Aston Villa won Europe in '82
Aston Villa last won a major European trophy in 1982, just before Tom Hanks became a fan.
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Tom Hanks on Toy Story, Sequels and The Scene He Regrets
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Jun 17, 2026
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Aston Villa: 40 Years of Misplaced Mediterranean Hope
At 27:51 · chapter starts 26:05
A Villa fan named Brenda asks whether Hanks will support Scotland's John McGinn at the World Cup. What follows is one of the episode's most joyful digressions: Hanks's origin story as an Aston Villa supporter. It was 1985. His first UK press junket. A BBC football scoreboard. And a name — Aston Villa — that sounded to his American ears like an island off the Côte d'Azur, near Portofino. [1] — Tom Hanks "Hanks fell for Aston Villa in 1985: Tom Hanks became an Aston Villa fan during his first UK press junket in 1985 after seeing the name on a…" 26:46 He was in. Forty years of claret-and-blue faith followed — mostly hopeful, occasionally heartbroken, culminating in Villa's recent European adventures. He notes with a rueful laugh that he expects they'll finally win the Premier League after his death. The conversation then broadens into the World Cup, and Hanks delivers a beautiful observation about why Americans have fallen for football: the drama of a 2-1 match going into extra time, when your heart can break or swell on a single moment of the ball being in the right place.
Why Tom Hanks Became an Aston Villa Fan
Tom Hanks chose Aston Villa in 1985 because the name sounded like a Mediterranean island. He's been a loyal fan for 40 years through disappointment and Europe — and he's still waiting for the Premier League title.
Hanks fell for Aston Villa in 1985
Tom Hanks became an Aston Villa fan during his first UK press junket in 1985 after seeing the name on a BBC football scoreboard and thinking it sounded Mediterranean.
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