Aston Villa fans seized on a social media blunder by Barcelona to mock rivals Birmingham City after the Spanish giants’ X account labelled St Andrew’s Stadium as St George’s Park. The error, spotted ahead of Barcelona’s friendly against the Blues, sparked laughter among the Villa Park faithful, who claimed it proved how little the Championship side registers globally. Aston Villa finished last season in 4th in the Premier League with 65 points (19W-8D-11L), scoring 56 goals and conceding 49.
What happened at St Andrew’s?
Barcelona’s X page posted a video from inside St Andrew’s with the caption “matchday at St George’s Park!”-England’s national training base, located miles away. Aston Villa fans quickly pounced, using the mix-up to rib Birmingham City, whose ground was hosting one of football’s most famous clubs. The mistake went viral among Villa supporters, who saw it as evidence of Birmingham’s lower profile.
Why did Villa fans find it hilarious?
The Second City derby has been dormant since 2019, but the rivalry remains fierce. With Aston Villa on a 4-game winning run (last result: Manchester City 1-2 Aston Villa on 2026-05-24) and Birmingham pushing for promotion, the error gave Villa fans fresh ammunition. Many took to X to joke that even Barcelona’s staff couldn’t place Birmingham on the map.
Could the derby return soon?
Birmingham City, backed by owners Shelby Companies Limited, are among the Championship promotion favourites this season. If they go up, the Second City derby could resume in the Premier League for the first time since 2011. The clubs could also meet in the Carabao Cup or FA Cup, though they haven’t faced each other in a cup since the 2015-16 campaign. Aston Villa, currently sidelining Amadou Onana, will aim to build on their strong finish to last season.
