The first men's international break of the year is upon us, with no less than 14 Aston Villa players set to feature for their countries over the next ten days.
To celebrate the players having the honour of once again representing their respective nations, we are looking back on 2024, and the success Villans have enjoyed on the international stage over the past 12 months.
The year proved to be a historic one for Villa's internationals and their achievements. From senior debuts to trophies and crucial goals, here are some of the international highlights from 2024...
Tielemans’ double at Wembley
The first international break of the year was an enjoyable one for Youri Tielemans, who continued his fine form playing at Wembley Stadium with a brace against England.
The Belgian twice put his side ahead – first with a fine strike from the edge of the area and secondly by heading home Romelu Lukaku’s cross – against an England side containing Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa.
The Three Lions rallied with a late equaliser from Jude Bellingham to ensure the spoils would be shared with a 2-2 draw under the arch.
Tielemans’ goalscoring form would continue into the summer, too. In the group stages of the European Championships, he put his side ahead just 73 second into their 2-0 win over eventual Group E winners Romania.
The midfielder became the first Aston Villa player to score at a European Championship since Marcus Allback netted for Sweden in 2004, though wouldn’t be the last Villan to score at the tournament…
Ollie fires England to the final
Ollie Watkins enjoyed a memorable evening for England in the semi-finals of the Euros in July, firing his nation to their second-consecutive final in the tournament, and first-ever men's major competition final on foreign soil.
Coming off the bench as a late substitute for The Three Lions, the score was locked at 1-1 against Netherlands as the game ticked into added time.
Watkins took a pass from Cole Palmer on the turn and fired into the far corner, sparking scenes of jubilation among the England faithful and securing him the Player of the Match award.
It was Watkins’ fourth goal on his 14th appearance for England, and capped off a fine season for the Villans in which he netted 27 goals in all competitions.
Watkins since added to his international tally with another goal against Greece in November, meaning he has netted five goals in 18 appearances for his nation to date.
Emi is a champion, again!
Emi Martínez enjoyed another unforgettable summer with Argentina, helping his nation claim a second-successive Copa América crown.
The World’s Number One was in incredible form throughout the tournament, keeping five clean sheets in Argentina’s six games, and inspiring Lionel Scaloni’s side to a penalty-shoot-out victory over Ecuador in the quarter-finals, saving two spot-kicks after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes.
Martínez ended the tournament with a staggering record of 16 clean sheets in his previous 19 outings for his country, with La Albiceleste defending their Copa América to make it four-consecutive international titles, after the 2021 Copa América, the 2022 Finalissima and 2022 World Cup.
There was also further reward for the Villa goalkeeper as he was once again recognised with the tournament’s Golden Glove Award – a trophy he picked up at the 2021 Copa América and the 2022 World Cup.
He would, of course, go on to cap off a magnificent year by picking up both the prestigious Yashin Trophy at the Ballon d’Or awards ceremony, and The Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper Award 2024 in December.
Kosta makes senior Serbia bow
The September international break – the first of the 2024/25 season – was a memorable one for Kosta Nedeljković, who made his senior debut for Serbia.
Less than one month after making his Aston Villa debut, becoming the 1,000th player to represent the club in history, the defender completed 90 minutes at right-back for his nation, as they battled to a goalless draw against European Champions Spain.
A clean sheet capped off an impressive display from the young right-back in the UEFA Nations League encounter in Belgrade, with Villa team-mate Pau Torres an unused substitute for Spain in the same game.
Rogers makes deserved England debut
Just two months later, there would be another Aston Villa senior international debut, this time for England, as Morgan Rogers earned his first cap for The Three Lions.
The midfielder was called up for the UEFA Nations League double header against Greece and Republic of Ireland in November, having originally been named in England’s under-21s squad for their friendlies, after helping the Young Lions qualify for next summer's European Championship during the October fixtures.
He was introduced from the bench for his England bow in the 66th minute against Greece in Athens, playing his part in a 3-0 victory alongside Villa team-mates Watkins and Konsa.
After Watkins had given the side the lead earlier in the clash, Rogers would have a hand in the second goal in a 3-0 triumph, feeding Jude Bellingham whose effort cannoned off the post and back off goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos before rolling in.
Rogers’ second international appearance came later in that break, with another 15 minutes off the bench as The Three Lions eased to a 5-0 victory over Republic of Ireland at Wembley to secure promotion to UEFA Nations League A for the 2025/26 campaign.
It was a well-deserved call-up and debut for Rogers, who proudly became the 78th Aston Villa in history to represent The Three Lions.
Digne marks 50 France appearances in style
The very same international break in November brought about Lucas Digne’s 50th appearance for France, having been reinstated to Didier Deschamps’ side earlier in the season.
Les Blues took on Italy in the San Siro in a UEFA Nations League clash, and on a landmark day, Digne had a part to play in all three goals, as France recorded an impressive 3-1 win.
Starting the game, the left-back delivered the assist for Adrien Rabiot to head home the opener just two minutes in – Digne’s second assist in his last two international starts.
Then, just after the half-hour mark, Digne forced France's second, stepping up and sending a wicked free-kick goalwards. His effort cannoned off the post and ricocheted back off Italy 'keeper Guglielmo Vicario and in for 2-0.
After Andrea Cambiaso had halved the deficit before the break, the visitors made sure of the points just after the hour, Digne whipping another pinpoint set-piece delivery into the area for Rabiot to once again head home. Très bien.
McGinn nets crucial 20th international goal
The final international break of 2025 was also a special one for John McGinn, who netted two goals in two games for Scotland, the latter being his 20th goal for his nation.
After netting the late winner in a 1-0 triumph over Croatia just days before, Scotland still needed to beat Poland in Warsaw to ensure they avoided relegation in the UEFA Nations League.
But McGinn scored after only three minutes to give his country the perfect start, turning Ben Doak’s pass into the bottom corner.
Poland drew level just before the hour mark through Kamil Piątkowski, though Andy Robertson found a winner in stoppage time to snatch a 2-1 triumph for the Tartan Army, securing their place in Group A of the Nations League.
