Olof Mellberg - Defender Date of Birth: November 3, 1977 Birthplace: Gullspang (Sweden) Nationality: Swedish Height: 1.90m / 6'4" Previous Clubs: Racing Santander, AIK Solna, Degerfors Joined Villa: July 20, 2001 Acquisition Price: £5.6 million Debut: July 28, 2001 (Gateshead (a) (friendly)) Contract expires: Unknown

Olof arrived at Villa Park right after the exit of Gareth Southgate, who was unquestionably the best defender at Villa Park at the time. Every Villa fan had been dreading the moment when Southgate would say goodbye, and a lot of people doubted that Mellberg could fill the huge shoes of Southgate.

Mellberg, however, would have none of that, and as one famous Roman once said: Olof came, saw and kicked rear. Settling immediately and performing beautifully in his very first game, Mellberg has been in the starting lineup for Villa ever since, excluding the times when he has been injured. He's a rock!