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FAMOUS FOOTBALL PLAYER
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 9/16/2019 8:09:35 AM
David Villa
David Villa Sánchez is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a striker for Japanese club Vissel Kobe and the Spain national team. Villa is regarded by pundits as one of the best forwards of his generation, and one of the best Spanish strikers of alltime. Nicknamed El Guaje (The Kid in Asturian) due to cultivating a reputation of playing football with children much older than him, Villa sustained a serious 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, winning the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España. He joined Valencia in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million, and captured another Copa del Rey title. At 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 final. 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 singular season in the Spanish capital, Villa departed to join upstart MLS franchise New York City, where he is the club's record goalscorer and appearance maker. In 2018, Villa announced his departure from New York to relocate to Japan, in order to join Vissel Kobe. Villa made his international debut for Spain in 2005. He has since participated in four major tournaments, becoming an integral member of the Spain teams that won UEFA Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup, was the top scorer 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 World XI for 2010. He is the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and retired from internationals after the 2014 World Cup with 59 in 97 matches, making him Spain's all-time top goalscorer as well as the country's top scorer in the World Cup, with nine goals. He came out of retirement from international football in August 2017. Childhood and early career Villa was born in Tuilla, a small parish in Langreo, Asturias,