As the summer transfer window begins to get into full swing, clubs are looking at strengthening their squads for the long season ahead. However, one of the most expected transfers of the summer at Villa Park is the departure of Belgian goal machine Christian Benteke. With rumours of a £32.5 million bid from Liverpool which would activate his release clause, it’s surely not long before he moves on.
So we here at Read Aston Villa decided it was a good time to look at his 3 seasons in the claret and blue of Aston Villa and pick his 5 best goals. Admittedly with 49 goals to choose from, it’s quite difficult to choose 5 of his best, but we have given it our best try.
You can see each goal with the links below each summary.
Number 5:
Home vs Swansea City (Saturday 15th September 2012)
Let’s take this all the way back to Benteke’s debut against Swansea City nearly 3 years ago. Coming on with Villa 1-0 up and looking to secure the first win of the Paul Lambert era, Villa needed a second goal to kill the game off and Benteke gave them just that. After latching on to a loose ball from Ashley Williams, Benteke took the bouncing ball in his stride, cooling lifting it over the onrushing Michel Vorm before tapping it in and getting his Villa goal.
Number 4:
Home vs Manchester United (Saturday 20th December 2014)
With the ball bouncing around in the area, the ball falls to Benteke on the right hand of the area. He moves the ball out of his feet and manages to avoid Jonny Evans sliding in an attempt to tackle him and shifts the ball onto his left foot. He then wraps his foot around the ball and curls it into the top right-hand corner of David De Gea’s net. A great goal and also meant that we got a much need point which improved invaluable come the end of the season.
Number 3:
Home vs Queens Park Rangers (Tuesday 7th April 2015)
With Villa behind in a game that could desperately not afford to lose, they needed to find a goal from somewhere with less than 10 minutes left. Upsteps Christian Benteke who had already scored 2 goals on the night for a free kick just to the goalkeepers right on the edge of the box. He managed to get it up and over the wall and to swerve away from the goalkeeper and into the back of the net past a stranded Robert Green with a little help from a deflection of the post.
Number 2:
Home vs Norwich City (Sunday 2nd March 2014)
As Villa looked to find an equalizer after Norwich’s early goal, no-one could have quite thought it would be as spectacular as it was. With Ron Vlaar bringing the ball out of defence into the Norwich City half, he pinged a hopeful ball into the box from the right. It found Benteke on the edge of the area and he managed to shake of the attention of the Norwich defender, bringing it down onto his chest and scoring a wonderful overhead kick which went like a rocket into the top corner and left John Ruddy with no chance at all.
Number 1:
Away to West Bromwich Albion (Saturday 19th January 2013)
With Villa on an atrocious run of form, they really needed someone to come up with a moment of magic. Benteke did just that, after receiving the ball on the left-hand side of the penalty area he performed an outrageous dummy to deceive the West Brom defender who was in close proximity and with his right foot directed a rocket of a shot towards goal which Foster had no chance of getting to.
Our 5 might not be the same as you’re 5 and if were honest Benteke has scored so many good and great goals it’s tough to try and assemble a top 5 out of them!
