Unai Emery’s Aston Villa has had a fantastic season so far. Their European campaign has been the eye candy, but results in England have been just as impressive.
Having finished 8th in the Champions League group, Villa secured a direct passage to the Round of 16, where they will now face Club Brugge over two legs.
In the Premier League, Villa currently sits 8th, just two points away from breaking into the top four.
So overall, things have been going smoothly for Unai Emery’s side—except for one small controversy.
Leeds fans aren’t too pleased with Villa’s latest chant!
Their frustration stems from the song of Marco Asensio, who joined Aston Villa on loan from Paris Saint-Germain on February 3, 2025, for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.
Asensio brings a wealth of experience, having played for some of Europe’s biggest clubs and lifted multiple trophies throughout his career.
So when he scored twice to secure a late comeback win against Chelsea, Villa fans couldn’t contain their excitement—they had to sing his name.
And naturally, they wanted to highlight his winning past in the chant.
Half-time substitute Marcus Rashford (also signed in the winter) combined twice with Asensio to snatch the win for Unai Emery’s side.
But the criticism from Leeds fans has been that the chant for Asensio is very similar to the one they have sung for Junior Firpo for almost two years now.
It goes like this:
“He played for Barca
And won the cup in Spain
He plays for Leeds now
He’ll do the same again
He’s f*cking magic
Don’t you f*cking know?
His name is Junior Junior Firpo”
The similarity exists because both chants are based on the tune of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It”.
Villa was also called out for their repetitiveness, with some pointing out that they had a similar song when Coutinho played for them.
But, of course, there were others who thought the chant was brilliant.
And let’s not forget—copying chants with slight alterations has always existed in football.
The one that comes to mind? ‘Vardy’s on fire’ being reworked as ‘Rodri’s on fire’ by City fans.
The truth is, football chants have always been shared and repurposed.
Here are Tottenham Fans singing their version of Salt-N-Pepa’s “Push It”.
So while it’s natural for Leeds fans to be frustrated, chants adjusted to the tunes of the same song are a common thing in football!
