David Villa Biography
David Villa is one of the most famous Spanish football strikers. In his football career, he has played for many popular clubs such as Valencia, Villareal, Barcelona, and Athletico Madrid.
David Villa is a Spanish professional footballer, who was born on 3 December 1981 in the beautiful city of Langreo, Spain. He used to play as a striker and was a member of Spanish National team.
Villa was one of the most successful strikers of his generation. Although Villa was right-footed, what made him unique was his ability to be lethal with both his right and left feet. His perilous finishing skills, paired with his dribbling ability made him a world class player.
Villa was also a type of striker who wouldn’t say no to dead balls. He was a very good passer of the ball which allowed him to play a multi-functional role for his team.
All You Need to Know About David Villa Biography
As our first interesting fact about
David Villa childhood
, you should know that
Villa picked up a serious injury as a child but managed to start his professional career with Sporting de Gijón in 2001. He was transferred to Real Zaragoza after two successful seasons, a club which made him known to pundits, and also, the club in which he made his La Liga debut, and won the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. He joined Valencia in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million and snatched another Copa del Rey win. At the age of 28, Villa managed to record 28 goals in La Liga and earned 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 single season in the city of Madrid, Villa departed to join the newly promoted MLS club, New York City, where he became the club's record goalscorer and appearance maker, winning the MLS MVP Award for best player in 2016. In 2018, Villa announced his departure from New York, to join Vissel Kobe in Japan.
David Villa nationality
is Spanish. Thus, it makes sense that David Villa made his international debut for Spain in 2005. He participated in four major tournaments, and was a vital 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 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 World11 for 2010. He became the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and, after a brief comeback in 2017, he retired from the national team with 59 goals in 98 matches, making him Spain's all-time top goalscorer as well as the country's top scorer in the World Cup, with nine goals.
David Villa Information
As usual, in this part of the article, we will explore some general information about David Villa, such as
David Villa date of birth
or
David Villa bio
. Buckle up!
David Villa Bio
Real Name:
David Villa Sanchez
Nickname:
El Guaje
Profession:
Professional Footballer
David Villa Physical Stats
Weight:
65 kg
Height:
179 cm
Hair Color:
Black
Eye Color:
Brown
David Villa Football Information
Position:
Forward, Midfielder
Jersey Number:
7
Professional Debut:
2000
David Villa Date of Birth and Personal Information
Date of Birth:
3 December 1981
Birth Place:
Tuilla, Langreo, Spain
Zodiac Sign:
Sagittarius
Nationality:
Spanish
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Top facts about David AlabaDavid Villa Early Life
Villa was born in Tuilla, a small, but beautiful village in Langreo, Asturias, a region in northern Spain. He is the son of José Manuel Villa, a miner. When Villa was four, his chances of becoming a footballer were put in jeopardy when he suffered broken femur in his right leg, but he made a complete recovery. Due to the injury, he and his father worked on strengthening his left leg and Villa ultimately became ambidextrous (being able to use both feet at the same time). He recalls his father being supportive throughout his whole career: "He would be there throwing me the ball over and over, making me kick it with my left leg when my right was in plaster after breaking it, I was four. I can barely remember a single training session when my dad wasn't there. I have never been alone on a football pitch."
Fun fact about
David Villa life story
is that, Villa admitted that he came close 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, realizing his talent could earn him a living. "In those days I was a nobody, not earning a penny and after being made to sit on the bench all season, I just 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 round." He went on to begin his footballing career at UP Langreo and when he turned 17, he joined the Mareo football school.
David Villa Profile
Another fact about
David Villa biography
is that, he attracted interest from many Asturian teams, but one of the province's bigger teams, Real Oviedo, declared that he was too short and that they did not believe he had sufficient potential. He subsequently got his professional breakthrough at his local club Sporting de Gijón, following in the footsteps of his childhood idol Quini. Starting out at the team's youth ranks,Villa started playing professional football in year 2000 at Sporting de Gijon.
Sporting de Gijon
Villa made his first-team debut in the 2000–01 season. After scoring 25 goals in two seasons, he became a first team regular. Pepe Acebal, Sporting's manager at the time, said that Villa initially lacked the stamina to have a real impact and had to be given his chance bit by bit and that Villa's capacity for work was "unrivalled".
Real Zaragoza
The sportsman continued his career in the club
Real Zaragoza. Once again, the young player did his best and showed his masterful style to become the best attacking player and leading penalty taker in the team. Still, the first game was unlucky: Zaragoza lost in the domestic match. In the next game, the team made amends and won a victory.
In his debuting season, David Villa scored 17 goals. His potential was being realized in the new club: for instance, he had his first double and hat-trick. At this period, David gained his first trophy, Copa del Rey. The club managed to qualify for the UEFA Europa League and reach 1/8 final.
Valencia
The sportsman’s results remained excellent. He was in a perfect shape and charmed fans with his playing technique. Famous Spanish clubs were eager to get the player; in the end, David Villa joined
Valencia. By that moment, the team was undergoing a challenging period but continued to fight. Villa helped the team: in the very first season, his chain of goals lifted Valencia from the seventh to the third position in the championship. In the next year, he scored from the center of the field to Deportivo’s gate. He formed a great partnership with former Real Madrid striker, Fernando Morientes, and the duo became lethal, killing La Liga giants.
In 2008, David won Copa del Rey. Top clubs were waiting for such a strong player.
Barcelona
In spring 2010, Barcelona bought the sportsman; the transfer cost was € 42 million. Experts believed David Villa was perfect for the Catalonian organization famous for its attacking style. Villa was not just a forward: he was the full-fledged member of complicated attacking combinations capable of appropriate assistance.
The Spanish player was collecting new prizes. In Catalonia, he won Copa del Rey, two La Ligas, and Champions League-2011. Fans still remember Villa’s goal in the final game: David scored the third goal against Manchester United which was decisive for the whole tournament.
Atletico Madrid
At the end of 2011, the forward was seriously injured. Because of his leg shinbone fracture, he had to quit sports for six months. After his return, he could not become the leading player again. The talented forward said goodbye to Barcelona and joined Atletico Madrid; the transfer cost was only € 5 million.
Diego Costa was the main forward of the team, but David also proved himself as a talented player: he scored 13 goals and had 36 matches. Atletico became the champion at Camp Nou but lost in the Champions League.
New York City
In 2014, the MLS club New York City agreed to terms with Villa and purchased the player. The contract was signed in May when the sports season was over; thus, David went to Australia to train with Melbourne City football club to keep himself fit.
During the time David Villa played for New York City football club, he was selected as the captain. He scored another center-field goal and received the title of the most precious MLS player.
Vissel Kobe
On December 1st 2018, Villa signed a contract with J1 League club Vissel Kobe. Villa stated that he was thrilled to rejoin his former Barcelona and Spain teammate, Andres Iniesta. On March 2nd , Villa scored his first ever goal in the J1 League during a 1–0 win over Sagan Tosu. On 13 November 2019, Villa announced that he would end his 19-year career and retire at the end of the 2019 J1 League season. On December 7th , he scored the final goal of his career from a penalty kick on the final matchday of the 2019 J1 League season, in a 4–1 win over Jubilo Iwata. On 1 January 2020, Villa entered the final of 2019 Emperor's Cup in 92nd minute as a substitute, thus, finishing his fruitful career with a Japanese silverware before retirement. Villa scored a total number of 13 goals during 28 J1 League matches.
Style of Play
Many experts and fans considered Villa as one of the best forwards of his generation, and possibly one of the best Spanish strikers of all-time. He was an opportunistic, multi-functional, and all-rounder in the prime of his footballing days. Although Villa was naturally right-footed, but he was an excellent and accurate finisher with either foot. He had the ability to score from both inside and outside penalty area. Even though he wasn’t a tall player, his jumping skill and his natural talent of heading the ball into the net came to his team’s rescue.
He was also a free-kick and penalty kick specialist. Villa was a fast player who possessed great acceleration as well as a flexible team player. He excelled at dribbling and possessed great technique. David Villa was famous for his work-rate and incredibly clever attacking movements, as well as his ability to either create space for his teammates or make solo offensive runs into the area. Because of his vision and versatile passing, through balls, and crossing abilities, he was also capable of linking up play with midfielders, and of making chances of scoring and providing assists for teammates, which has allowed him to be employed as a second striker, as an attacking midfielder or even as a winger sometimes throughout his career, in addition to his more common and preferred role as a center-forward.
Reception
“Villa was the best scorer in the whole history of Spanish football. It was a big experience to be with them, live with them and enjoy every moment with them.”
Many pundits and experts believe that David Villa was one of the best strikers of his generation, if not the best. This is mainly because of his finishing skills, accurate passing ability, along with his set-piece accuracy. These qualities hardly come together in one striker, but Villa had them all.
Goal Celebration
Villa doesn’t have a unique goal celebration to his name. However, his goal celebration in 2010 FIFA World Cup was considered as a hip back in the day. He would jump up and move his right hand in a stylish way. His favorite goal celebration is also sliding on his knees with fisted hands.
David Villa Outside Football
One of the most interesting facts about a biography, is the life of a player outside football. In this part of
David Villa biography
, we explore David Villa life story. Villa featured in EA Sports' FIFA video game series; he was on the cover of the Spanish edition of the video game FIFA 07, and he also appeared on the cover of the MLS custom edition of FIFA 16.
In 2010, Villa sang together with Grammy Award-nominated Spanish singer Ana Torroja on the song "Insurrection" by the Spanish band, El Último de la Fila. The song was recorded for the beneficiary project Voces X1FIN to help raise money to build an art and education school in Mali. Villa stated that football players "are an example for society and we have to be ready to get involved in these projects, where we can help people who need it". This was Villa’s first and probably last singing experience.
David Villa Personal Life
Fun fact about David Villa’s personal life, his father was his first coach.
David Villa religion
is not spoken publicly about, but since, he is a Spaniard, it’s safe to say he or his family are most likely catholic. His footballing idols are fellow Asturians Luis Enrique and Quini, both of whom also played for Sporting de Gijón and Barcelona. Let’s go down and explore Villa’s family, children and relationships.
Family, Children and Relationships
In 2003, Villa married his childhood sweetheart Patricia González, who had also been a footballer in her teenage years. Together they have three children: Zaida, Olaya and Luca. Villa has engraved the names of his children on his personalized Adidas F50 boots. We looked hard into Villa’s past, and we found no ex-girlfriends. He married the love of his life. David Villa has two sisters, named Elsa and Aide. Olaya, Villa’s second daughter is named after Fernando Torres’ wife, due to the excellent on and off field relationship between Villa and Torres. The media also says that Patricia, David Villa’s wife has a good relationship with Olaya, Fernando Torres’ wife.
Philanthropy
Villa frequently attends charity events. He is actively involved with the campaigns of the UNICEF charity. Beginning in July 2008, a David Villa Camp is held annually, where children receive training from professional footballers. Villa also participates in a training session with the children.
Legal Issues
In the summer of 2020, David Villa was accused of sexual harassment that took place during his time at New York City FC. A further investigation by the club found that "inappropriate and unacceptable" behavior took place, although Villa was not mentioned in the report. Villa maintains the allegations are "totally false".
David Villa Career Statistics
Villa has played professional football for 20 years, and a total number of 863 caps in both club and international level during his career, scoring the incredible number of 440 goals. This is precisely why we label David Villa as a prolific goalscorer, and a goalscoring specialist in the penalty area. Villa announced his retirement in 2020.
Club
At club level, Villa played 765 caps, and scored 381 goals. He recorded 225 appearances for Valencia in a 5-year spell, getting on the scoresheet 119 times, thus, recording his most appearances for a club in his career. His most successful years were at Valencia, where he recorded a goalscoring ratio of 0.57 goals per game, whereas in Barcelona, he had a goalscoring ratio of 0.40 goals per game.
International
At international level, Villa recorded a goalscoring ratio of 0.60 goals per game. His most successful year at the international level was 2008-2009, where he scored 13 goals in 14 games, recording a goalscoring ratio of 0.93 goals per game.
David Villa Honors
In this part of
David Villa biography
, we explore David Villa honors. During his professional career, David Villa has won several trophies, both at club and international level. He won Euro 2008 and FIFA World Cup in 2010 with Spain, with late Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque.
He has also won 3 La Ligas, two titles with Barcelona, and one with Atletico Madrid. His most achievements were with Barcelona, where he won 8 titles in 3 years. He won his sole UEFA Champions League title at Barcelona. He has also won 3 Copa del Reys, with Real Zaragoza, Valencia, and Barcelona.
Villa is also Spain and New York City’s top goalscorer with 59 goals in Spanish national team and 80 goals in New York City club to his name. David Villa also has a long list of individual awards to his name. To be accurate, 49 individual awards.
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