Where are they now? A look at Aston Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning team

Villa faced German opponents on both occasions, defeating Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul on Wednesday, having edged Bayern Munich 1-0 in 1982.

Here, the Press Association looks at the players who helped lift the trophy almost half a century ago in Rotterdam.

Jimmy Rimmer

Rimmer was forced off inside the opening 10 minutes by a shoulder problem. Nigel Spink came on for only his second senior appearance and produced some fine saves to lay the foundations for victory. Rimmer went on to have spells as Swansea’s caretaker manager as well as coaching abroad, with Spink having a two-year stint as manager of Forest Green.

Kenny Swain

Full-back Swain went on to play for Forest as well as Portsmouth and West Brom. Following a brief spell as Wigan manager, he also went on to coach with the Football Association including 10 years with England Under-16s. He was recently honoured with the Premier League’s Eamon Dolan award for outstanding contribution to youth coach and academy development.

Ken McNaught

Kirkcaldy-born McNaught left Villa in 1983 for West Brom and also played for Sheffield United before injury forced him into early retirement. McNaught remained involved with Villa, helping support a group for former players.

Allan Evans

Scotland centre-back Evans remained at Villa Park until 1989, taking on the captaincy and helping the club get promoted back to the top flight. He returned to Villa as assistant manager in 1995 and also managed West Brom.

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Gary Williams

Left-back Williams had progressed through Villa’s youth ranks and made more than 300 appearances, leaving for Leeds in 1987 before playing at Watford and Bradford. It has been reported that following retirement he went to work in the computer industry.

Dennis Mortimer

Having lifted the trophy in Rotterdam, Mortimer joined Brighton in 1985 and also had a spell with Villa’s rivals Birmingham in 1986. Mortimer coached at non-league Redditch and worked for the Professional Footballers’ Association and FA.

Gordon Cowans

After a brief stay at Italian club Bari, midfielder Cowans returned to Villa Park in 1988, with a third spell following his move to Blackburn. He retired in 1997 before a stint on the Villa coaching staff. In 2020, Cowans revealed he had been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Des Bremner

Scottish midfielder Bremner left the club in September 1984 to make the short switch to Birmingham, helping Blues get promoted. He had spells at Fulham and Walsall before retiring in 1991. Bremner went on to become managing director of the PFA’s financial team.

Gary Shaw

Birmingham-born and another Villa academy graduate, Shaw made more than 150 appearances for the club before he moved to play in Denmark, Austria and Hong Kong. Shaw died in September 2024 from a severe head injury as a result of a fall.

Peter Withe

Villa frontman Withe joined Sheffield United in 1985 and later played for Huddersfield. Capped 11 times for England, he was a member of the 1982 World Cup squad. Withe moved into management, enjoying some success with the Thailand national team and also coaching in Indonesia.

Tony Morley

Winger Morley, who provided the assist for Withe’s goal, moved in 1983 to West Brom where he had two spells either side of playing in Hong Kong and the Netherlands. Since retirement, Morley has done co-commentary work with Villa’s website.