The Germans’ slow build-up was typical, but when they burst to aggressive action, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge shot weakly. Aston Villa, champions of Europe. Those five words say everything about five rounds of victories in this most prestigious of club competitions. Divided loyalties? The question has been raised before now. In April 2006, Mortimer caused outrage amongst the Holte End faithful by declaring that he would rather see relegation-threatened Birmingham City win the second city derby. Reading past the sensationalist headlines, though, few Villa fans would disagree with Mortimer's blast at the culture of 'complacency' that held the club in thrall. I love being a part of this club, love being captain, love everything this club stands for both on and off the pitch.”

Aston Villa players and officials at Birmingham Airport before boarding their flight to Kyiv. Photograph: Gerry Armes/Popperfoto/Getty Images Bayern were rarely to threaten again. Villa twice cut out through passes intended for Rummenigge before Cowans darted from the right to drive left-footed into Muller’s arms. Aston Villa manager Ron Saunders and team captain Dennis Mortimer show off the League Championship Trophy (Image: Mirrorpix)

Aston Villa were so flushed with success after conquering Europe they temporarily lost the European Cup – in a toilet. We’d all had our turn so we were just happy to pass it around and let others hold it and have a feel of it. The players lost interest in it a bit after the initial celebrations at the ground.

You can now buy a signed copy of Aston Villa legend Dennis Mortimer’s gripping autobiography, The Full Morty. Each personally signed book comes with a limited-edition A5 signed montage card, making it a special keepsake for Villa fans to treasure. Bayern, who for all their protestations felt that Villa were there for the taking, had themselves been taken. Saunders and I did not always see eye to eye – particularly when he was the Birmingham City boss – but I respected him and would challenge anyone to disagree that Saunders and Mortimer are the most successful pair in the club’s history on and off the pitch. Aston Villa winger Tony Morley shows a Dynamo Berlin defender a clean pair of heels during their European Cup second round second leg at Villa Park. Photograph: Bob Thomas/Getty Images The tie was three months away, but in the meantime Villa’s season appeared to lurch from one drama to another. Disappointingly defeated in the League Cup quarter-final by neighbours West Brom – Morley was sent off in the tunnel at half-time – the form of the defending league champions dipped alarmingly: the team started February in 17th place and just three points off the relegation zone. And then loomed another crisis on the horizon.

As the ball left the extrovert Liverpudlian’s foot after 67 minutes, the celebrations began in this port at the mouth of the Rhine. Urgency was still missing from Villa’s game afterwards when the match started with Bayern’s sophisticated pace rather than at Villa’s more hectic version.

Having made more than 590 appearances and nearing 50 league goals to his name, Dennis established himself as a prolific footballer whilst on the pitch. The captain of the Aston Villa team that claimed victory over Bayern Munich at the 1982 European Cup Final, Dennis also displayed his incredible skills as a leader and set himself up to be a standout figure of the clubs history. It occurred to me: ‘Why not us?’ I’d seen Phil Thompson lift the trophy and he was in the year below me at school, Brookfield Secondary in Kirkby. I started to imagine what it would be like for that school to have two former pupils lifting the European Cup. Kirkby was always a place that, after the Z-Cars era, would be bigged up as a tough place and really rough area, but people are really proud of it.Bayern sat dejected in the centre circle after 43 seconds of injury time which for the Villa contingent must have seemed like 43 years. Aston Villa, champions of Europe. Dennis George Mortimer (born 5 April 1952) is an English former footballer who played as a midfielder and captained Aston Villa. He made nearly 600 appearances in the Football League playing for Coventry City, Aston Villa, Sheffield United, Brighton & Hove Albion and Birmingham City. [3] Playing career [ edit ] This one definitely was a two-hander. When it was full of Champagne later in the evening, it was even heavier. I just hope it was clean because we were all having a good swig out of it! Within three minutes, Emlyn Hughes had made it 3-0. Making your professional debut in a 3-0 win away to United can’t be bad, but for Phil, this was only the beginning. And at the end the 11 who finished the game, plus the doleful Rimmer, saluted the supporters, a gambolling, hugging, excited mass of a team surrounded by photographers who made way for the near-delirious party of their victory round.

Liverpool had reached their third European Cup Final in four seasons. The stage would be Paris and the opponents were the mighty Real Madrid. Thompson now had the chance to become the first Scouser to lift the biggest trophy in European football. As the second leg progressed, it was clear to all that those final 10 minutes in Berlin had been crucial. Despite peppering the visitors’ goal, Villa would be frustrated throughout the night, and ended up walking on the precipice. Terletzki’s goal for the visitors after 15 minutes left the tie level on aggregate, and Rimmer was needed once more to tip a late Riediger effort on to the post. Villa went through on away goals, yet had managed to put their supporters through the wringer. Quarter-final: Dynamo Kyiv

He finished his playing career at Brighton & Hove Albion, Sheffield United and Villa's bitter rivals Birmingham City, then moved into coaching. Dennis Mortimer was Aston Villa’s most successful captain in the club’s greatest team which became English champions in 1981 and then won Europe’s greatest club competition a year later – the European Champions Cup. Honours for Villa: League Cup 1977, League Championship 1981, European Cup 1982, European Super Cup 1983. Dennis Mortimer raised the famous silverware into the night sky in Rotterdam after leading the side to glory against Bayern Munich in 1982.