Express & Star

Gabriel Agbonlahor gets shirty to aid NHS

Former Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor hopes to raise £10,000 for the NHS by giving away the shirt in which he scored his final Second City derby winner.

Published
Aston Villa's Gabriel Agbonlahor

Agbonlahor is giving supporters the chance to win the shirt he wore when bagging the only goal in Villa’s 1-0 win over Blues three years ago. Fans are being asked to pledge £10 to a raffle which the 33-year-old will draw online this Sunday.

Agbonlahor said: “I’ve already made a donation [to the NHS] myself and I was trying to think of other ways I could help.

“The shirt means a lot to me and I thought it could be special for lots of Villa fans so hopefully we can raise a decent amount of money. I don’t know how much medical equipment costs but anything we can get to people who are suffering with this terrible virus has got to be useful.”

Agbonlahor has been motivated in large part by his own experiences after suffering coronavirus-like symptoms last month, something he describes as “the worst thing I have ever been through”.

Villa’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League, he scored for the club in five matches against Blues, including three winners.

Agbonlahor opted to raffle the shirt rather than hold an auction, explaining: “People have far more important things to spend their money on at the moment than my shirt so I didn’t want the price to go too high.

“This way a lot of people who would like it will have a chance of winning it.”

To enter the raffle visit justgiving.com/fundraising/gabbyagbonlahor