David Villa's business is scoring goals, and business has been good since he broke on to the scene in 2000.
Valencia's decision to pay his Real Zaragoza release clause in 2003 was one of the shrewdest decisions the club made during a decade characterised by financial mismanagement and huge debt.
Villa has few visible weaknesses. He is quick, skilful and capable of tap-ins or spectacular goals from outside the area. One of the best movers in the game, his goalscoring record at international level is impressive to say the least and earned him a $49 million move to Barcelona in May 2010.
Lacking the ego of many at the top of the world game, you will not see Villa at the forefront of many advertising campaigns, preferring to go about his job quietly, without distraction.
He scored 22 goals in all competition during his debut season at Camp Nou, helping the club retain their Liga title in the process. He slotted in seamlessly alongside Lionel Messi and Pedro Rodriguez in the Barca attack after struggling to find the net early on.
Quick Facts:
- Name: David Villa
- Nationality: Spanish
- Date and Place of Birth: December 3, 1981 in Tuilla, Spain
- Position: Striker
- Current Club: Barcelona (La Liga)
- Previous Clubs: Sporting Gijón (2000-2003), Zaragoza (2003-2005), Valencia (2005-2010)
- International Career: 2005 to present
Sporting Chance:
Villa may never have made it as a soccer player. When he was four he broke his femur. Had be been operated on, doctors warned Villa may have been a cripple, so his parents decided against surgery and the bone fused well.After playing for local side Union Popular de Langreo, Sporting Gijón picked him up, and he scored 38 goals in 78 games. This modest character was loved by the people of Asturia, and still is, as his sale to Zaragoza helped keep the club afloat.
Villa spent two years with Zaragoza, and adapted immediately to the demands of top-flight life -he never played in the first division with Sporting - scoring 17 league goals in his first season and 15 in his second.
His biggest triumph with Zaragoza was scoring in the 3-2 Copa del Rey final victory over a star-studded Real Madrid team in 2004. This ensured his first taste of European soccer as the team qualified for the Uefa Cup.
The Valencia Move:
Los Ches paid his buy-out clause in 2005 and a stunning haul of 25 goals in 35 Primera Division matches made him the club’s best ever debutante. This tally featured two goals in 1-0 wins against traditional powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid, and also a spectacular effort from the halfway line against Deportivo La Coruna. If the press and public were under any illusions about the extent of this player’s talent, the 2005-06 season set the record straight.Villa has been prolific ever since joining Valencia, never failing to reach the 20-goal mark in all competitions. He scored in the final of the 2007-08 Copa del Rey against Getafe as he secured his second major silverware. The 2008-09 season has been his most fruitful yet, as he netted 30 goals in total, while also making a significant contribution with the national team.
Such an accomplished goalscoring record is all the more remarkable given the turbulence that has surrounded the Mestella outfit in recent seasons, coupled with a more defensive approach than Barca and Real Madrid. Not to mention the fact that Villa has taken many of the corners in this time. In all he scored 120 goals for the club.
Spain Career:
Villa was an integral part of the spectacular Spain side that won the 2008 European Championships. After scoring six goals in qualification, he finished as the tournament’s top scorer with four goals in four matches, despite missing the final and the majority of the semi-final with a thigh injury.His first international goal came against Slovakia in a 2006 World Cup qualifier. He helped Spain qualify for that tournament under veteran coach Luis Aragones, and finished as the team’s joint-top scorer with three goals as La Furia Roja (the Red Fury) bowed out to France in the second-round.
Seven goals in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup made him the joint-fourth top scorer in the European section as his prolific record at international level continued.
In South Africa he was the joint-top scorer with five goals as Spain lifted their first ever World Cup.
