Aston Villa boast a proud history. They were founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. They were founder members of The Football League in 1888 and founder members of the Premier League in 1992
They are one of the oldest and most successful football clubs in England, having won the First Division Championship seven times and the FA Cup seven times.
Villa won the 1981-82 European Cup, making them one of only four English clubs to win what is now the UEFA Champions League. They have the fourth highest total of major honours won by an English club.
Villa won their first FA Cup in 1887, and their sixth in 1920. Their seventh came in 1957, which at the time was the record number of victories.
Villa's seventh league title came in 1980-81 under manager Ron Saunders. He surprisingly quit half way through the following season and was replaced by his assistant Tony Barton. Barton led Villa to the greatest moment in their history, the European Cup win of 1981-82. Villa overcame German giants Bayern Munich 1–0 in Rotterdam, courtesy of a Peter Withe goal.
Villa won the League Cup 1994, beating Manchester United 3-1 under manager Ron Atkinson, and in 1996, beating Leeds United 3-0 under manager Brian Little.
Under Unai Emery in 2024, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1982–83.
During their history Villa has spent 112 seasons in the top-flight, the second highest of any club, and provided 78 England internationals, also the second highest of any club.
