the incredible life of the former Aston Villa goalkeeper – Corriere.it

From European champion to courier. Or rather, the owner of a shipping company. the incredible, and not the first time life can be weird, story of Nigel Spinkwho totaled 460 appearances for the club in his careerAston Villa. Club with which he won the historic 1982 European Cup – it was May 26, 1-0 in Rotterdam against Bayern Munich – as well as a European Super Cup in the same year and an English League Cup in 1994. And no less than 19 seasons defending the goalposts of the Villans: from 1977 to 1996, precisely conquering the roof of Europe in the very final against the Bavarians, who today are among the favorites for this year’s Champions League.

Coached by Tony Barton, Aston Villa managed to contain the Germans and strike on the counterattack with White. To tell the truth, on that occasion, Spink started from the bench, but entered the field after less than 10′ to take the place of the injured Rimmer.

Today the former European champion, who has also worn the shirts of West Bromwich Albion, Millwall and Forest Green in his career, works as a courier. He completely changed his life and opened his own business there S&M Couriers. Before that, however, he tried his hand at coaching starting with Forest Green, from 2000 to 2002, hitting the FA Trophy final in 2001. He also held the role of goalkeeping coach at Birmingham City, Wigan and Sunderland: After After careful planning, I launched S&M Couriers in 2012 with one of my best friends from my Aston Villa days, Paul Munro. I enjoy every minute. We have some wonderful clients we work with all the time and we are open to anything from nationwide deliveries, home and office moves, automotive material haulage. I love to drive. We work Monday to Friday which is perfect because after years of working every weekend as a footballer I am now able to spend valuable time with my family. Oh yes, Paul and I even had our own vans in Aston Villa colours, he said. Proof that, perhaps, one can live happily even away from the world of football. Occasionally reopening the drawer of memories to relive the unforgettable evening of May 26, 1982.