Would you let your child sign for a club that was the most bitter and hated rival of your own?
Absolutely no chance, says Aston Villa legend Gabby Agbonlahor.
The talkSPORT host spent no less than 13 years as a Villa forward, having also grown up as a staunch supporter of the midlands club.
He scored an impressive 87 goals during his 391 appearances.
But the goals he is most proud of from that selection are the ones he scored against his club’s longstanding rivals: Birmingham City.
Naturally, the thought of ever playing for his rivals during his career was an idea he could not even fathom.
“You know what’s funny?” Agbonlahor told Drivetime host Andy Goldstein. “When I was going to retire, I remember speaking to my friend.
“He asked, would you go to Birmingham City if they offered you 100 grand a week? And he was being deadly serious.
“I was like, what are you talking about? Not a prayer!
“And he said, you’re stupid. We had a full-on argument on the phone. I said what are you talking about? I’ll fall out with you.
“It’s not an option – not for 100 grand a week, 200 grand a week. Money’s not everything.”
After taking a call from a Celtic fan whose son has been signed for club Rangers, the pair then began to discuss the idea of their children playing for their rival teams.
3
3
And Agbonlahor was evidently not a fan of that idea at all.
“I’d put the phone down,” he said adamantly. “If Birmingham City phoned me and said I want to sign one of your kids, I’d say no thanks. Not a prayer!”
He was met by utter disbelief from Goldstein, who questioned whether he would really deny his children the chance to play professionally.
Agbonlahor was keen to stress just strongly he felt on the matter though.
He went on: “I’d say: First of all, how did you get my number? How dare you phone my number from the Birmingham City training ground.
“How dare you! And then I’ll say no, thanks. I’ll get (my kid) another club.”
For Agbonlahor, the rivalry clearly still runs deep and he also reflected on the memories of scoring against Birmingham during his playing days – something that had given him the ‘best feeling’ of his career.
He recalled: “I was lucky enough to play for my country, England. But that feeling of scoring against Birmingham, the adrenaline running through you!
“You know, you do things that you shouldn’t do. I ran into the fans, jumped in, poor stewards were squashed by the fans and the referee was shouting at me afterwards like, look what you’ve caused!
“But you just lose control – you think you can fly!”