Having initially been a figure of fun on his arrival in English football, Bouma has upped his game and won his Holland place back. Well done sir
The marauding left-back joined Villa from PSV Eindhoven in a £3.5m deal in August 2005 but injuries set his progress back under David O’Leary and it wasn’t until Martin O’Neill gave him an extended run during 2006-07 that his true potential come to the fore.
A tough-tackler, Bouma’s defensive qualities certainly outweigh his attacking instincts –he didn’t score his first goal for the Midlanders until February 2008 against Newcastle – but it is his immense work-rate that makes him a favourite with Villa fans.
His form earned a recall to the Dutch national squad, for whom he featured at Euro 2008.