Aston Villa went all out to celebrate the release of their new uniform, enlisting Black Sabbath legends Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler for the major reveal.
The legendary heavy metal performers are followers of Villa, having grown up in Birmingham. The Premier League team is utilizing its well-known supporters to wear the new uniform.
With “AV150” on the back of the jersey, the new Aston Villa strip commemorates the club’s 150th anniversary and is the first of a multi-year partnership with Adidas.
The Villains have released a promotional video for the kit, which opens with Osbourne phoning up Butler while blasting Black Sabbath’s iconic song Paranoid.
The singer telling the bassist Sabbath should play Villa Park, with Butler responding: ‘As long as I’m left wing.’
There is also a nod to the club’s qualification for the Champions League this season, with Butler switching off Paranoid at one point and replacing it with the competitions’ iconic theme music, Handel’s Zadok The Priest.
Speaking earlier this year, Ozzy’s wife Sharon said the legendary frontman would indeed be playing at Villa Park when he performs two farewell gigs for his home fans, although these dates are yet to be announced.
‘He won’t tour again but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like, “I have never said goodbye to my fans and I want to say goodbye”,’ she said.
Instant classic.
UP THE VILLA! 💜 pic.twitter.com/cDJTFniFM6
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 23, 2024
‘His voice is still absolutely perfect. And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons. Even if you don’t like his music, you can’t not like Ozzy.’
‘We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from.’
Chris Heck, President of Business at Aston Villa, said: ‘We are immensely proud to unveil our new playing kit which marks the start of not only a landmark partnership with one of the world’s most recognisable sports brands but an historic year for our football club.
‘The new jerseys feature the latest adidas technology and have been developed in close collaboration with Aston Villa’s men’s and women’s teams.’