Former Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar announced his retirement from football earlier this year.
And we caught up with the man affectionately nicknamed ‘Concrete Ron’ to reflect on his three-year spell in B6.
Here’s our Q&A with the defender…
Let’s start at the beginning and how your move to Aston Villa came about. There seemed to be some confusion about whether you would actually make the move?
“The manager, Paul Lambert, really wanted me to come to the club. He had come over from Norwich City that same summer. They were in America for a training camp, so there needed to be some talks in the club. They were focussing on pre-season, so it took a little longer than I hoped at that moment. I was really pleased and happy to make my move to Aston Villa. I was really looking forward to my time. I was full of energy and looking forward to playing in the Premier League.”
Did you know much about the club before you joined?
“Aston Villa is a huge club with a big history, I knew that and I also knew the last few years hadn’t been easy. I hoped to change that a little bit.”
How did you feel about the decision you’d made once you’d visited the stadium and seen the training ground?
“I was really happy. The stadium is a great stadium. Sometimes I still talk about it with my parents, to drive there and all of a sudden there’s the stand beside the road. That’s something you don’t see in Holland, that was really impressive. The training ground is such a great facility, and it was unbelievable to experience. I was really looking forward to train and play there.”
Did you settle in quickly to life at Aston Villa?
“Everybody was really open and welcoming. I felt at home straight away. I knew Karim El Ahmadi, he also played for Feyenoord the season before, so that was nice. Brett Holman also played in the Dutch league before. That made it a little bit easier to connect.”
You were made captain shortly after joining, obviously it was amid unfortunate and difficult circumstances for Stiliyan Petrov and all at the club, but how proud were you to take the armband?
“That was something that made me really proud. To come to a new club as a new player and to be named captain so soon, that gave me a lot of energy. That was something really nice with a huge responsibility.”
How did you find the transition to Premier League football and its differences to playing in the Eredivisie?
“The intensity is a lot higher. Physically, it’s a big difference. It’s high speed every game. There are no easy games. Every game was intense. Also with the fans, who are really on it, the way they live football is different to what we have in Holland. It was similar to what I had at Feyenoord, but in England it’s everywhere. That’s really great and intense. It’s a day out for people, and the fans are amazing. The Villa fans were unbelievable to experience.”
What did you make of it when you played at Villa Park for the first time?
“It was great to play in front of our crowd. You want to give it all every time, but even more when you see that support.”
It was also your only time living abroad, how did you settle into life in England?
“I tried to settle in really quickly – find a house, sort a car. Within two weeks, I’d sorted out everything I needed in the house. I didn’t have to worry about that, so I could focus fully on football. I can handle myself – I was alone but I knew why I was there and I knew that I wanted to play for Villa in the Premier League.”
You only scored two goals for Aston Villa, but they were both top quality strikes. How well do you remember those goals against Sunderland and Wigan?
“As a defender, it’s not your job to score goals but it gives you a lot of energy when you do. I scored two goals and I think that’s too little. If you score more goals as a defender that’s an extra weapon if you can add it to your game. There were only two goals, but they were pretty nice. The goal against Wigan, with the touch and the half-volley and the strike against Sunderland. They bring back nice memories, especially to score in a home game with the crowd going mad. It brings back a smile to my face as we speak about it now.”
What are your best memories from your time at the club?
“The FA Cup final was really special. Of course, it was a defeat, but playing the semi-final and getting to Wembley was huge for the club. You could feel it was huge for the fans as well. I think we beat West Brom at home in the quarter finals and I was in the stands but being there and seeing the emotion of the fans was truly amazing. Playing Liverpool in the semi-finals and beating them 2-1 with goals from Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph. We played a great game.
“In the league, I remember we beat Manchester City 3-2 at home. To beat them at home was a great result.”
Jack Grealish is the only player in the current squad that you played with here. Did you know he would go on to be so good?
“In my last year, he made his debut for Villa in the first team. He was on loan before to Notts County. He was so talented it was unbelievable. I follow Villa still and they’ve had a really good season so far. It’s nice for the fans to have an easy season with no stress of relegation. Jack is a really important player in this process, since he's been injured the results are a little worse comparing to when he played every game. You could see he was talented when I was there, but he’s improved and he’s a star player now. I think everybody thought he was capable of this, but you have to wait and see whether it will happen. Is it a surprise? No. Still, he has to do it.”
Your time at Villa coincided with a good spell in your international career and the 2014 World Cup. How do you reflect on those times heading into your final season at the club?
“I started well when I came back from the World Cup. I got a knee injury at the World Cup and it was like walking on a tightrope. In the first half of the season, I had a few moments where my knee got locked. I knew that my meniscus was not good anymore. In January 2015, I had it again and my knee just didn’t unlock again, so I needed surgery. It was a frustrating season. I played almost every game at the end of the season but I wasn’t training anymore. It was just struggling to get fit enough for the next game, with the FA Cup semis and the final. It was not the way to be an athlete for me, so I had to make a decision on being fully fit again to extend my career. I had some issues with my knee in the past, so I decided to get fit first.”
How do you reflect on your Villa career as a whole?
“My best season was the second season. I gave it my all, and I can look back in the mirror and tell myself I gave everything I had. Quality-wise, I wanted to do better. I have no regrets. Of course, I made mistakes but my intentions were always good. I tried to be an example and I think I was most of the time, so I’m proud of that. I’m really proud that I’ve played a small part in the history of Aston Villa Football Club. Looking back on it, the biggest win was to not get relegated.”
A lot of fans loved you during your time here and will be interested to hear what’s next for yourself?
“First of all, I'd like to thank them for all the support. When it was announced that I had to retire, I received a lot of messages with great words to me and memories of my spell in Birmingham. For now, I feel really good and relaxed. As a top athlete, you put a lot of stress on your body day-in-day-out. I feel that’s gone now. As a football player, you have to everyday. My glass is half full. I’m really pleased with my career and now it’s time to try new things. I start a coaching course in September, so I’ll see if I feel good standing in front of a group rather than being in a group. I want to develop myself and see what the future may bring me as a coach.”
