Jack Grealish responded to a tweet that included a banner with a photo of the man who attacked him mid-game and the phrase "Freedom of the City", answering with a picture that depicted him celebrating after scoring the winning goal against Birmingham in the same match.
The 23-year-old described the match as "the best day of my life", after a performance that secured his favouritism with the club's supporters.
Grealish's attacker received a 14-week jail sentence for the attack, a lifetime ban from Birmingham City matches and a 10-year ban from any Football Association matches within Britain.
Grealish is the captain of Aston Villa and a life-long fan of the club, also going through the development ranks at the club before emerging as a senior player.
A star of the club, the playmaker was targeted by Tottenham during the last transfer window, but the £25 million (AU$47 million) transfer fell apart, with Grealish saying afterwards he wasn't concerned that the move didn't go through.
