Aston Villa fans have become used to seeing Emiliano Buendia smash the ball into the top corner of the net, as he did on Saturday afternoon to seal their 3-2 victory over Spurs.
Tottenham fans must be sick of the sight of Buendia, who has now scored four times at their stadium since 2023, all four of which came in Villa victories.
His contribution to Villa’s first Premier League win of the season was another reminder of Buendia’s importance to this team and his remarkable return to relevance after his time at the club once looked to be over.
A cruel knee injury suffered in preseason before Unai Emery’s first full season in charge meant he missed the entire 2023/24 season, having seemed primed for a breakout year.
By the time he recovered, it seemed Villa had moved on without him, as he did not start a Premier League game in the 2024/25 campaign, going on an unsuccessful loan to Bayer Leverkusen in the second half of the season.
Entering 2025/26, Buendia was told he could leave the club, but decided to stay and fight for his place. Villa should be eternally grateful for that.
He earned a regular starting place in the team again and was one of the reasons Harvey Elliott never got a look in. Buendia became one of Villa’s most valuable players, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists in all competitions. Most crucially of all, he stepped up in the biggest moments.
Buendia assisted Villa’s equalising aggregate goal in the Europa League semi-final second leg at Villa Park, weaving through the Nottingham Forest defense to set up Ollie Watkins, before calmly slotting home the penalty which gave Villa a lead they would not relinquish.
Then there was his goal in Istanbul, curling a shot into the top corner to put Villa 2-0 up against Freiburg just before half-time. His famous chant ‘Emi Buendia, from Argentina…’ rung around the Besiktas Stadium for the entirety of the interval.
He was never supposed to be the star. Villa signed the likes of Elliott, Jadon Sancho and Evann Guessand who were in theory supposed to be ahead of him in the pecking order. But Buendia just kept delivering and made himself undeniable.
The same happened this summer, as Alejandro Garnacho, Johan Manzambi and Ibrahim Mbaye all arrived to challenge for places in attack. Yet in the win over Club Brugge and again on Saturday in London, it was the diminutive Argentine producing a crucial goal.
Buendia is not a perfect player by any means. For large parts of games (or entire matches) he can frustrate and not look up to the standard required. At times, his lack of physical gifts means he struggles to compete.
But just like against Spurs, he is capable of moments of magic. He also follows Emery’s instructions to the letter and outworks everyone else on the pitch. On Saturday, he covered 7.5 miles, more than any other player.
There is certainly an argument to be made that a team competing to finish in the Champions League places should not be starting Buendia every week, and perhaps in time, the likes of Manzambi and Mbaye will mean he drops out of the starting 11.
But even as a role player from the bench, Buendia will continue to be a vital part of what Villa are building, not only on the pitch, but also off it. Emery has spoken in the past about the importance of players like Buendia and John McGinn who play with emotion.
Perhaps it is time for some fans to stop nitpicking Buendia for what he isn’t, and just appreciate him for what he is.
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