James Chester and Aaron Tshibola find fame abroad

International breaks certainly bring the surprises, and not much can come bigger to us Villa fans than two Villans being worshipped abroad while on international duty.

James Chester, deservedly so, was welcomed by fans in China with a banner that pronounced our man as ‘The King’, whilst also wishing a happy birthday to Harry Wilson.

The less said about Villa and their overt love for nicknames that revolve around royalty, the better...

The Welsh team are over in China to compete for a bit of silverware in the form of the China Cup, and are on their way to earning that after they cut apart China by six goals to nil in Ryan Giggs’ first match in charge. Chester turned out for 70 minutes and will likely feature when Wales face the winners of the Czech Republic and Uruguay match tomorrow.

While much deserved, Chester’s reception wasn’t a patch on the welcome that newly-christened Democratic Republic of Congo player Aaron Tshibola received upon landing in the DRC for their game against Tanzania.

Tish was greeted by 15-30 people waving banners and wearing shirts of him in Kilmarnock colours, and barely made his way through the jubilant crowd, happy to welcome a new man into their fold. Despite the madness on show, the scenes never once turned nasty. Aaron is probably due a decent reception based on his recent play at Kilmarnock, where the Villa outcast has certainly found a new lease of life. In a sense, despite what you might think about his time at Villa, it’s almost heartwarming to see a player of Tshibola’s status treated in that manner. Fair play.