#9 Thomas Hitzlsperger (Aston Villa, West Ham United, Everton)
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Thomas Hitzlsperger learned the tricks of the trade at the famed Bayern Munich academy before deciding in 2000 that he needed to move away from the German heavyweights to help his development as a player and what followed was an incredible 14 years as a professional.
The German was an inspirational figure in the Aston Villa midfield and made several key contributions to the side that was not always the steadiest of the ships to sail on. Hitzlsperger made 110 appearances for the Birmingham-based club and while he might have scored just 13 goals in the 5 years he was at the club, there is no denying his role in the club punching above their weight during his tenure at the club.
The German also subsequently appeared for West Ham United and Everton but it has to be his performances with Villa that have made him a beloved figure at the club.
With the German national team, the midfielder was capped 52 times. He was part of the side’s fairly successful campaigns in the FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Championships in 2008 despite being a part of one of the mid-table clubs in England.
