Aston Villa’s International Break: Gabby retires, Kodjia, Hourihane score

Gabby Agbonlahor, he of 86 goals in the claret and blue, retired from professional football.

Gabriel Agbonlahor announced his retirement from professional football earlier Wednesday evening. After nearly a year away from the game, the pacey forward hung up his boots.

Birmingham born, a Villa man for nearly two decades, Agbonlahor perhaps represents the highs and lows of football better than none other. He set records, spent the entirety of his career contracted to the club he loved, made it at the England senior level and more. But he played through the bad times, too, suffering relegation, injuries, and quickly deteriorating form.

From Gabby’s Instagram:

Congrats to Gabby, and good luck to him in his future endeavors!

In other Aston Villa news, Conor Hourihane scored for Republic of Ireland as his native country took six points from their opening two European Championship qualifiers. Glenn Whelan, too, was recalled and played the full 90 minutes in a 1-0 victory over Georgia.

As always, Birkir Bjarnason was a key cog for Iceland again. Bjarnason featured twice for the World Cup participants, one of which was a 4-0 rout via World Champions France. He returns to Villa, determined to fight for his place in midfield. The player reportedly declined transfer requests in order to see out the season.

Jonathan Kodjia enjoyed his international break as well. Kodjia played twice and scored for the Ivory Coast in a 1-0 win over Liberia (friendly).

For Kodjia, the match time represented a good opportunity for him to shake off a bit of rust. With centre-forward Tammy Abraham aboard the claret and blue ship, Kodjia has obviously found it difficult to find starts. His skills haven’t diminished, just his form as he features fifteen minutes one week, and none the next. But he still has a part to play in this promotion-chasing side as perhaps the best attacking option from the bench.