Known for his long flowing locks back in the day, Premier League cult hero Juan Pablo Angel is now sporting a much different look.
The Colombian striker arrived in the Premier League back in January 2001, signing for Aston Villa from Argentine giants River Plate for a then club record £9.5million fee. After enduring difficulties adapting to live in Birmingham during his first season, Angel bagged 16 goals in 34 games the following campaign.
An injury hit 2002/03 season followed his strong second term, but again, come the following season, Angel bounced back, scoring 23 goals in 39 appearances, with his performances for Villa making him a Villa Park cult hero. One of the fans who would have been celebrating every time Angel hit the back of the net is Manchester City winger Jack Grealish.
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The 28-year-old Villa fan came through the ranks at Villa Park before earning himself a bumper move to Man City back in 2021. And recently, Grealish posted a photo on social media of himself and Angel smiling, with the latter looking vastly different to his playing days.
Grealish uploaded a series of photos to Instagram, which he captioned: "Outside the pitch", with the third snap of the post Angel and the Man City winger beaming while posing for the snap.
Do you have a favourite Juan Pablo Angel memory from his Aston Villa days? Let us know in the comments section below.
These days, Angel is sporting a much cleaner look, ditching his old long locks for a more refined, stylish image. And earlier this year, he also returned to Villa Park, where he was a guest of honour. During Villa's game against Crystal Palace back in March, which they won 1-0 thanks to a Joachim Andersen own goal, Angel greeted the crowd before the game, just a day after attending an Unai Emery training session.
"It’s been an unforgettable weekend," Angel wrote on Instagram, uploading a series of snaps of himself greeting Emery and the Villa squad. "I never imagined I would’ve had such an incredible reception all around. I want to thank @avfcofficial for allowing me to spend time with the club, the coaching staff, the players everyone at the club for making me feel so welcome.
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"Special mention to the Villa Supporters you’re truly incredible, you brought back so many memories, some of my happiest, and now more than ever, years after having played my last game at Villa Park, I really feel part of the PRIDE #upthevilla #UTV #AVFC"
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