England-born Nigerian midfielder Kamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba has expressed delight in making his family proud, after netting the winner for Aston Villa in their dramatic win against Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League on Thursday night.
The 19-year-old’s late goal sealed Villa’s 3-2 comeback victory against Salzburg to help them finish second in the Europa League league phase.
At the final whistle Amadou Onana pushed Jimoh-Aloba towards the Holte End for a series of fist bumps, each greeted by cheers from the home support.
With Ollie Watkins coming off with a first-half hamstring injury and a below-par Villa 2-0 down early in the second half, Unai Emery’s side had needed a hero.
Jimoh-Aloba, who made his Premier League debut last month, came off the bench in the 66th minute and netted a fine winner with just three minutes remaining – after Rogers and Tyrone Mings had got Villa back into the game.
“It’s a proud moment for me on my European debut,” Jimoh-Aloba told TNT Sports (via BBC Sport) after the match.
“Really nice to make my family proud. I’ve had a lot of lows this season and a lot of highs but this is top. My mum is in the stand somewhere.”
The teenager joined Villa from West Brom in 2023 when he was 16 and was already an England Under-16 and Under-17 international.
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He made his senior debut as a substitute in the Carabao Cup win at Wycombe in September 2024 and a year ago was included in Villa’s Premier League squad against Leicester.
The attacking midfielder signed a long-term deal at Villa in October 2024 and helped them lift the FA Youth Cup last season, scoring in the final against Manchester City.
A league debut came just last month in the 4-1 defeat at Arsenal, while he also featured in the Carabao Cup defeat by Brentford in September.
