Aston Villa Legend Gary Shaw Passes Away at 63

Gary Shaw, renowned for his remarkable contribution to Aston Villa‘s 1982 European Cup victory, has passed away at the age of 63. The former striker suffered from a serious illness following a head injury that required hospitalization earlier this month. Shaw played a pivotal role in Aston Villa’s golden era, contributing to their First Division triumph in 1981 under the management of Ron Saunders, in addition to their historic European Cup and European Super Cup wins in 1982.

During his illustrious career, Shaw was honored as the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Young Player of the Year in 1981 and the European Young Player of the Year in 1982. Although included in England’s preliminary squad for the 1982 World Cup, Shaw did not make the final selection. Despite this, Shaw proudly represented England at the under-21 level in seven matches. Across his professional tenure with Aston Villa, Shaw scored 79 goals in 213 appearances after initially joining the club as a 16-year-old apprentice.

Born in Kingshurst, Solihull, Shaw was a fervent Aston Villa supporter, idolizing club icons such as Bruce Rioch and Brian Little during his youth. The club expressed profound sadness at his passing, highlighting his significant contributions to their success in the 1980s. Villa eloquently conveyed their condolences by noting, “Gary was one of our own, a talented striker who delighted supporters with his goalscoring exploits.” Shaw’s role in Villa’s European Cup win is immortalized on a banner prominently displayed at the club’s North Stand.

After departing Villa in 1988, Shaw played for Danish club Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, followed by a short stint in Austria with Klagenfurt before returning to England, where he played for Walsall, Kilmarnock, and Shrewsbury Town. Shaw eventually completed his playing career in Hong Kong with Ernest Borel FC. Sadly, his promising career was marred by a knee injury sustained at Nottingham Forest, which he later recounted as a significant setback.

Post-retirement, Shaw transitioned to a career as a sports media analyst with the Press Association and later as a data analyst with Opta. He was also an active figure in press rooms, last covering Villa’s 2-1 success over Leicester at the King Power Stadium. Shaw’s enduring connection to Aston Villa was also highlighted by the club’s former player and manager, Brian Little, who expressed his sorrow upon Shaw’s passing: “Gave Shawsy my number 8 shirt when I retired.. he took it to another level….R.I.P.” Stan Collymore, another former Villa striker, paid tribute by remarking Shaw as “one of our greatest.”