Former Aston Villa captain Martin Laursen says the emotional ties remain strong.
Laursen, who now works part-time as a football analyst for TV2 in Denmark, still loves coming back to Bodymoor Heath twice a year and takes in several matches at Villa Park too - the site of his emotional send-off on the final day of the 2008-09 campaign.
He told Villa's website: "It always feels great to go back at Bodymoor because I have so many great memories of my time at Villa. It's always a pleasure.
"I feel a genuine attachment to Villa. It's still very much in my heart. It's definitely the most important club in my career. I played my best football at Villa.
"The memories come flooding back when I'm back but in Denmark too because I have a lot of time to think now. You always tend to think about the last things that happened.
"For me, that is good because I stopped not many months after I had played some of the best football of my career. That was the good thing for me when I retired - I went out on top. I can look back on some great memories.
"When I greeted the fans at the Newcastle game and was able to say bye-bye that was great. My family was there and my parents were crying.
"They were great memories but obviously sad too. It is great to be appreciated and I will always appreciate the reception I got. I could feel the support. I could feel I did some good things that the fans liked. It was great to hear them chant my name."
