Why Charlton Athletic fans in particular will love what happened in England's 5-0 win v Serbia | OneFootball

Former Addicks defender Ezri Konsa backed up a stellar performance with his first Three Lions goal

Charlton Athletic supporters have seen their fair share of great talents grace the turf at The Valley over the course of history, with several recent examples going on to become regulars in the England setup.

The likes of Ademola Lookman, Nick Pope, Joe Gomez and former Chelsea loanee, Conor Gallagher, among others, have become inspirations to youngsters in this part of South London who are hoping to initially make the grade with the Addicks before blossoming and progressing on to bigger and better things throughout their careers.

Another man who falls under said category is Ezri Konsa, who progressed through the ranks in SE7, before asserting himself as a fan favourite among Charlton supporters in the infancy of his career, prior to shining for Aston Villa in the Premier League and across European competitions, as well as making a name for himself on the international stage with the Three Lions.

Unsurprisingly, those associated with the Reds will have felt even more pride when watching Thomas Tuchel's side dismantle Serbia 5-0 in the latest FIFA World Cup qualifier at the Stadion Rajko Mitić on Tuesday night.

Konsa's youth career with a professional side began at the Valley back in 2007, when the defender was just 11 years of age, progressing through the relevant age brackets within the academy up to 2014.

After beginning his scholarship with Charlton, the versatile figure was handed his professional breakthrough just a year later in December 2015.

Following a handful of games as an unused substitute as well as playing just one minute in England Under-20's World Cup success, Konsa was eventually handed his professional debut in the EFL Cup against Cheltenham Town at 18 years of age by Russell Slade, who would later sing the praises of the former Addicks academy graduate.

“There were two youth players who were outstanding when I took over at Charlton and that’s why I wanted them training with us and involved with the first team,” he told the Scottish Sun in 2021.

“The two were Konsa, who is at Aston Villa, and Joe Aribo. They looked so promising and I was really impressed when I first caught a glimpse of them at the club.”

The Newham-born man hasn't looked back since, with a number of composed performances during a breakout season — some of which came in midfield — resulted in him being named Charlton's Young Player of the Year, before continuing his upward trajectory the following season under Karl Robinson, who saw the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton all interested in acquiring his services before Konsa moved to Brentford for £2.5m in the summer of 2018.

Charlton Athletic supporters will have loved Ezri Konsa's England exploits in 5-0 Serbia thrashing

In the seven years which followed his South London departure, Konsa has gone on to realise the aforementioned Premier League potential with Villa, who invested £12m in his services after one stellar campaign in the Championship with the Bees.

After slowly working his way towards a starting berth at Villa Park, the 27-year-old has formed immensely strong partnerships with the likes of Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres, especially since the appointment of Unai Emery back in November 2022.

After a strong start to the 2022/23 season at Villa Park, Konsa was handed his maiden senior Three Lions call-up in November 2023 by Gareth Southgate, eventually making his bow the following March in a friendly against Brazil at Wembley Stadium.

He has since made a further 13 appearances under Southgate and Tuchel, including two at the 2024 UEFA European Championships, and after another impressive campaign for Villa last term, Konsa was rewarded with his first international goal this week, firing home from inside the box on 55 minutes after Marc Guehi's initial effort was saved by Djorde Petrovic.

It is likely to be the crowning moment of Konsa's career to date, and those at the Valley will have felt an immense feeling of pride as a result.