This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (September 2024) |
Gary Robert Shaw (21 January 1961 – 16 September 2024) was an English professional football striker who played for Aston Villa in the early 1980s.
.jpg) Shaw in 1982 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gary Robert Shaw[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 21 January 1961 | ||
| Place of birth | Birmingham, England | ||
| Date of death | 16 September 2024 (aged 63) | ||
| Place of death | Birmingham, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1977–1978 | Aston Villa | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1988 | Aston Villa | 165 | (59) |
| 1987 | → Blackpool (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1988 | Kjøbenhavns Boldklub | 14 | (4) |
| 1988–1990 | SK Austria Klagenfurt | 9 | (7) |
| 1990 | Walsall | 9 | (3) |
| 1990 | Kilmarnock | 2 | (0) |
| 1990–1991 | Shrewsbury Town | 22 | (5) |
| 1991–1992 | Ernest Borel | ||
| Total | 218 | (71) | |
| International career | |||
| 1978–1979 | England Youth | 9 | (4) |
| 1981–1982 | England U21 | 7 | (2) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Club career
editDuring the 1980s, Shaw's goals helped Aston Villa win the First Division championship in 1980–81 and the European Cup the following year – the only Birmingham-born player in the team. In 1981, he was voted PFA Young Player of the Year, and was awarded the Bravo Award the following year, as the best under-23 player in European competitions.
His promising Villa career was hindered after sustaining a knee injury in an away game at Nottingham Forest in September 1983.[3] After a heavy tackle, he was helped to his feet by Ian Bowyer and, in Shaw's words, something in his knee 'clicked'. The rest of his career was plagued by frequent injuries. He continued to play for Villa until the conclusion of the 1987–88 season.
In July 1988 he made his debut for Copenhagen-based Kjøbenhavns Boldklub in Denmark, moving to Austria Klagenfurt in Austria in 1989. He finished his career with brief spells at Walsall, Kilmarnock, Shrewsbury Town and the Hong Kong-based Ernest Borel.
International career
editShaw gained seven caps for the England under-21 team. Following a successful European Cup campaign with Aston Villa, he was also included in the 40-strong preliminary England squad for the 1982 FIFA World Cup finals; however, he was not picked in the final 22.
Death
editOn 9 September 2024, Shaw suffered a head injury after a fall at his home in Birmingham and was admitted to hospital in a "serious condition".[4] Following reports of his death on 15 September, Shaw's family released a statement that he was still in hospital, with his condition being described as "grave and serious".[5] Shaw died the next day at the age of 63. Aston Villa released a statement on behalf of Shaw's family stating that he had died peacefully earlier that day, surrounded by his family.[6][7]
On 17 September, the day following Shaw's death - Aston Villa played Young Boys in Bern, in their first game in the European Cup (now called the Champions League) since Shaw's playing days. The Swiss club displayed a tribute to Shaw before the game, with Aston Villa manager Unai Emery saying the subsequent win was in Shaw's honour.[8]
On Aston Villa's first home game since Shaw's death, a Premier League game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Villa Park displayed banners of Shaw. His former teammates were invited as guests of honour and a minute's applause was held before the game.[9]
Shaw's funeral took place on 16 October 2024, crowds of supporters lined the route of a funeral procession starting at Villa Park and leading to a service at Sutton Coldfield Crematorium.[10]
Honours
editAston Villa
Individual
- Bravo Award (Awarded to the Most Outstanding Young Footballer in Europe): 1982[12]
- PFA Young Player of the Year: 1981[11]
- PFA Team of the Year: 1980–81
References
edit- ^ "Gary Shaw". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 24 April 2017.
- ^ Rollin, Jack, ed. (1980). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1980–81. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 54. ISBN 0362020175.
- ^ "Aston Villa Football Club | the official club website".
- ^ Forte, Joe (9 September 2024). "Aston Villa legend Gary Shaw in serious condition in hospital after fall". Birmingham World. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ Carrick, Heather (16 September 2024). "'There's hope': Friends of Aston Villa legend Gary Shaw blast false death reports as ex-striker remains in hospital". National World. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Fisher, Ben (16 September 2024). "Gary Shaw, hero of Aston Villa's 1982 European Cup triumph, dies aged 63". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "A tribute to Gary Shaw". Aston Villa Football Club. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ Fisher, Ben (17 September 2024). "'We dedicate this to Gary Shaw': Emery salutes former striker after Villa victory". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Maher, Matt (21 September 2024). "Villa Park pays tribute to Gary Shaw". www.expressandstar.com. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ "Aston Villa fans' emotional goodbye to club legend Gary Shaw". BBC News. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Gary Shaw: Former Aston Villa striker dies at 63 after fall". BBC Sport. 16 September 2024. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ José Luis Pierrend (8 January 2015). "The "Bravo" Award". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2015.
External links
edit- Gary Shaw at Soccerbase
- Player profile at Aston Villa Player Database
