Aston Villa FC (England), Manchester City (England)
Honours
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Biography
Darius Vassell (born 13 June 1980 to Jamaican parents in Sutton
Coldfield) is an English international footballer who plays club
football in the Premiership at Manchester City.
He is from Wylde Green, went to John Willmott School, in Sutton
Coldfield, and began his footballing career with Romulus in the
Birmingham Boys League. An Aston Villa fan, was taken on by the
club's School of Excellence at the age of 13. Vassell was a
product of the Aston Villa Youth Team for whom he scored a club
record 39 goals in a single season. He made his debut as a
substitute in a 3-1 win against Middlesbrough in August 1998.
His England career began with an impressive spell in the under
21 team. His full England debut in the senior team was against
Netherlands in 2002 where he scored England's goal in the 1-1
draw.
He best qualities are his speed and agility. Aston Villa fans
lamented the fact that his best performances seem to come with
England, where he has proved particularly useful as a "super sub",
coming on for the last 15 to 20 minutes of a game to trouble a
tired defence with his exceptional pace. One oddity of his
career is that he has never finished on the losing side in a
league game in which he has scored.
A devout Christian, Vassell believes his religious beliefs
played a part in saving his life when involved in a road smash
several years ago.
He was transferred to Manchester City on 27 July 2005 for £2m.
