The Colombia international became a hero at Villa Park after emerging from relative obscurity in Argentina
'The Barclays'. While the Premier League was technically sponsored by the aforementioned bank between 2001-16, the period which is so wistfully looked back upon by fans of a certain vintage is the first decade of the 2000s.After its initial emergence in 1992, the English top-flight enjoyed a secondary boom in popularity following the turn of the millennium, as overseas television deals and a secondary influx of foreign stars gave the league a truly global appeal.
It played host to a number of the games modern icons, too, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba among those who lit up the Premier League on a weekly basis. When fans refer to 'The Barclays', though, it is not those household names they are referring to.
Instead it is the players who were largely in the background when it came to being headline-grabbing, but were seen as key cogs in the Premier League machine by die-hard fans, while still able to produce moments of magic on occasion. These players have come to be known as the 'Barclaysmen', but what made them so beloved, and what became of them once their Barclays life was over?
Here at GOAL, we will endeavour to find out with our latest series, 'Ultimate Barclaysmen'. Back in the ‘Barclays’ era, Aston Villa were more used to mid-table mediocrity than the Champions League nights they are currently enjoying under Unai Emery. But they had their fair share of stars too, with Juan Pablo Angel emerging as one of the quintessential ‘Barclays’ strikers…
AFPWhere he came from
Angel was destined to become a household name from the very start of his career. He developed at Atletico Nacional, winning the Colombian title in 1994, as he scored the winner in a crucial derby against Independiente Medellin.
His performances in his homeland across four years convinced River Plate to spirit Angel away to Argentina, where he was bought as the replacement for the departing Hernan Crespo, who was on his way to his own legendary status.
In 132 games, Angel scored 62 times for River, winning the Primera Division Apertura in 1999 and the Clausara in 2000. Confusingly, however, he struggled to make an impact at international level before his move to England, making his debut for Colombia in 1996 but winning only six caps before 2000.
He was not selected for the 1998 World Cup, and ended his international career with a mere 33 caps.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBarclays highlights
In 2001, Aston Villa took a punt. They spent a club-record fee of £9.5 million to sign Angel, eclipsing the £7m deal that saw Stan Collymore join the club in 1997.
It took a little bit of time for the striker to settle in the Midlands though; in nine Premier League appearances in 2000-01, he scored just once, a clever volleyed finish against Coventry City. In 2001, he did play a part in Villa winning the Intertoto Cup, scoring twice in the final’s second leg. Angel has since confirmed that his wife fell ill when they moved to England, and that the stress of her condition, amid his own adaptation issues, dovetailed to make life at Villa Park exceedingly difficult.
It was under David O’Leary that Angel finally reached his peak. After two more middling seasons, in 2003-04, the Colombian appeared to finally live up to his potential, scoring over 20 goals in all competitions, including 16 strikes in the Premier League.
Only Thierry Henry, Alan Shearer, Louis Saha, Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Mikael Forssell – the latter of whom is another true 'Barclaysman' – scored more. That haul included a stunning strike against Bolton Wanderers from the edge of the box that arrowed into the top corner, a brilliantly instinctive first-time finish that summed up Angel as a player.
Getty Images Sport'Beast in the air'
Darius Vassell summed up Angel’s Villa career in a slightly mournful tribute to his former strike partner. Indeed, the pair scored 24 goals between them in the 2001-02 Premier League season, and 25 between them in 2003-04. But the former England striker was saddened by the fact that his partnership with the Colombian didn’t last, wondering exactly how good they could have been had they been given more time together.
He told Villa’s website: “I think Juan Pablo and I scored about 30 goals between us one season. Juan Pablo was on fire at that point. I was there chipping in and doing my bit too. It was a great partnership and it was such a shame it didn't last. I wished we could have kept it going longer.
“Who knows how good it could have become? It was great playing with him. No-one had heard of him! He broke through and everyone took notice of him. He was such a beast in the air, incredible and his ability to finish was superb.
“I had a great rapport with him. He was a clever player. He was the first player who helped me exploit my pace. He could flick it around the corner for me. He won every header – I would just run in. He made it easy for me. I missed that when he didn't play. I never really had that again. Juan Pablo helped put me on the scene. I wished the pairing had lasted a lot longer.
“It looked a bright partnership. Juan Pablo was still young and hungry. There should have been a lot more seasons of Vassell and Angel. We could have flourished.”
Getty Images SportMoving on
Angel wrote himself into Villa folklore and, at the time of writing, only three players have scored more goals than his 44 for the club in the Premier League era: Dwight Yorke, Ollie Watkins and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
But his form was patchy. In 2004-05, he managed just seven goals, and the following campaign, could only net three. And after Martin O’Neill was appointed as manager and forwards John Carew and Ashley Young arrived at the same as Agbonlahor's emergence, Angel fell down the pecking order at Villa Park.
So in 2007, having scored 62 goals in 205 appearances for the club, he made the decision to bring the curtain down on his Villa career and head to the United States with the New York Red Bulls. He moved on a free transfer but did so with plenty of goodwill from the Villa support who had watched him become a reliable Premier League frontman.