Thousands of miles away from Birmingham in England, the streets of Juaben in Ghana are preparing for their own Aston Villa celebration after the English club ended a 30-year wait for European silverware with victory in the UEFA Europa League.
Villa defeated German side Freiburg 3-0 in Wednesday night’s final in Istanbul to lift the 2025-26 Europa League trophy, sparking celebrations among supporters across the world, including a passionate fan base in the Ashanti Region town of Juaben.
Goals from Youri Tielemans, Emiliano Buendia and Morgan Rogers secured the famous victory for manager Unai Emery, who further cemented his status as the competition’s greatest manager with a fifth Europa League triumph.
The victory also added another European title to Aston Villa’s history, decades after the club won the European Cup in 1982, and supporters in Juaben believe they are finally witnessing a moment they had waited generations to experience.
A Celebration 5,000 Kilometres Away
While Aston Villa’s official trophy parade takes place in Birmingham, supporters in Juaben are organising their own version through the town’s streets with a convoy of motorcycles and a minibus decked in club colours.
The Ghana Lions supporters’ group, an Aston Villa supporters group in Ghana, led by lifelong fan Owusu Boakye, has arranged a makeshift parade involving about 30 motorcycles and a minibus to unite the local fan community in celebration.
“Yesterday was one of our best moments in life and what a time to support Aston Villa. We have hired 30 motorcycles so we can go around the whole community. We will go there to see how everybody is chanting, how everybody is feeling. Today we are going to use our minibus like what Aston Villa will be doing today.”
Owusu Boakye
Juaben is believed to be home to around 1,000 Aston Villa supporters, making it one of the most unique football-supporting communities in Ghana.
Their connection to the Premier League club stretches back decades through family ties and stories passed down through generations.
According to Boakye, the roots of Juaben’s Villa allegiance began with his grandfather Daniel, who once lived with a Villa-supporting family from Birmingham and returned home sharing stories about the club. “When we were kids he used to tell us stories and history about Aston Villa,” Boakye explained. “He used to talk about a certain player called ‘God’.”
That player was legendary defender Paul McGrath, affectionately nicknamed “God” by Villa supporters for his performances during the late 1980s and 1990s.
McGrath was part of the Aston Villa side that won the League Cup in 1996, the club’s last major trophy before Wednesday night’s success in Istanbul.
Waiting Decades for a Historic Night
For many fans in Juaben, Villa’s Europa League triumph represented more than just another football title. It was the fulfilment of years of loyalty, heartbreak and hope.
Boakye said many supporters in the town had grown up hearing stories about the club’s famous European Cup success in 1982 but had never personally witnessed Aston Villa lift a major European trophy. “That was during 1982, when we won our first European Cup, most of the fans here yesterday, we were not born,” he added.“We were waiting for our own history yesterday.”
The celebrations erupted after Tielemans opened the scoring before Buendia and Rogers sealed an emphatic victory against Freiburg in Istanbul. “It was amazing. What a time to be alive, the whole community coming together to support Aston Villa,” Boakye revealed.
Villa’s triumph also marked another milestone for Emery, who has now won the Europa League five times with three different clubs. The Spanish manager previously guided Sevilla to three consecutive titles from 2014 to 2016 before winning the competition again with Villarreal in 2021.
Now, with Aston Villa back among Europe’s trophy winners, supporters in Birmingham and in Juaben are sharing in a historic moment that has united fans across continents through their love for the famous claret and blue colours.
