My Villa Moment: Benito Carbone

Aston Villa. A club which has seen over 1,000 individuals pull on the distinctive claret and blue shirt. A club which has seen countless players create unforgettable moments which will be cherished forever.

As part of our 150th anniversary celebrations, we are catching up with a host of former Villans, and asking them to recall their favourite moment from their time at Villa Park.

It could be a goal, a match, or the moment they signed. Whichever memory stands out to them, while they were representing our famous club.

Our series continues with Italian magician Benito Carbone (Legacy Number: 742).

Despite only turning out on 30 occasions for Villa, having signed in the summer of 1999, the Italian magician proved an instant, irrepressible hit with the B6 faithful, due in no small part to his flair, creativity, charm and eye for goal on the grass.

An incredible hat-trick at home to Leeds United, on this day a quarter of a century ago, combined all of the above, to devastating effect.

The date is January 30, 2000, and John Gregory’s Villans are locking horns with the Whites, who would go on to finish third in the Premier League that season, in an FA Cup fifth-round tie at Villa Park.

A tremendous treble from Carbone, the pick of which an unstoppable 35-yard effort, sealed a thrilling 3-2 success for the Lions, on their way to reaching the final of the competition – the last of its kind to be staged at the old Wembley Stadium, prior to its closure – for the first time since 1957.

Here is My Villa Moment, in Benito Carbone’s own words…

I would choose the whole season at Aston Villa, for sure. I stayed there for six months, seven maybe, and that was a really beautiful time with my teammates, my coach and everyone.

But, if I need to choose one moment, for sure, it’s when I scored the hat-trick, against Leeds United, in the FA Cup. It was a beautiful moment.  

When we won this game, it was an incredible atmosphere with the players, with the manager, with all the staff, and for sure, with our fans. It was really the best time in my Villa career, for sure.

I remember maybe two or three days before the game, I went to John Gregory. I remember, in that moment, it wasn’t a good time for me, because my family was in Italy, and I was alone.

I missed my family, and I went to John Gregory to say: “Coach, listen, I want to go home, please. I miss my family, I miss my wife, I miss my kids, and it’s very important for me to go home.”

The answer of John Gregory was: “Benny, you don’t go anywhere. We have the most important game of the season against Leeds, and I am sure you will score two goals.” I scored three.

That’s why I remember that time. It was really important, because John Gregory, for me, was like a father. For a player like me, feeling the trust of the coach is the best thing. He was very important for my career, because he gave to me everything about trusting a player.

I remember it like yesterday. The first goal was good, but the second one, I think, was the best. I scored the goal from 35 yards. I moved the ball and shot and put it in the corner. Nobody expected it, not my teammates, not the opponents, not the goalkeeper.

I put all my passion and everything into the shot, and scored one of the best goals of my life, and of course, one of the most important goals of my life.

It was really important for us to win that game. We got to the final of the FA Cup, and Aston Villa hadn’t been in the final of the FA Cup for many years.

It was a beautiful season, because we finished sixth in the league, and played in the FA Cup Final at Wembley, the last FA Cup Final at the old Wembley, against Chelsea.

To be honest, it was one of the best seasons of my life.

These three goals, for sure, John Gregory came to me and told me: “That’s why I never let you go home.”

That game, when I scored the goals, I went to hug him, there’s the photos too. I said to him: “Thank you very much, coach.”

If he had given me permission to go home, for sure, I would never have a day like this. He was sure I played that game and scored the goals. He said two, and I scored three.

It was one of the best days of my life. I had never scored three goals in one game as important as this. Never. The atmosphere of the players and the fans on that day, with my teammates, with Paul Merson, with Dion Dublin, with George Boateng, with Gareth Southgate, everybody, I couldn’t believe it. It was incredible. The best day of my career.

In that competition, that season, I scored five goals, like Shearer scored for Newcastle, so it was one of the best goalscoring records in the competition. So, for me, it was a great individual result. Also, it was a big team result, because after many years we got to play in the final at Wembley.

And, to have a chance to play in that game against a big team like Chelsea was unbelievable. You’re talking about Chelsea when Vialli was there, when Di Matteo was there, when Zola was there. For me, to play against those players, was like a dream.

When we talk about that day, the feeling is the same. This moment, for us, for the players, when you focus on your career and say you want to play in the Copa Mundial, the World Cup, the FA Cup Final, it’s your goal in your mind, and when you play the game, this special game, after 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, it’s always the same.

It’s like you played the game yesterday. I feel the same thing. Unbelievable, because it is 25 years back, but for me, it is like I played the game yesterday.

In the dressing room, we felt like a family, between the teammates, it was like a brotherhood. We had a beautiful time together that season. I’ll never forget it. I have the date tattooed on my arm.

I had a beautiful time with all my teammates. In the dressing room, it was great to stay with them, on the pitch, off the pitch. Everybody was fantastic with me. Villa, for me, is my heart, and I only played for six or seven months. Imagine if I would have played more for this club? When I talk about Villa here in Italy, I tell everyone: “You cannot even imagine, Aston Villa is a massive club.” I tell everyone this, in terms of Aston Villa.

Believe me when I say, it was a big, big mistake to not say with Villa. They offered me another four years. Four years in England away from my family, my house, my style of life. Four years was a long time, and in my head, that moment, I was back home in Italy.

 If you told me now, the club offered me the opportunity to stay for another four years, and I didn’t want to sign the contract, I would think I was really, really crazy. A crazy guy.

If I was there with my head now, for sure, four years, I would sign for Villa. Villa is a big club, with one of the best stadiums in the world. Beautiful fans, they loved me, and that was a very big mistake from me.

When you talk about Villa, for me, the team gave me everything, as I gave everything to the team. I put all my passion, all my sacrifice, and all my blood on the pitch, for the team.