spanish football player

Villa and the second or maternal family name is Sánchez. In this spanish name, the beginning or agnate surname isand the second or maternal family name is David Villa Sánchez ( spanish pronunciation : [ daˈβið ˈbiʎa santʃeθ ] ; born 3 December 1981 ) is a spanish put out professional football player who played as a hitter. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his coevals, and one of the best spanish strikers of all time. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] David is presently working as the Technical Advisor and Head of Global Football Operations of the indian Super League baseball club Odisha FC. [ 7 ]

Nicknamed El Guaje ( The Kid in Asturian ) ascribable to a repute of playing football with children much older than him, [ 8 ] [ 9 ] Villa sustained a good injury as a child but managed to start his professional career with Sporting de Gijón in 2001. He moved to Real Zaragoza after two seasons, where he made his La Liga debut, and won the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España. He joined Valencia in 2005 for a transplant tip of €12 million and captured another Copa del Rey championship. At old age 28, Villa registered 28 league goals and garnered a move to Barcelona for €40 million in 2010, where he won his first La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles, and scored in the 2011 concluding. He left the club in 2013 after concluding a €5.1 million transfer to Atlético Madrid, where he won another La Liga title. After a unmarried season in the spanish capital, Villa departed to join new MLS franchise New York City, where he became the club ‘s record goalscorer and appearance manufacturer, winning the MLS MVP Award for best player in 2016. [ 10 ] In 2018, Villa announced his passing from New York, to join Vissel Kobe in Japan. [ 11 ] villa made his international debut for Spain in 2005. He participated in four major tournaments, and was an integral member of the Spain teams that won UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. He scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup, was the top scorekeeper at Euro 2008, and earned the Silver Boot at the 2010 World Cup. His displays for Spain and Valencia saw him named in the FIFA FIFPro World11 for 2010. He became the first spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and, after a brief comeback in 2017, [ 12 ] he retired from the national team with 59 goals in 98 matches, making him Spain ‘s all-time top goalscorer deoxyadenosine monophosphate well as the country ‘s clear scorekeeper in the World Cup, with nine goals. [ 13 ] [ 14 ]

childhood and early career

villa was born in Tuilla, a small parish in Langreo, Asturias, a area in northern Spain, the son of José Manuel Villa, a miner. [ 15 ] [ 16 ] When Villa was four, his chances of becoming a football player were put in hazard when he suffered a fracture to the femur in his right leg, but he made a complete convalescence. [ 17 ] due to the wound, he and his founder worked on strengthening his entrust leg and Villa ultimately became ambidextrous. [ 18 ] He recalls his father being systematically supportive : “ He would be there throwing me the ball over and over, making me kick it with my leave stage when my right was in plaster after breaking it, I was four. I can barely remember a individual educate session when my dad was n’t there. I have never been alone on a football pitch. ” [ 19 ] ». Villa admitted that he came close up to giving up football at the age of 14 after growing disillusioned and falling out with his coach. however, thanks to his parents ‘ encouragement, he persisted in pursuing his dream, realising his endowment could earn him a be. [ 15 ] “ In those days I was a cipher, not earning a penny and after being made to sit on the bench all season I precisely wanted to get away and play with my friends ” he said. “ But my dad always supported me and cheered me up until my career turned orotund. ” [ 15 ] [ 20 ] He went on to begin his footballing career at UP Langreo and when he turned 17 he joined the Mareo football school. [ 18 ]

Club career

Sporting Gijón

villa attracted interest from many Asturian teams, but one of the state ‘s bigger teams, Real Oviedo, declared that he was excessively shortstop and that they did not believe he had sufficient potential. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] He subsequently got his professional breakthrough at his local club Sporting de Gijón, following in the footsteps of his childhood paragon Quini. [ 18 ] Starting out at the team ‘s youth ranks, he made his first-team debut in the 2000–01 season. After scoring 25 goals in two seasons, he became a first team regular. [ 22 ] Pepe Acebal, Sporting ‘s coach at the time, said that Villa initially lacked the stamen to have a real impact and had to be given his opportunity bite by bite and that Villa ‘s capacity for work was “ matchless ”. [ 21 ]

“ He had great technical qualities. His first contact was brilliant and, although you can never be certain person will make it, you could tell he was talented. He makes identical cagey solidus runs, breaking away from defenders, and he constantly made the mighty decisions. He is very intuitive. ”

–Pepe Acebal, former Sporting Gijón director [ 21 ]

substantial Zaragoza

2003–04 season

With his goal score about reaching 40 goals after spending two entire seasons in Sporting ‘s chief team, [ 23 ] Villa got his casual in Spain ‘s top-flight when Sporting were in fiscal difficulty – newly promoted real Zaragoza signed him for approximately €3 million in the summer of 2003. [ 20 ] [ 22 ] The striker had no trouble adapting to playing at the higher degree, netting 17 times in his first season at Zaragoza. [ 24 ] His league debut came during Zaragoza ‘s first gear La Liga game since his arrival, where the team were defeated 1–0 away by galician side Deportivo de La Coruña [ 25 ] while his first base finish came two games late, an eighth-minute finish against Real Murcia which put Zaragoza 2–0 up in a match which ended 3–0. [ 26 ] 4 December 2003 saw him net his inaugural brace ( two goals ) in a 2–2 tie against Athletic Bilbao [ 27 ] and on 25 April 2004, he scored his first hat-trick in a tight 4–4 draw against Sevilla which saw Villa score all four of Zaragoza ‘s goals, putting his team ahead on two occasions. [ 28 ] Zaragoza reached the 2004 Copa del Rey final where he played a big function in the team ‘s victory, scoring a crucial goal to put the Aragonese outfit 2–1 up against Real Madrid in a match which finally ended 3–2. soon after, he earned his first gear external call-up and cap, which resulted in Zaragoza fans becoming so gallant of his achievements that they invented the football chant “ illa illa illa, Villa maravilla “, a play on the words “ Villa ” and “ maravilla “, the latter which translates to “ marvel ” but can besides mean “ fantastic ” or “ great ” in that context. [ 18 ]

2004–05 temper

After Zaragoza ‘s victory in the Copa del Rey, they were granted a rate in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup ; this was Villa ‘s first time act in a european competition. [ 29 ] In the team ‘s opening group game, against Utrecht, Villa netted a stimulate in the dying minutes of the game, which ended 2–0 in Zaragoza ‘s favor. In the round of 16, Zaragoza faced Austria Wien. The first base leg ended 1–1, while Villa scored in the second peg in an eventual 2–2 draw ; Austria Wien progressed on the off goals rule. [ 30 ] meanwhile, in La Liga, Villa excited Zaragoza fans on 23 September 2004 by putting the team 1–0 up against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, although Barcelona came back to win the game 4–1. [ 31 ] On 17 April 2005, Villa scored a brace which helped see off Sevilla in a 3–0 victory. [ 32 ]

valencia

2005–06 temper

After his success at Zaragoza, the team was in indigence of money, [ 20 ] as a solution, Villa made his boastfully move to one of spanish football ‘s heavyweights, as a new look Valencia under Quique Sánchez Flores parted with €12 million to secure his services in the summer of 2005. [ 23 ] During his foremost game in a Valencia shirt, an Intertoto Cup pit against belgian equip Gent, Villa scored the first goal in a game which Valencia won 2–0. [ 33 ] He made his league debut for Valencia coming on as a utility against Real Betis in a 1–0 win on 27 August 2005. [ 34 ] The future match would see his previous team, Zaragoza, leading 2–1 for the majority of the match ; however, on the 81st hour, Villa came on as a deep alternate for Rubén Baraja and scored the equalizer within the space of a moment, earning Valencia a decimal point in a 2–2 string. [ 35 ] On 21 September, Villa would once again save Valencia a vital point by netting a brace against Barcelona at Camp Nou, actually giving his team the lead at one detail after Víctor Valdés ‘ headroom rebounded off Villa ‘s binding and into the net. [ 36 ] [ 37 ] On 23 October, Villa scored the winning goal against another spanish giant, this time real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, [ 38 ] and would once again score against Barcelona on 12 February 2006, his one-goal prove enough to secure all three points in a 1–0 victory. [ 39 ] Villa scored a goal against Deportivo La Coruña at the Riazor on 4 February 2006, late described as “ brilliant ” by ESPN and “ his best ” by Sid Lowe, who went on to credit it evening more pointing out he achieved it “ on the turn ”. [ 21 ] Hitting the ball from the center agate line ( 50 yards out ) it sailed over the keepers head and into the net. [ 40 ] villa scored his first hat-trick for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés in La Liga on 23 April 2006. He managed the hat-trick in just over five minutes ( 80th to the 85th minute ), making it one of the quickest hat-tricks ever recorded. Valencia won that game 3–0. [ 15 ] That season saw him score 25 goals in 35 league matches for Valencia, [ 24 ] [ 41 ] finishing one finish behind the league ‘s top scorer Samuel Eto’o of Barcelona. Villa ‘s goal tally that year was the best that any Valencia musician had ever achieved since Edmundo Suárez over 60 years anterior. [ 42 ]

2006–07 season

Villa ‘s phase continued into the 2006–07 season, with the striker forming a partnership up front with former Real Madrid star Fernando Morientes. Between them, Villa and Morientes netted 43 goals in all competitions. [ 24 ] That class besides saw Villa debut in the UEFA Champions League ; his beginning match was a qualify match, coming on as a recently utility in a 1–0 first peg loss against Red Bull Salzburg. He went on to start the second leg and scored in a 3–0 gain which saw Valencia qualify for the Champions League group stages. [ 43 ] all-important goals against Roma [ 44 ] and Shakhtar Donetsk [ 45 ] helped Valencia qualify for the knockout stages, where they faced Inter Milan. Villa scored a free-kick finish in the beginning leg away from home, while one of Inter ‘s defenders complained that Villa had “ made us look like idiots, all on his own ”. [ 21 ] [ 46 ] Valencia went through to the quarter-finals, where they faced Chelsea. Villa featured in both games but failed to make the score sheet as Valencia were knocked out by the London team 3–2 on aggregate. [ 47 ] In October 2006, he was included among the 50 nominees for the Ballon d’Or ( much referred to as the European Footballer of the Year Award ). [ 48 ] A crucial finish against Espanyol [ 49 ] and a brace against Sevilla [ 50 ] helped him reach 16 goals that season and would see him come sixth in La Liga ‘s acme scorer list that season ( scoring the same number of goals as colleague international Raúl Tamudo ) [ 51 ] while he created more assists than anyone. [ 21 ]

2007–08 season

villa after scoring a punishment against Sevilla The 2007–08 season was not easy for Villa nor for his teammates. early in the temper, their director, Quique Sánchez Flores, was fired and replaced by Ronald Koeman, who ended up being fired on 22 April, after a streak of poor results, even though he managed to win a trophy with Valencia after the team defeated Getafe in the Copa del Rey -final. Koeman was replaced by highly rated Almería coach Unai Emery at the end of the season. [ 52 ] Under Koeman, Villa managed to see the back of the net 18 times in his 26 appearances. [ 18 ] [ 24 ] He besides won the beginning professional trophy of his Valencia while, winning the Copa del Rey for the moment time in his career, beating Barcelona 3–2 in the semi-finals and then Getafe 3–1 in the final. [ 53 ] ensuring the team ‘s place for the watch temper ‘s UEFA Cup. [ 18 ] By the end of the season, he signed a newfangled six-year contract with Valencia, committing his future to the clubhouse until 2014. [ 54 ] That temper, Villa once again saw himself playing Champions League football. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 winnings against Schalke 04 [ 55 ] and went on to put Valencia 1–0 up against Chelsea, although goals from Joe Cole and Didier Drogba saw Valencia lose 2–1. [ 56 ] Valencia finished bottom of the group and were knocked out. On his 100th league appearance for Valencia, Villa scored a hat-trick against Levante ; his 54th, 55th and 56th league goals for the golf club. [ 57 ] Another two goals on the concluding day of the season against Atlético Madrid completed his reckoning of 18 goals that season. [ 24 ]

2008–09 temper

After finishing as the peak scorer at Euro 2008, Villa continued his human body into the 2008–09 season, where he scored the first finish in a 3–0 winnings against Mallorca in what was the unfold game of the season. [ 58 ] After failing to sign the player, Real Madrid ‘s director at the time, Bernd Schuster, accused Villa of having “ no ambition ”, [ 20 ] whereupon Villa responded by saying, “ Footballing ambition is not about your mouth, it is about your feet. You can accuse me of lots of things – of having a bad day, of missing chances, of many things – but I have always had ambition and constantly will have. I think I have proved that on the lurch with Zaragoza, Sporting, UD Langreo, and the national team. ” [ 20 ] In October 2008, Kaká praised Villa : address to Canal+, he claimed that Villa is “ the best spanish football player ” adding that, “ The player with whom I would most like to play is David Villa of Valencia. ” [ 59 ] On 2 December 2008, Villa came seventh in the 2008 Ballon d’Or rankings [ 60 ] and on 12 January 2009, he was announced as the joint ninth-best actor of 2008 alongside international teammate Andrés Iniesta of Barcelona, according to the 2008 FIFA World Player of the year awards. [ 61 ]

“ David is an amaze musician – he has mobility, he scores goals and is weather. I would love to have him in my team at Arsenal. He ‘d be amazing in the English league. ”

–Spain team-mate Cesc Fàbregas on David Villa [ 62 ]
Valencia finished second in their UEFA Cup group, although Villa was not featured heavily and was frequently an idle or late-match substitute. [ 63 ] He scored a late winner against Marítimo [ 64 ] and was used in the Round of 32 against Dynamo Kyiv, though he did not make the sexual conquest sheet. The two legs finished in a 3–3 aggregate score, with Dynamo progressing through the aside goals rule. [ 65 ] Hitting a consistent goalscoring imprint during mid-season, Villa scored against Deportivo La Coruña, although he was sent off during the match after his second scandalmongering card, received due to a foul on Daniel Aranzubia ; [ 66 ] as a result, he missed Valencia ‘s future match against Real Valladolid, a game Valencia lost 2–1 at home. fix to return from suspension, Villa suffered from an inflammation in the joint in his leave stifle due to a partial derivative dislocation and would be ruled out for the adjacent 15 days, missing games against Numancia, Recreativo de Huelva and Racing de Santander. [ 67 ] When he ultimately returned from injury on 5 April 2009, he had no worry recovering mannequin, netting a pair in a couple against Getafe which Valencia won 4–1. [ 68 ] On 12 April, Villa was set to return to El Molinón, the home ground of Sporting de Gijón where he started his career. He admitted that the confrontation would be very emotional for him but went on to score the second base Valencia goal in a 3–2 win and kept a pre-match predict by not celebrating the goal. [ 69 ] His goal against Villarreal brought his tally to 26, and he then scored another two against Athletic Bilbao, finishing with 28 goals after the last game of the season, therefore equalling records set by the Argentinian Mario Kempes and the Montenegrin Predrag Mijatović, who besides scored 28 goals in a Valencia shirt in 1978 and 1996, respectively. Kempes reached his score of 28 goals in 34 games while Mijatović achieved it in 40, ultimately seeing Villa beat their percentages, as he achieved the 28 goals in 33 games, recording a goal proportion of 0.84 goals per bet on. That season saw Villa ‘s best goal-scoring season at Valencia. [ 70 ] With the season over, Villa had marked his fourth year at Valencia, with only Barcelona ‘s Samuel Eto’o scoring more goals than him in that period, with just six more. [ 21 ] british columnist Sid Lowe, however, pointed out that Eto’o achieved this “ in a team that racked up 129 [ goals ] more than Villa ‘s side ”, and noted that “ most of that time he [ Villa ] has taken Valencia ‘s corners and free-kicks – and however good a player is he ca n’t head in his own crosses ”. [ 21 ] Villa besides ended the season as the third base top scorekeeper in La Liga with 28 goals, fair behind Eto’o ( 30 ) and Diego Forlán ( 32 ). After recording the best goal match for a Valencia musician in 60 years back in the 2005–06 season, he went three better in the 2008–09 season. [ 71 ] The 28 league goals, in addition to three more in other competitions that season, accumulated a total of 101 goals in 180 official games with the Valencian kit. [ 24 ]

2009–10 season

“ David Villa is a phenomenon – the best in Europe ”

– Quini, five-time Pichichi achiever [ 21 ]
After the daze exit from the Confederations Cup with Spain, Villa returned from his holidays on 27 July amidst much media speculation linking him with exceed clubs such as real Madrid, [ 72 ] Barcelona, [ 73 ] Liverpool, [ 74 ] Chelsea, [ 75 ] and Manchester United. [ 76 ] Villa quelled such rumours after announcing his desire to remain at the Mestalla to fulfil his abridge, underlining that he “ could not spend all summer refuting things, sol I wanted to be quiet … I was told I should leave Valencia for the good of the golf club, soon after that everything changed and from that moment on I never saw myself out of here – before the Euros, the cabaret told me what my asking monetary value was, and I thought they were going to sell me, but when I returned from my vacations, Vicente Soriano said that he did not want me to leave Valencia. That removed all doubt for me. There is no trail missed because all that I have achieved is because of Valencia and the spanish national team. ” When questioned on whether or not he should apologise to Valencia fans, he merely replied, “ I did not kill anyone, I do not think I have to ask for forgiveness. ” [ 77 ] On 20 August 2009, Villa scored in his first official match of the season, a 3–0 Europa League qualifier against Stabæk. [ 78 ] He followed this up with two goals against Real Valladolid on 13 September, Villa ‘s first league goals of the 2009–10 season. [ 79 ] He scored twice more a week belated against former baseball club Sporting Gijón in a 2–2 drawing card at the Mestalla, where he besides performed duties as the team ‘s captain. [ 80 ] After the match, Villa hinted towards being unhappy with Unai Emery ‘s managerial decisions, express, “ The approach for the second one-half was not right. We relaxed and ended up with the same result as last class. What has happened, has happened, but their goalkeeper was commodity, unlike our approach, which was not good, ” [ 81 ] however a sidereal day late he denied being critical of Emery, pointing out that, “ When I talked about the approach, I was referring to the hale team, I spoke in the heat of the moment, I was annoyed at the way we lost two points and I said what I thought, but I have clarified everything that needed to be cleared up. ” [ 82 ] In 2009, Villa scored more goals than any other football player, tallying 43 goals in 54 games across all competitions for both Spain and Valencia. [ 13 ] [ 24 ] The IFFHS listed him one-fourth in the “ World ‘s top Goal Scorer 2009 ” rankings. [ 83 ] On 18 October, Villa was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, [ 84 ] while about two weeks late, on 30 October, he was nominated for the FIFA World Player of the Year. [ 85 ] After going three league games without scoring, Villa contributed two goals towards Valencia ‘s 4–1 victory against Villarreal on 17 January 2010, the first of his two goals became his hundredth league goal with Valencia. [ 24 ] [ 86 ] Another stimulate came against Getafe on 22 February 2010, the moment goal being “ a superb chip ” ( as described by ESPN ) over Jordi Codina. [ 87 ] On 18 March, Valencia went to the Weserstadion to play Werder Bremen in the Europa League. Villa scored a hat-trick, his third base goal being of note, which was fired in from eight yards out. The match ended 4–4 while Valencia proceeded to the following attack on away goals. [ 88 ] On 4 May 2010, Valencia played Xerez ; Villa did not start but came on as a substitute 62 minutes into the match, which ended 3–1. Valencia still had two more games to play in the league, although Villa did not feature, making the game against Xerez the last time he played for Valencia. [ 24 ]

Barcelona

2010–11 season

villa during his presentation as a Barcelona player On 19 May 2010, Barcelona reached an agreement with Valencia for the acquisition of Villa for a €40 million transfer tip. [ 89 ] [ 90 ] Villa signed a four-year contract with Barça with the choice for a fifth, worth a report €7 million per season, frankincense following in the footsteps of his heroes Luis Enrique and Quini, both of whom, like Villa, started out at Sporting Gijón and ended up at Barcelona. [ 91 ] On 21 May 2010, over 35,000 Barcelona supporters packed into Camp Nou to see Villa ‘s presentation, where he revealed the kit Barcelona would use during the 2010–11 season. He was given his favored phone number 7, a number which had been free at the clubhouse since Eiður Guðjohnsen left in 2009. [ 93 ] He made his first appearance for the club in the second branch of the Supercopa de España, during the second half as a stand-in for companion spanish external Pedro. His debut appearance would besides see him win his first man of silver-ware with the Catalonian side, as Barcelona won 4–0 and 5–3 on aggregate due to a hat-trick by teammate Lionel Messi. [ 94 ] His foremost goal came during the Joan Gamper Trophy ( an annual friendly rival ) against Milan ; Barcelona won 3–1 on penalties after the match had ended 1–1 during normal clock time. [ 95 ]
Villa challenging Sergio Ramos for the ball after scoring two goals in Barcelona ‘s 5–0 victory over Real Madrid On 29 August 2010, Villa made his La Liga debut with Barcelona against Racing de Santander, where he scored the third gear finish of the match to help seal a 3–0 victory. [ 96 ] On 14 September 2010, he scored on his Champions League debut with Barcelona in a 5–1 victory over Panathinaikos. [ 97 ] Against Sevilla, on 31 October 2010, Barcelona won 5–0 against the andalusian side, while Villa netted a brace. Villa ‘s first El Clásico against Real Madrid came on 29 November 2010, where he scored two goals as Barcelona won 5–0 at the Camp Nou. [ 98 ] Talking about the match, he commented that, “ It ‘s been a very crucial win. We looked for the victory and we got it. And the result and the manner in which we achieved it, you can not ask for more. ” [ 99 ] He then scored a finish against Real Sociedad, a match Barcelona won 5–0. [ 100 ] He followed with a brace against Espanyol, helping Barcelona to a 5–1 win. [ 101 ] On 28 May 2011, Villa scored the third finish – curling the ball into the net from 25-yards out – in Barcelona ‘s 3–1 victory over Manchester United in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League final. [ 102 ]

2011–12 temper

Villa ‘s season comes to an end as he ‘s carried off on a stretcher after breaking his tibia at the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup villa started the season with goals against Mexican clubs Guadalajara and América in pre-season friendly matches. [ 103 ] [ 104 ] His first official match of the season was against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España, where Villa scored a “ first ” goal to help Barça seal a 2–2 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu, [ 105 ] while on 17 August 2011, Villa was sent off in the dying moments of the second leg ( which Barcelona won 3–2 ) after an affray with Mesut Özil. [ 106 ] Against Osasuna on 17 September 2011, Villa contributed two goals and forced Rovérsio into scoring an own goal in Barcelona ‘s 8–0 win over the team from Pamplona. [ 107 ] He then broke his tibia in a Club World Cup match in Yokohama against Al Sadd. Doctors said he was to be out of action for up to six months, [ 108 ] [ 109 ] [ 110 ] but this finally led to him missing the stallion 2011–12 temper with both Barcelona and the spanish football team at Euro 2012 .

2012–13 temper

After spending eight months without being able to play any football, Villa ultimately returned from his injury in the 73rd moment of Barcelona ‘s 2–0 win over Dinamo Bucharest on 11 August 2012. Eight days belated, he played his beginning competitive football match since December 2011 in Barcelona ‘s first La Liga bet on of the season where he received a standing ovation while coming on as a stand-in for Pedro. It lone took seven minutes before Villa found himself on the score-sheet while sealing a 5–1 victory for his team against Real Sociedad. [ 111 ] On 28 November, Villa scored two goals in a 3–1 over Deportivo Alavés, which included his three-hundredth career goal. [ 112 ] Against A.C. Milan in the irregular peg of round of 16 of the Champions League, Villa scored the critical third goal in Barcelona ‘s 4–0 victory, helping his team overturn a two-goal first-leg deficit. [ 113 ] In the next cycle, Villa assisted Pedro ‘s equalising goal against Paris Saint-Germain which took Barcelona through to the semi-final, where they were finally knocked out 7–0 on aggregate by Bayern Munich. [ 114 ] David Villa ended the season with a large number of his appearances coming from the bench, partially ascribable to the recovery fourth dimension of his previous injury. Despite this, he was even able to amass 16 goals in 39 appearances while his performances earned him a spot in Spain ‘s 2013 Confederations Cup team. [ 115 ] [ 116 ]

Atlético Madrid

villa with Atlético in 2013 On 8 July 2013, Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Villa to Atlético Madrid for a bargain-priced manage of €5.1 million. [ 117 ] On 21 August 2013, he scored in the 2013 Supercopa de España inaugural leg on his debut for Atlético against his former club Barcelona with a right-footed volley. [ citation needed ] villa scored his first goal of the league season on 1 September, besides assisting Koke as Atlético won 2–1 away at Real Sociedad. [ 118 ] On 27 October, he scored his first Atlético brace as the side defeated Real Betis 5–0 at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. [ 119 ] He added two further braces during the season : on 23 November in a 7–0 win over Getafe [ 120 ] and the other in the space of 90 seconds in a 2–0 away win against Celta de Vigo on 8 March 2014. [ 121 ] He finished his only season at the clubhouse with 13 league goals from 36 appearances, contributing to Atlético ‘s first base league championship since 1996 and besides helping them reach the 2014 Champions League concluding, where they lost to Real Madrid. [ 122 ]

New York City

On 1 June 2014, Villa announced that he would leave Atlético. While he called the club he was joining “ an irresistible project ”, [ 123 ] he did not reveal the identity of the clubhouse. The stick to day, he was announced as the first musician for the newly formed New York City, who would start play in the 2015 season of Major League Soccer ( MLS ). He was handed the number 7 shirt on arrival, and stated, “ I want to try to help MLS continue to grow and try to make New York City become the best team in the league. ” [ 124 ]

Melbourne City ( loanword )

Parallel to his joining New York City, Villa was announced to have joined the australian A-League with Melbourne City, following the team ‘s association with Manchester City. Villa was on a guest stretch, allowing him to make up to ten appearances for Melbourne City during the 2014–15 season, taking advantage of the schedule of the A-League and MLS to maintain meet fitness ahead of his debut with New York City. [ 125 ] After only joining Melbourne City for pre-season trail precisely over a workweek before their first game, Villa was brought on in the 48th minute of the foremost game of the temper against Sydney, and scored a debut finish a quarter of an hour into his appearance. [ 126 ] On 19 October 2014, in his second peer, Villa scored an 87th-minute equalizer against the Newcastle Jets for a 1–1 draw. [ 127 ] Despite signing for ten matches, Villa was recalled by New York City after good four matches, none of which were won by Melbourne City ; the last was a 1–2 home defeat to Adelaide United. [ 128 ] It was estimated that he tripled the club ‘s attendance, and coach John avant-garde ‘t Schip credited Villa with bringing attention to the club. [ 129 ]

Return to New York City

villa with New York City in May 2015 villa was named New York City ‘s first ever team captain on 1 February 2015, a well as their first Designated Player. [ 130 ] Nine days late, in a friendly against scottish clubhouse St Mirren, he scored the team ‘s first ever finish. [ 131 ] On 8 March, he started in the team ‘s first base MLS game, away to fellow newcomers Orlando City. In a 1–1 draw, he set up Mix Diskerud for the first goal and was fouled by Aurélien Collin, who was sent off for the challenge. [ citation needed ] A workweek late, in their beginning home plate match at Yankee Stadium, Villa opened the score in a 2–0 winnings over the New England Revolution for the team ‘s first competitive victory. [ 132 ] On 12 July, Villa netted twice in a 4–4 home pull against Toronto, despite missing a penalty in the first half. [ 133 ] He was selected to take separate in the 2015 MLS All-Star Game on 29 July, at the Dick ‘s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado ; he scored the match-winning goal from a Kaká help as the MLS All-Stars defeated Tottenham Hotspur 2–1. [ 134 ] Despite Villa ‘s prolific performances, which saw him score 18 goals during the 2015 MLS regular season, New York City did not qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs in their inaugural address political campaign. [ 135 ] In July 2016, Villa was included in the roll for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. [ 136 ] Villa won the 2016 MLS MVP Award for the best actor in the league. [ 10 ] He scored 23 goals in the 2016 Major League Soccer season. Villa was chosen to start against erstwhile Clásico rivals very Madrid in the 2017 MLS All-Star Game. He started on the right of a front three, aboard Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco. The bet on ended 1–1, Real winning 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out. Later, on 6 August, Villa scored his first MLS hat-trick in the Blues ‘ 3–2 gain over the New York Red Bulls in Yankee Stadium, taking him to 17 goals for the season and leading the goalscoring charts, surpassing Chicago Fire striker Nemanja Nikolić. At the end of the regular season, Villa ended up with 22 goals finishing second base for top scorekeeper award, two goals shy of Nemanja Nikolić. [ 137 ] While New York City lost to Columbus Crew in Eastern Conference semifinals. [ 138 ] On 29 April 2018, Villa scored twice in a 3–1 win over Dallas. The goals were his 400 and 401st for club and country, and in doing so, Villa became one of the few players of the mod era to score more than 400 goals in their career. [ 139 ]

Vissel Kobe

On 1 December 2018, Villa signed a contract for the 2019 temper with J1 League club Vissel Kobe. [ 140 ] [ 141 ] Villa joined his erstwhile Barcelona and Spain teammate Andrés Iniesta. [ 142 ] On 2 March, Villa scored his first finish in the J1 League in a 1–0 acquire over Sagan Tosu. [ 143 ] On 13 November 2019, Villa announced that he would end his 19-year career and withdraw at the goal of the 2019 J1 League season. [ 144 ] On 7 December, he scored his final finish of his career from a penalty on the final matchday of the 2019 J1 League temper, in a 4–1 win over Jubilo Iwata. [ 145 ] On 1 January 2020, Villa entered the concluding of 2019 Emperor ‘s Cup in 92nd infinitesimal as a stand-in. Vissel Kobe won the match against Kashima Antlers and he got his first silverware in Japan before retirement. [ 146 ] Villa scored 13 goals during 28 J1 League matches .

Club Ownership

On 13 November 2019, Villa announced that, once he retired, he would be investing as an owner of USL Championship side Queensboro FC, based in Queens, New York City, United States. The golf club will begin play in 2022. [ 147 ]

technical Committee Member

On 6 May 2021, indian Super League club Odisha FC declared him as the head of Global Football Operations american samoa well as penis of the technical committee along with erstwhile coach Josep Gomabu & Victor Onate ahead of the 2021-22 ISL campaign. Their character includes advising the coaching staff, improving the indian and youth players, providing general support to the on-field activities among others. “ I will try to bring my know. obviously, I didn ’ thyroxine meet in India but I played soccer for 20 years as a professional and before that in the academy. And in all of the projects that we ( my team ) are involved in, I try to give all of my know that I have in soccer, ” Villa said after joining the club. [ 148 ]

International career

2006 World Cup

An occasional member of the Under-21 team, Villa marked his international début under Luis Aragonés on 9 February 2005 in a 2006 World Cup modifier where Spain beat San Marino 5–0 at the Estadio del Mediterráneo while his first international goal came in the form of a late counterweight during a World Cup modifier against Slovakia on 16 November. [ 149 ] A successful temper with Valencia saw him get called up as part of the 23-man police squad to represent Spain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Spain ‘s beginning pit at the tournament and Villa ‘s World Cup debut resulted in a 4–0 gain against Ukraine where Villa netted a brace, [ 150 ] and besides put his nation 1–0 up against France in the Round of 16, although Spain went on to lose the equal 3–1. [ 151 ] He and Fernando Torres finished as Spain ‘s top scorers with three goals each. [ 152 ]

euro 2008

“ We complement each other identical well. We get on well on the pitch and identical well off it excessively. We ‘re a good partnership. We both chase down defenders, put pressure on and fight to create chances for each other. We work well together. ”

–David Villa on Fernando Torres. [ 20 ] [ 153 ] [ 154 ]
By the end of 2006, Villa had become an integral partially of Luis Aragonés ‘ plans and ousted Raúl from the team. [ 42 ] Proving critical in Spain ‘s qualification for Euro 2008, he scored six goals, [ 42 ] including a bicycle kick back against Liechtenstein. [ 155 ] He was subsequently called up for the tournament where he formed a hit relationship with Torres, with whom he would often celebrate his goals. [ 153 ] He scored a hat-trick in Spain ‘s 4–1 gain over Russia, making him the first player to do therefore at a UEFA european Championship since Patrick Kluivert in 2000, and lone the one-seventh overall. [ 156 ] After the third base finish, he went out of his manner to meet Torres, who was on the bench at the clock, to celebrate with him : “ I had merely scored a hat-trick and I knew people would be talking about me, but I wanted them to see that I had benefited from Torres ‘s work, barely as he sometimes benefits from mine. ” [ 20 ] [ 153 ] In the next match, he secured a 2–1 win against Sweden with a goal in the 92nd hour. Rested for the following match against Greece, he started once again in the quarter-finals, where Spain beat Italy 4–2 on penalties ; Villa took the first penalty and scored. [ 157 ] Reaching their first semi-final in 24 years, Spain went on to side Russia for the second time during the tournament, though during the early stages of the match, Villa sustained a second joint injury after taking a unblock kick and was replaced by Cesc Fàbregas. The injury meant that he could not participate in the final where Spain beat Germany 1–0 to claim their second succeed at the European Football Championships. Despite missing the final and the majority of the semi-final, Villa ‘s four goals in the four games he played were enough for him to be acme scorekeeper of the tournament [ 153 ] and was awarded the Golden Boot. [ 158 ] He besides made the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament alongside striking spouse Torres. [ 159 ]

2009 Confederations Cup

Spain ‘s beginning match during reservation for the 2010 World Cup was against Bosnia and Herzegovina where Villa scored the only goal of the game. He would go on to score four goals in Spain ‘s following three games, including a last minute winner against Belgium. Another goal during a friendly match against Chile saw him end the year with 12 goals, breaking Raúl ‘s record of 10 goals held since 1999. [ 161 ] Villa began 2009 with a finish against England in a 2–0 friendly, [ 162 ] with this goal, he broke another read and became the first spanish international to have scored in six straight games, seeing off records set by Telmo Zarra and László Kubala. [ 163 ] Speaking of the goal, he said, “ I am identical happy with the goal. Truth is, I actually want to see it on television receiver. The commemorate is very nice. I would never have imagined in years that I would be able to obtain it. I am identical gallant and I hope I can continue breaking records. ” [ 163 ]
Villa ( count 7 ) with the Spain team before a match against Austria On 1 June 2009, Vicente del Bosque named Villa in his 23-man team for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. [ 164 ] In a friendly match before the tournament, Villa scored his second external hat-trick against Azerbaijan, closely precisely a year after his hat-trick against Russia at Euro 2008. [ 165 ] He debuted at the Confederations Cup with a goal, the last of the five goals in Spain ‘s 5–0 victory over New Zealand, [ 166 ] while in the following game he scored the decisive goal against a defensive Iraqi team. [ 167 ] Against South Africa, he missed a punishment, but within a hour made up for the neglect by putting Spain ahead, helping them equal the records of most consecutive wins and most consecutive matches undefeated before making way for Pablo Hernández. [ 168 ] The goal was his last of the tournament but was enough to see him win the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe, he would besides go on to make the team of the tournament. [ 169 ] villa earned his fiftieth hood during a friendly against the Republic of Macedonia in a match where Spain won 3–2. [ 170 ]

2010 World Cup

On 5 September 2009, Villa added two more goals to his goal count for Spain, while assisting twice during the World Cup modifier against Belgium, in A Coruña. The couple ended 5–0 to Spain, where Villa besides had a first-half penalty saved by belgian goalkeeper Jean-François Gillet. [ 171 ] Villa finished the year with his sixth international brace against Austria in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, the mount where Spain were crowned european champions the previous class. With these two goals, Villa equalled the record he set last year of most goals scored in one calendar year by a spanish international. [ 172 ] Spain ‘s first match in 2010 came on 3 March, against France at the Stade de France ; Villa scored the opening goal in a game which Spain went on to win 2–0. [ 173 ] In 2010, Villa came first base in the IFFHS “ 2010 ‘s World Top Goalscorer at International Level ” rankings, [ 174 ] he was subsequently selected as a region of Vicente del Bosque ‘s 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. [ 175 ] In a friendly against Saudi Arabia on 29 May 2010, Villa scored the first of Spain ‘s goals as they won 3–2 at the Tivoli Neu – the stadium where he scored his hat-trick against Russia during Euro 2008. [ 176 ] Failing to score in Spain ‘s future match against South Korea, he opened the score sheet in Spain ‘s adjacent pit against Poland, in which Spain won 6–0, recording Poland ‘s their worst defeat in 50 years. [ 177 ]
In Spain ‘s first gear 2010 World Cup equal, Villa was chosen as a alone striker, but could do nothing to prevent their shock kill at the hands of Switzerland. [ 178 ] Five days late, Spain defeated Honduras 2–0, where villa scored both goals, but wasted his probability to complete a hat-trick when he was awarded a punishment recoil – side-footing the ball just wide of the post. [ 179 ] It was the first clock in 14 attempts Spain ever missed a punishment in a World Cup during the footrace of play. [ 179 ] In the same crippled, Villa was shown to slap Emilio Izaguirre in the face after the Honduran player tread on him. villa said he was “ not proud ” of the heating system of the consequence incidental, but he escaped a ban. [ 180 ] Villa helped secure Spain ‘s place in the round of 16 after scoring the first finish in a 2–1 acquire over Chile, with a long-range inject into an empty net after Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo ran out of his area to prevent Fernando Torres from scoring. [ 181 ] The finish would become his sixth goal in FIFA World Cup matches, becoming Spain ‘s all-time top scorekeeper at the World Cup finals, ahead of Emilio Butragueño, Fernando Hierro, Fernando Morientes and Raúl, all of whom have five. [ 182 ] Spain were up against Portugal in the round of 16, and Villa would prove to be critical once again, as Xavi backheeled an Andrés Iniesta pass to the on-rushing Villa, who hit the back of the net on the bounce after having his beginning shoot saved by Eduardo, proving enough to give Spain a place in the quarter-finals against Paraguay, [ 183 ] where Villa scored a goal from a rally after Pedro hit the post. once again, Villa ‘s goal proved to be the deviation as the pit finished 1–0, while Spain booked a bet on with Germany in the semi-finals, [ 184 ] where Spain recorded however another 1–0 victory with the only goal coming from Carles Puyol. villa started in the final against the Netherlands, where he had an opportunity to score from near rate, but was impeded by John Heitinga who managed to block his shoot ; during regulation clock time, he managed five shots, none of which troubled the opposing goalkeeper, however. Villa was replaced by Fernando Torres in the 106th minute and Spain won the championship 1–0 on Iniesta ‘s finish in the 116th minute. [ 185 ] [ 186 ] Villa, who scored five of Spain ‘s eight goals in the World Cup Finals, and who was immediately involved in a record 75 % of the winning team ‘s goals with his goals and an extra help, was awarded the Silver Shoe ; he had the same number of goals as Thomas Müller, the Gold Shoe winner, but fewer assists. [ 187 ] [ 188 ] [ 189 ] Villa was named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team. [ 190 ]

euro 2012 qualify and missing out on Euro 2012

Spain ‘s beginning equal of UEFA Euro 2012 qualify was against Liechtenstein on 3 September 2010, Villa scored the second goal of the match which finally ended 4–0. It was believed that this finish meant that he had equalled Raúl ‘s commemorate 44-goal reckoning, [ 191 ] however after many debates about whether he or Dariusz Dudka scored the foremost finish in Spain ‘s 6–0 gain over Poland, FIFA finally decided that it was indeed an own finish by Dudka, meaning Villa ‘s goal tally would remain at 43. [ 192 ] On 12 October 2010, he last equalled Raúl ‘s record, scoring a punishment against Scotland and helping Spain see off the Scots in a 3–2 victory at Hampden Park. [ 13 ] [ 193 ] On 25 March 2011, Villa scored two goals against the Czech Republic in a Euro 2012 qualifier, which ultimately handed Spain a 2–1 victory, while at the lapp time he managed to eclipse Raúl as Spain ‘s all-time contribute goalscorer. [ 194 ] Speaking of the accomplishment, he stated that, “ The goals are dedicated to all the team-mates, all the coaches, all partners and friends I had during my career … But long ago I promised José, who is a friend of mine, that the goal which overtake Raúl would be for him. ” [ 195 ] On 7 September 2011, Villa helped secure Spain ‘s qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 by scoring two goals in Spain ‘s 6–0 victory over Liechtenstein. [ 196 ] In Spain ‘s last euro 2012 qualifying match, Villa scored his fiftieth international goal against Scotland in a 3–1 victory for Spain. [ 197 ] That lapp match was besides the first gear time Villa was able to wear the captain ‘s armband while playing for the spanish national team. [ 198 ] Villa finished as top scorer of Group I with seven goals, however, after fracturing his tibia in December 2011, he was left out of Spain ‘s concluding team for Euro 2012 after telling Vicente del Bosque that he would not be fit for the tournament. He tweeted, “ I ‘ve tried, but I ca n’t be 100 % to play the Eurocup. I called Del Bosque. It ‘s the honest thing. ” Del Bosque was hoping to include Villa in the police squad and promised to give Villa equally long as potential to return to fitness. [ 199 ]

2013 Confederations Cup and 2014 World Cup

After Spain had won Euro 2012, Villa had returned to fitness and was subsequently called up to the Spain team again. He made his return in the 53rd minute during a friendly against Saudi Arabia and found himself on the score sheet good ten minutes late. [ 200 ] On 3 June 2013, Vicente del Bosque included Villa in his 23-man team for the 2013 Confederations Cup [ 116 ] where he scored three goals, all of which were against Tahiti in a 10–0 victory for Spain. [ 201 ] villa was named in Spain ‘s police squad for the 2014 World Cup. [ 202 ] Prior to the World Cup, he confirmed that he would retire from international football after the tournament. [ 203 ] With Spain ‘s elimination already confirmed, Villa was selected to start in Spain ‘s final group couple against Australia. He scored his 59th finish for La Furia Roja, and one-ninth in World Cup finals, in his final examination international appearance, a 3–0 succeed on 23 June 2014. [ 204 ] In December 2015, Villa revealed that he was considering reversing his international retirement. [ 205 ]

2018 World Cup qualifying

On 25 August 2017, Villa was included in Spain ‘s squad for the 2018 World Cup qualification matches against Italy and Liechtenstein, three years after primitively retiring from international football. [ 12 ]

Succeeding Raúl as Spain ‘s count 7

Villa succeeded Raúl as the number 7 for the spanish national team The spanish media has much compared Villa with Raúl, to the point where Villa was accused of taking the numeral 7 jersey away from the then-Real Madrid musician. In March 2009, Villa spoke out, saying, “ I have not taken anything away from anybody, I was just playing well for my clubhouse and the national coach gave me an opportunity. Too a lot has been said about the issue issue. I ’ m not looking to cause any controversy. In fact, Raúl and I were in the national squad together in the by. I haven ’ thymine forced anybody out. ” When questioned on whether the unharmed hubbub created over Raúl ‘s omission was affecting him personally, he said, “ I ‘ve never liked it because I think it has been damaging for the both of us. We ‘ve constantly got on well together whenever we ‘ve met up for international duty, so I ‘m not concerned. I barely work hard for myself. All I want is to be in the police squad for every game, to have the Spain badge on my breast and to score as many goals as I can. ” [ 206 ] In February 2010, Bernd Schuster was asked if Raúl did not favour Villa moving to Real Madrid, to which he responded, “ I have a cough, ” which caused many to believe that he was implying the rumor to be true. [ 207 ] Villa hard ridiculed that theme by saying, “ It is impossible that a musician with equally much class on and off the lurch as Raúl would speak ailing of me. I have always had a full relationship with Raúl, even though we have barely met on external duty. ” [ 208 ] [ 209 ] Speaking about Raúl ‘s criminal record with the spanish national team as the nation ‘s run top scorer, Villa said, “ I ‘ve got 25 goals but he ‘s got 44 and is hush playing. I ‘d be delighted to reach that reckoning as I ‘d help the national team achieve big victories and, in many years ‘ fourth dimension, I could see my name on a [ scorers ‘ list ] that another young chap was trying to beat. That would be great. ” [ 206 ] On 25 March 2011, two years after making that remark, Villa surpassed Raúl as Spain ‘s all-time circus tent scorer. [ 194 ]

Playing expressive style

“ villa is not entirely there to finish plays. Villa is synonymous with astuteness. It means always being ready to open passing lanes, to draw defenders and thus freeing space for others. ”

– Johan Cruyff, three time Ballon d’Or winner. [ 210 ]
A fecund goalscorer, Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his coevals, and one of the best spanish strikers of all-time. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] An opportunist, versatile and all-around actor, Villa is naturally right-footed, [ 4 ] but an accurate and herculean closer with either foot, due to his ambidexterity, both inside and outside the sphere, [ 18 ] [ 211 ] despite his lack of stature or animalism ; [ 20 ] [ 154 ] he was besides a typeset piece and penalty kick specialist. [ 20 ] [ 6 ] Villa was a promptly, agile, and mobile team player, with excellent proficiency and dribbling skills, who was besides known for his work-rate and healthy offensive movement, american samoa well as his ability to either produce space for teammates or make attack runs into the area. [ 20 ] [ 21 ] [ 154 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] ascribable to his vision and pass ability, he was besides able of dropping thick to link up play with midfielders, and of creating chances and providing assists for teammates, which has allowed him to be deployed as a supporting forward, as an attacking midfielder or as a winger throughout his career, in accession to his more common function as a centre-forward. [ 20 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 212 ]

personal biography

villa pledging subscribe for official realization of the Asturian speech in 2009 In 2003, Villa married his childhood sweetheart Patricia González, who had besides been a football player in her adolescent years. [ 18 ] in concert they have three children : Zaida, Olaya — named after the wife of Fernando Torres, who is a close friend of Patricia [ 213 ] — and Luca. [ 214 ] The names of his children are engraved on his individualized Adidas F50 boots ; [ 18 ] while one boot bears the spanish flag, the other has the iris of Asturias. [ 215 ] His footballing idols are chap Asturians Luis Enrique and Quini, both of whom besides played for Sporting de Gijón and Barcelona. Villa frequently attends charity events. [ 216 ] He is actively involved with the campaigns of the UNICEF charity. [ 217 ] Beginning in July 2008, a David Villa Camp is held annually, where children receive training from professional footballers. Villa besides participates in a educate school term with the children. [ 218 ] villa features in EA Sports ‘ FIFA video plot series ; he was on the traverse of the spanish edition of the video recording game FIFA 07, [ 219 ] and he besides appeared on the cover of the MLS custom edition of FIFA 16. [ 220 ] In 2010, Villa sang aboard Grammy Award -nominated spanish singer Ana Torroja on the song “ rebellion ” by El Último de la Fila. The record was made for the beneficiary project Voces X1FIN to help raise money to build an artwork and education school in Mali. Villa commented that footballers “ are an example for company and we have to be ready to get involved in these projects, where we can help people who need it ”. [ 221 ] In the summer of 2020, David Villa was accused of sexual harassment that took target during his prison term at New York City FC. [ 222 ] A subsequent investigation by the club found that “ inappropriate and unacceptable ” behavior took topographic point, though Villa was not mentioned by list. Villa maintains the allegations are “ wholly false ”. [ 223 ]

career statistics

club

International

Appearances and goals by year and competition
Team Year Competitive Friendly Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Spain[224] 2005 4[a] 1 4 1
2006 7[b] 6 7 2 14 8
2007 8[c] 3 2 0 10 3
2008 8[d] 9 5 3 14 12
2009 8[e] 5 5 6 13 11
2010 10[f] 7 6 2 16 9
2011 5[g] 5 7 2 12 7
2012 1[h] 0 2 2 3 2
2013 6[i] 3 4 0 10 3
2014 1[j] 1 1 2 2 3
2015
2016
2017 1[k] 0 1 0
Total 59 40 39 19 98 59

Honours

[ 2 ] [ 225 ] Zaragoza
Valencia

  • Copa del Rey: 2007–08

Barcelona
Atlético Madrid
Vissel Kobe
Spain
Individual
Achievements
Decorations

References