal life

As for his personal life, his parents were separated while he was a kid and lived with his father. Gabriel didn’t have any contact with his mother for 20 years. In 2009, prior to his 23rd birthday his mother reached out to him while making a public appeal via the city's Sunday Mercury newspaper in order to break the 20 years of separation and be a part of her son’s life. The former footballer later reached out to her and the pair reconciled. Stay tuned for more details about

Gabriel Agbonlahor life story

.

Family Children and Relationships 

The footballer keeps his life private and he doesn’t share details of his love life. In 2012 his girlfriend Elizabeth Wheeler made a lawsuit against the footballer’s ex-girlfriend Sophie Smith who sent her hate messages for four years. Eventually, Sophie walked free of all the charges while admitting she cyber-stalked the footballer’s pregnant girlfriend and sent her threatening messages via social media. The footballer is blessed with a son named Gabriel Agbonlahor Jr. and a daughter named Evelyn Agbonlahor.

Philanthropy

Gabriel Agbonlahor religion

is Christian. He contributed in NHS charity and wrote on his fundraising website: “I am holding a raffle that I hope you'll all support me by entering to raise money for NHS Charities Together to support the NHS staff and volunteers that are doing amazing work right now in caring for COVID-19 patients. Together, let's show our respect and gratitude as they work tirelessly in the face of the virus. It's our turn to make sure we look after them; to ensure they can keep doing their vital work.”

Legal Issues

Back in 2016, Aston Villa’s club captain was suspended due to newspaper allegations that he used the legal high nitrous oxide in a party few hours after the club’s relegation from the Premier League. Stay tuned for more details about Gabriel Agbonlahor biography.

Gabriel Agbonlahor Career Statistics

The former footballer came a long way and fulfilled his boyhood dream of becoming a professional footballer with a solid reputation.

Club 

Gabriel Agbonlahor served 17 years at Aston Villa without even thinking about another club. He proved his loyalty to the club and made a lot of wonders there. In an interview with Sky Sports News he talked about how he rejected a move to the Madejski Stadium: “It was the owner at the time, and the manager were trying to force me out. I remember it like it was yesterday, I went into the office to see the owner and the manager and said I’ve been here since I was 12-years-old, I’m going nowhere.”

He added: “I felt responsible, part of the reason that we got relegated, so I wanted to stay and get Villa promoted. It was a bit chaotic, my agent ringing me, the chief executive ringing my agent to try and see what was going on, but it was never an option for me. Aston Villa was the only club I wanted to play for and I was never going to leave.” Overall Gabriel made 391 appearances for the side while scoring 87 goals. 

International

For England national team the footballer made only 3 appearances without scoring any goals.

Gabriel Agbonlahor Honors

Over the years the footballer came a long way and made a name for himself as a one of the fastest strikers. We have gathered all the information regarding Gabriel Agbonlahor awards and titles both at Aston Villa and international level. Stay tuned and find out all the details in the following.

Aston Villa

• FA Cup runner-up: 2014–15

• Football League Cup runner-up: 2009–10

• England U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 2009

Individual

• Premier League Player of the Month: November 2007

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