Geezer Butler has responded to Aston Villa FC debuting its new Black Sabbath football kit, calling it a “dream come true”.
The football team first wore the shirt – featuring the metal band’s iconic logo on the back – when they went up against Crystal Palace at Villa Park last night (October 30). Palace clinched a 2-1 victory, earning them a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Butler – both of whom are huge fans of their hometown club Villa – launched the team’s new kit by starring in a trailer over the summer.
Soundtracked by ‘Paranoid’, the clip sees the pair appear alongside coach Unai Emery, and players Ollie Watkins, Emiliano Martinez and John McGinn.
Yesterday, Butler took to social media to share a photo of forward Jhon Durán – who had equalised for Aston Villa in the 23rd minute. The image of the TV shows the Black Sabbath logo displayed under Durán’s name and the number ‘9’ on his shirt.
Captioning the post, Butler reflected on the personal significance of having his former band’s logo emblazoned on the strip.
“Well it seems dreams do come true – Aston Villa, the other love of my life, wearing Sabbath logo shirts in today’s match,” the musician wrote. “Doesn’t get any cooler for a lifelong fanatic like me.”
He also tagged the official Aston Villa X/Twitter account at the end of his message. Check it out here:
Well it seems dreams do come true- Aston Villa, the other love of my life, wearing Sabbath logo shirts in today's match- doesn't get any cooler for a lifelong fanatic like me @AVFCofficial. #BlackSabbath #UTV pic.twitter.com/6FoW8CARWZ
— Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler) October 30, 2024
Ahead of the game, Adidas Football shared a series of preview pictures to show off the Sabbath-inspired shirts and Predator boots. “A Spooky Arrival
,” the caption read. “The Preds of Darkness
Prince of Darkness.” See the post above.
In the trailer for the collaboration, Osbourne described himself as “the biggest frontman to ever come out of Birmingham” while sporting the new kit.
He added in a press release: “My absolute favourite colours in the world have always been purple and black. It’s been Black Sabbath colours for over 50 years. Tony, Geezer, Bill and I look at this as a huge honour. UP THE VILLA!!”
An official description reads: “Available in limited quantities through the Aston Villa Store, this shirt extends the legacy of Osbourne and Black Sabbath to fans and offers a tangible piece of history for supporters of both football and rock.”
Two-hundred-and-fifty adult men’s shirts with a Black Sabbath patch will be available for fans to purchase (200 home shirts, 50 black goalkeeper). They will be priced at £120 (not eligible for any discounts, and limited to one per customer).
[embed]https://youtube.com/watch?v=RZ6HNa4dPgQ&feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1[/embed]
Back in January, Osbourne’s wife and manager Sharon said he was planning “two more shows to say goodbye” to fans – which would be held at Villa Park. “We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from,” she said.
Osbourne confirmed his retirement from touring in February 2023, cancelling his scheduled European and UK tour dates in the process. Later that month, however, he said he hoped to return to the stage at some point in the future.
The singer gave a health update last summer after cancelling his planned one-off headline slot at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California.
In late 2023, Osbourne said he might have to “accept the fact” that a live comeback may not be possible owing to his ongoing health issues, including Parkinson’s disease and a recovery from multiple surgeries.
But since telling fans that he was going through a “slow recovery” process, there has been talk of a Black Sabbath reunion with the metal band’s original line-up.
In May, Osbourne said he would “jump at the chance” to play one final Sabbath show with co-founding drummer Bill Ward. Guitarist Tony Iommi then responded to this, saying: “That’d be a nice thing to actually do, but whether it happens will be another thing. But we’ll see. I mean, who knows?”
Butler later revealed that he and Osbourne had “agreed” to play one more Black Sabbath concert, and said he was “definitely up for” ending the group’s story “next year back in Aston”. He then claimed that the Prince Of Darkness “desperately” wanted to bow out in this way.
Ward eventually responded to “all the updates on a possible Sabbath show in England“, writing: “I’m in for playing some of everyone’s old favourites. Loved playing them then, I’d love to play them one last time.”
He continued: “I’m not going to talk about my health publicly except to say, everyday I’m pretty good for 76 years old, I’m active musically every day, and I have a very busy and gratifying life. Love you all, all the fucking time. Bill.”
In September, Iommi posted a new photograph of him and Ward together – further fuelling speculation of a comeback.
Meanwhile, Osbourne was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist earlier this month. The ceremony saw a star-studded cast of performers pay tribute to the legendary singer and his career.
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