Which club does David Villa play for? David Villa: photo, biography of the football player. Football career of David Villa

What is the secret of football stars is constantly argued and discussed. Let's add fuel to the fire and try to reveal Villa's secret too. A phenomenon in a happy combination of speed...

David Villa: photo, biography of the football player

From Masterweb

07.06.2018 10:00

There are telling names in the world. The Spanish super-prolific football player David Villa has exactly this. “Villa” means “village” in Spanish, and he was born in the village of Tuilla, in the municipality of Langreo, which, in turn, is located in the northern Spanish province of Asturias.

Villa de Villa

It is not difficult to guess that his parents were not rich. The father worked at the Langreo mine and purposefully raised his son to be a football player. Already at the age of four, David was kicking a ball. At this age, he suffered a serious injury - a fracture of the femur. In the future, David paid tribute to his father, who always supported him in playing football and showed persistence in his relationship with his son when difficulties pushed him to give up the sport in his youth.

But there were enough difficulties. In a team football school"Langreo", for example, did not get along with the coach. I had to go to Mareo, where the talent of scorer Villa, who is from the village, showed itself.

Villa - "Nuevilla"

David's exploits youth football all the clubs in Asturias were interested. However, father and son Villa sent their steps to the then leading team of the province, Oviedo. However, the Asturian Real Madrid considered David unpromising, apparently due to his unimpressive physical characteristics. They say that in adult football they will bully the guy.

This was not a tragedy for the newcomer Villa. Fortunately, there was also Sporting Gijon, which played in the Segunda (second division) of Spain. They didn’t focus on David Villa’s height there. They gave him a chance to play for Nueville in the second team, where he showed his promise. Therefore, he was included in the main squad of Sporting without fear and quickly became the main attacking weapon there. Next came the inevitable in the biography of David Villa - the transition to more great team.

Villa - "maravilla"

It became Zaragoza, which is also officially called Real Madrid. It was here that David received his first rhymed nickname from journalists. "Maravilla" is "magic". This was the name given to Villa's decisive goal against Real Madrid (result - 3:2) in the final of the Spanish Cup of the 2003-04 season. If someone didn’t notice Villa before, then after this goal absolutely everyone saw the light. On next year he even received an invitation to the national team. In addition, this was a historical event for Zaragoza. "Real" from Zaragoza, although "Real", is not one of the giants of Spanish football. Therefore, David had to leave her too.

Villa - "eficasilla"

Perhaps, Villa's talent was fully demonstrated in Valencia - a team that is now not the leader of Spanish football, but with a glorious past and great ambitions. Valencia (pictured David Villa) won only one Copa del Rey, but it was with this team that he became Spain's top scorer four times in five seasons. Such performance ("efikasya" in Spanish) was characteristic only of the titans of the past like di Stefano. But that was then, and Villa was playing now!

Villa - "campeonilla"

The Spanish national team - champion ("campeon" in Spanish) of Europe in 2008 and world champion in 2010 - cannot be imagined without David Villa. Memories of these tournaments will always begin with his name. In addition, Villa took over almost all of the team’s scoring records.

Villa - "traumilla"

The inevitable happened once again. Further in his career there had to be “grands”: either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Villa chose the Catalan club. In Barcelona he reached all the peaks, but in the company of great football players his talent no longer stood out so much. David's game faded somewhat - he was no longer among the top scorers in Primera. In Barcelona, two injuries came ("trauma" - in Spanish), which he had previously happily avoided, despite the harshness, unceremoniousness, and sometimes meanness of the Spanish defenders. Due to one of the injuries, I even had to miss the 2012 European Championships. It also turned out that David is not very comfortable in Catalonia. He decided to change the situation. Barcelona tried to keep the striker, but where would they go if they offered more than five million dollars.

Villa - "colchonilla"

David left not just anywhere, but to Atlético Madrid, which was determined to finally be reborn from the ashes. The "mattresses" ("colchones" - Atlético's nickname because of its red and white striped uniform; according to legend, the team's first uniform was made from mattress fabric) were going to win all possible prizes. Although Villa was far from shining, he helped the club become the champion of Spain for the first time in 18 years and reach the Champions League final.

Villa - "Americanilla"

The season at Atlético showed that David's youth was behind him. And, of course, it couldn’t be eternal. With a light heart, David went to the USA to create his “maravilla” in New York City (his arrival in the economic capital of the USA was preceded by a short loan to the Australian Melbourne City), playing in the local MLS league. The level of football here, of course, is lower than in the Spanish Primera, but in the USA they already know very well which side to kick the ball from. Therefore, the two MLS Most Valuable Player titles surprised many. Apparently, the “village” guy hasn’t said his last word yet. What is the confirmation of video 10 best goals Villa last season.

Villa - "phenomenal"

What is the secret of football stars is constantly argued and discussed. Let's add fuel to the fire and try to reveal Villa's secret too. Phenomenon (“phenomeno” in Spanish) is a happy combination of speed, technicality, agility, quick thinking and scoring instinct. It is impossible to say what is primary and what is secondary in this list. It is all together that makes it possible to enroll this football player in world history like Villa - "maravilla".

Dossier

David Villa Sanchez (Spain). Villa

Football player.

Born on December 3, 1981 in Langreo (province of Asturias).

Role: striker.

Anthropometrics: 175 cm, 69 kg.

2000-03 - Sporting (Gijon, Spain) - 80 games, 39 goals;
2000-01 - Sporting B (Gijon, Spain) - 36 games, 14 goals;
2003-05 - Zaragoza (Spain) - 73 games, 32 goals;
2005-10 - Valencia (Spain) - 166 games, 107 goals;
2010-13 - Barcelona (Spain) - 77 games, 33 goals;
2013-14 - Atlético (Madrid, Spain) - 36 games, 13 goals;
2014 - Melbourne City (Australia) - 4 games, 2 goals;
since 2014 - New York City (USA) - 104 games, 69 goals;
In the Spanish national team (2005-17) - 98 games, 59 goals.

Achievements:

Spanish Cup 2004, 2008, 2011, 2014.
Spanish Super Cup 2004, 2010, 2011.
Top scorer Spanish championships 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010.
Best Footballer Spain 2006.
"Gold" of Europe 2008.
In the symbolic team of Europe 2008.
"Bronze" of the 2009 Confederations Cup.
"Gold" of the world 2010.
In the symbolic team of the world (FIFA version) 2010.
Best Athlete Asturias 2010.
Champion of Spain 2011, 2013.
Winner of the Champions League 2011.
Winner of the 2011 European Super Cup.
Golden medal Royal Order of Sports Merit (Spain) 2011.
Silver medalist of the 2013 Confederations Cup.
MLS Most Valuable Player (US Championship) 2016, 2017.
Record holder of the Spanish national team for goals at the World Championships (9).
The best scorer in the history of the Spanish national team (59).

Personal life:

Married to Patricia Gonzalez. They have two daughters - Saida (13 years old) and Olalya (8 years old), as well as a son, Luca (5 years old).

Public life:

In 2007, he appeared alongside Brazilian Ronaldinho on the box of the FIFA 07 video game, which also included an interview with the player as a bonus.
In 2008, he participated in the campaign to recognize the Asturian language as the official language of the province of Asturias.
In 2008, he first organized the charity match “Friends of Villa vs. Friends of Mejuto” (Mejuto is a famous Spanish football referee, Villa’s fellow countryman). Since then, this has traditionally been held on Catholic Christmas. The teams constantly include familiar faces of famous Spanish athletes, artists and musicians.
In May 2010, he released the DVD "Learn to Play with David Villa", which includes football lessons, as well as a documentary about Villa and a video clip of the song "Villa Maravilla" ("Magic Villa").
In July 2012, he publicly supported the miners' strike in his native Langreo, emphasizing that he himself comes from a mining family.

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David Villa is one of the brightest (and most goal-scoring) football players in modern Spain. Just appearing on the field, this player immediately attracts the attention of spectators and photo reporters. After all, real miracles are always expected from this football player. He is fast, technical and extremely talented. His game forces you to follow every movement of the ball without taking your eyes off. But is it possible to understand this magic hidden in the lace that David Villa weaves on the football field? Probably not.

Leaving aside all speculation and conclusions, today we will try to follow how the career of the famous Spanish player developed in order to present to your attention a detailed story about the career path of one of the best strikers in the world.

The early years and beginning of David Villa's career on the football field

The future star of the Spanish national team first lit up in the small provincial town of Langreo, located in the northern part of Spain. David’s father was a miner, and therefore the future football player saw him quite rarely. Despite this fact, my father always helped the future football player as best he could. He became the first coach for little David, and then he personally assigned him to one of the local sports schools.

It is worth noting that the future football player dreamed of playing No. 1 since childhood. All day long he played ball with his friends and neighborhood boys. However, such a passion almost cost the boy his health. The thing is that at the age of four, David Villa broke the femur of his right leg. After this, for a long time there were suspicions that the guy would not be able to walk normally. But, thank God, the worst fears did not come true. The boy recovered and began playing football again.

At this stage, his father played an important role in the fate of his son. It was he who worked long and hard with his son, trying to give him the necessary loads to strengthen his legs. It is quite noteworthy that the emphasis during training was on left leg, although Villa is naturally right-handed. As a result of this, the guy was able to learn how to master both legs, which greatly helped him in his future career.

In 1991 young football player began playing for the youth team of the semi-professional club “Langreo”. The footballer spent eight years in this team, during which he improved his innate skill and ability to handle the ball.

It is very noteworthy that David Villa was by no means in the leading role in this team. Even in minor league games, the football player often found himself on the bench. Often there were conflicts with the coach, which one day made the player seriously think about parting with football.

However, at a difficult moment, the young guy was again supported by his father. And some time later, another significant event happened in the striker’s life - the coaches of Sporting Gijon noticed the player and invited him to continue his career at their club. So, the young player ended up in the main team of Asturias.

David Villa - Top 10 Goals

Professional career of David Villa

In this team, things went much better for the striker. He very soon became the leader of the club's youth team, and some time later he was transferred to the main team. In 2000, he first appeared on the field in an official Sporting match, but was unable to immediately gain a foothold in the team and was transferred for a year to Sporting B, the club’s backup team, playing in the third strongest division in Spain.

After playing for a year in the reserve team, David Villa got stronger and returned to the main squad as a completely different player. In the 2001/2002 season, the striker became the main player in the team. Moreover, very soon the bright forward took leading roles in Sporting Gijon. With his arrival, the team, lacking stars from the sky, instantly transformed and began to represent a formidable force by the standards of the Segunda (the second strongest Spanish division). In total, the player spent two seasons in this team, during which he appeared on the field eighty times wearing a Sporting T-shirt and hit the opponents’ goal thirty-nine times.

Already during this period it became clear that the club, modest by Spanish standards, would not be able to retain a scoring striker. Ultimately this is what happened. And, having left Sporting Gijon, which plays in the Segunda, David Villa moved to the more prosperous club Real Zaragoza.

David Villa - Best Goals Ever

As part of this team, the forward made his debut in Primera (the top division of Spain). During the three years spent in Zaragoza, the striker managed to become a favorite of the public and the club's main scorer. It is quite remarkable that while still a player in the modest Zaragoza, David Villa began to be called up to the national team for the first time. From that moment on, the player's career moved steadily upward.

In 2005, the forward became a player football club Valencia (one of the most titled teams in the history of Spanish football). This command has always played a leading role in Spain, but almost never won any significant trophies. Such a situation could hardly have suited the bright forward, who by that time had managed to become a real star Spanish national team. Therefore, after five seasons in Valencia, the player moved to Barcelona, where he formed an attacking team with the Argentinean Leonel Messi.

David Villa now

To date, David Villa is the best scorer in the history of the Spanish national team, as well as the European Champion, World Champion, winner of two sets of gold medals at the Spanish Championship (as part of Barcelona), as well as many, many other awards. To date, David Villa remains one of the most successful center forwards in the history of world football.

Personal life of David Villa

David Villa managed to achieve considerable success in his personal life. In 2003, he married Patricia Gonzalez, with whom, according to the player himself, he had been in love since childhood. It is quite noteworthy that in her youth the girl played professionally women's football. In his marriage to this pretty beauty, David Villa had three children - two daughters (Saida and Olaya) and a son, Luca.

David Villa was born in a small village in the Principality of Asturias, in northern Spain, into a mining family. His father played a big role in his development as a football player - Jose Manuel Villa not only personally took his son to football school, but also coached him, when 4-year-old David broke his right leg.

“My right leg was in a cast, and my father threw balls to me so that I could kick with my left leg,”

recalled the football player. It was these trainings, according to Villa himself, that led to the fact that he, naturally right-handed, began to masterfully use his left foot.

Sporting Gijon

2000-2003

At the age of 17, Villa signed a contract with Sporting Gijon, for which he made his debut in the 2000-2001 season, but played only one game and was sent to the second team. However, a year later the young striker was returned to the first team, and, as it turned out, not in vain.

Over two seasons in Segunda (Sporting then played in the second division of the Spanish championship), Villa scored 42 goals, becoming the top scorer and one of the club leaders. The trust in the young guy is eloquently demonstrated by the fact that 19-year-old David became the club’s full-time penalty taker.

Real Zaragoza

2003-2005

It was clear that Villa would not stay long in Gijon and in 2003 he left for a “promotion” to Zaragoza, which played in Example. David did not get lost there either, in the first season he became the team's top scorer (21 goals, 17 of them in the championship).

It was there that Villa won his first trophy, the Copa del Rey. In the final, Zaragoza beat Real Madrid 3:2 in extra time, and Villa scored his team's second goal.

This victory allowed the club to play in the UEFA Cup, and David Villa made his debut in European competition. His goals helped the team leave the group and then pass the Turkish Fenerbahce, but in the 1/8 finals Zaragoza lost to Austria due to the greater number of goals conceded at home.

It’s interesting that with the transition to the club elite division David Villa's performance has not actually changed - in two seasons spent in Zaragoza, he scored 40 goals - only 2 less than for the previous club. It is not surprising that leading clubs in Spain have their eyes on the 22-year-old forward.

"Valencia"

2005-2010

As a result, David Villa ended up in Valencia. Of course, the “bats” somewhat lost their positions (in the early 2000s, “Valencia” was the champion of Spain and reached the Champions League final), but still this team constantly fought for a place in the top four.

Already in the first season, David Villa scored 25 goals in the championship, and Valencia moved from seventh place to third place in the championship. standings. And in the 2008-2009 season, David Villa will repeat the record achievement for the club's forwards - 28 goals in the Spanish Championship. Back in Valencia, David Villa managed to score a goal from the center of the field - Deportivo suffered.

In Valencia, David Villa revealed himself as an assistant, with his technique and style of play this is not at all surprising, but still this is not entirely typical for a scorer. For example, in the 2006-2007 season, David Villa, with 12 assists, became the best assistant in La Liga.

But things didn’t go well with trophies - David Villa’s collection was replenished only with the Spanish Cup, won by the team in 2008. In addition, in Valencia, Villa became the main striker of the Spanish national team, winning the European and World Championships with it (David Villa went to the 2010 World Cup as a Barcelona player, but at that time he did not play a single official game for the Catalans match).

It was clear to everyone that David had long outgrown the level of his club and should play in a top-level team.

Barcelona

2010-2013

Justice was done on May 19, 2010 - it was on this day that David Villa signed a contract with Barcelona, which paid 42 million euros for his transfer.

In May's opinion, Villa fit perfectly into the attacking game of the Catalan club, because he was not just a forward - a finisher of attacks, but a full-fledged participant in the team's attacking actions, capable of playing along and giving an assist.

In Catalonia, Villa finally collected a collection of titles befitting a player of his level: two championships, a national cup, a Champions League. While playing for Barcelona, Villa began to score slightly less, but this is not surprising, given the level of the attacking players of the Catalan club.

And his most memorable goals for Barça are, perhaps, a double in “Real Madrid”, when Real Madrid was defeated with a score of 5:0, and the third goal against Manchester United in the London 2011 Champions League final, which finally decided outcome of the meeting.

In December 2011, David Villa received a serious injury - a fracture of the tibia of his left leg. The recovery took more than six months; David Villa missed Euro 2012 due to injury, and after returning to duty, the forward could no longer regain his former position in the club.

No, he didn’t stop being in the starting line-up, he didn’t stop scoring (although he started doing it much less often), but this is Barcelona and if you’re not the best, you give way to others.

Atlético Madrid

2013-2014

So Villa ended up in Atletico Madrid, which paid just over 5 million euros for his transfer - ridiculous money for a player of this level.

The main striker of the “mattress players” was, but Villa’s contribution to the championship won by the club cannot be underestimated - he played 36 out of 38 matches, scored 13 goals and gave 4 assists.

It is symbolic that championship title with the new club, David Villa won at the Camp Nou (Atlético became the champion in the match last round after a draw with Barcelona), as if removing the crown from his previous team.

But David Villa failed to win in the Champions League with Atlético. The team was not even minutes away from victory, but probably seconds, but Sergio Ramos sent the game into overtime, where Real was already stronger.

"New York city"

2014-present

And in May 2014, David Villa signed a contract with the MLS club New York City. Since the season in the North American League had already ended, David flew to Australia, where he played for Melbourne City.

The Spaniard is now captain of New York City and plays alongside Andrea Pirlo. Villa continues to delight fans with its play and goals.

In America, he again achieved a masterpiece - in the 90th minute of the regular season match, David Villa scored a midfield goal against Philadelphia. At the end of 2016, Villa was recognized as the most valuable player in MLS.

Spain national team

2005-2014

David Villa made his national team debut in February 2005 in a match against San Marino as part of the 2006 World Cup qualifying round, and his first goal for national team he scored in the fourth match, hitting the goal of the Slovak team.

The first major tournament at the national team level for Villa was the World Cup in Germany, where he scored a double against the Ukrainian national team and opened the scoring in the match with the French in the 1/8 finals, which, however, did not help the Spaniards - they lost 1:3.

At Euro 2008, the Russian national team suffered from the actions of David Villa - in the first round match he scored a hat-trick against Igor Akinfeev, and in the second round he scored the winning goal in the last minute of the match with the Swedes. In fact, then David Villa's goals opened the way for Spain to the playoffs.

But in my opinion, Villa held the strongest tournament in 2010. Then the Spaniards began their path to the championship with a defeat from the Swiss team. In the second round, David Villa's double brought Spain a difficult victory over unyielding Honduras, and in the third round, he opened the scoring in the match against the Chileans. He scored a goal each in the 1/8 finals of Portugal and in the quarterfinals of Paraguay - both matches ended in a 1:0 victory for the Spaniards. Thus, before the semi-finals, Villa scored 5 of his team's 6 goals. It is quite possible that without him the Spanish team would not have won the world championship.

David Villa missed the 2012 European Championship due to injury, and at the 2014 World Championship he played only in the final round against the Australian national team, when the Spaniards had already said goodbye to the tournament. Having scored a goal in this match, David Villa said goodbye to the Spanish national team, having played 97 matches and scored 59 goals.

Titles of David Villa

Team

Three-time champion of Spain.
Three-time winner of the Spanish Cup.
Three-time winner of the Spanish Super Cup.
Champions League winner.
Winner of the European Super Cup.
World champion.
European Champion.

Individual

Best Spanish Footballer 2006
Top scorer of the 2008 European Championship.
Top scorer of the 2010 World Cup.
Top scorer of the Spanish national team - 59 goals.

Family and personal life of David Villa

Since 2003, David Villa has been married to Patricia Gonzalez, they have two daughters, Saida and Olalla, and a son, Luca.

David Villa's first club could have been Real Oviedo, but they refused to sign the contract, considering the player unpromising.
In his first three clubs, David Villa was consistently the top scorer in his first season.
In his 100th appearance for Valencia, Villa scored a hat-trick.
Despite his performance, David Villa was never able to become the top scorer of the Spanish Championship. But Villa won the Sarah Trophy (a prize for the best scorer - a Spaniard) four times.
In August 2011, in the clasico against Real Madrid, David Villa and Mesut Ozil were sent off after a clash. As the German later stated, the quarrel occurred because David Villa insulted Islam.

Villa also had conflicts with his teammates - during one of the matches he quarreled with Leo Messi when he began to complain to Villa for shooting wide of the goal instead of passing.

Recently, information appeared that David Villa was retiring, but the forward extended his contract with New York City, which means he will still please the audience with his performance. The path is even only overseas.

David Villa is the pride of Spain. A native of a small village, he changed several famous European clubs and reached America. The striker's playing style is original. David prefers long passes and dribbling, likes to shoot from distance and often plays in the air.

Childhood and youth

David's biography began in the village of Langreo in northern Spain. The boy was born into the family of miner Jose Manuel Villa. The man was fond of football and became the first coach for the heir, and later took his son to sports school"Mareo."

The head of the family seriously intended to mold David into the future football star. Even when the 4-year-old child broke his right leg, he continued to practice with the ball. Since then, Villa has mastered his left leg.

One day, due to protracted disagreements with the school coach, the boy was going to give up sports. Young David was tired of warming the bench and wanted to give up everything and leave. But my father persuaded me not to give up my dream, and training continued. Since 1991, the boy studied at the Langreo club.

Football

Already at the age of 17, many large provincial clubs paid attention to David. The first contract was offered by Sporting, based in the city of Gijon. The young man accepted the offer and made his debut in the reserves. After a season, fans began to notice the talented player in the main team.

Villa was immediately put into the position of striker. In two seasons he managed to prove himself brilliantly, so much so that he received the title of top scorer and became the leader of the team. His ball hit the opponents' goal 42 times. The organization's leadership gained confidence in the young football player, making him a full-time penalty taker.

The athlete continued his career in the top division club Zaragoza, which plays in Example. And here the capable football player did not lose his head, showing everything he could do. He again won the title of top scorer and full-time penalty taker. The first appearance on the field, however, turned out to be unsuccessful. Then Zaragoza lost the home match. But in the next match the team won.

In his debut season, Villa managed to score 17 goals. The potential of the football player blossomed in this FC. Among the achievements are the first double and a hat-trick. Here David opened the list of trophies, winning the Spanish Cup. Together with him, the club managed to qualify for the UEFA Cup and even reach the 1/8 finals.

David Villa's best goals

Statistics of a football player with a change sports organization did not remain unchanged, he continued to maintain excellent form, captivating fans with his playing technique. Famous Spanish clubs have opened a hunt for the forward. As a result, David Villa joined the ranks of Valencia.

However, at that time the “bats” lost ground, but continued to fiercely fight for their place in the sun. And Villa helped the team, in the very first season, with a scattering of goals, he raised Valencia from seventh to third place in the championship. A year later, he distinguished himself by scoring the ball against Deportivo from the center of the field. In 2008, David won the Spanish Cup. Top teams were waiting for the matured player, who was already cramped within the “weak” clubs.

In the spring of 2010, the striker was bought by Barcelona for a transfer fee of €42 million. According to football experts, he fit perfectly into the character of the Catalan organization, which is famous for its attacking play. Villa is not just a forward, the young man knows how to become a full-fledged participant in attacks and make assists.

The Spaniard finally began to expand his collection of trophies and titles again. In Catalonia, the footballer snatched the national cup, two championships from his opponents, and won the 2011 Champions League. Fans will remember Villa's goal in the League for a long time: in the final, the young man scored the third goal against the Manchester United team, deciding the fate of the competition.

At the end of 2011, the forward was seriously injured. Due to a fracture of the tibia, I had to forget about sports for six months, and upon returning to the team, I was unable to become a leader again. Soon, the talented striker said goodbye to Barça, ending up as part of Atletico Madrid, who bought him for only € 5 million.

He was listed as the main striker, but David also managed to make a name for himself: he scored 13 goals and appeared in 36 matches. With Villa, the “mattress guys” became champions at the Camp Nou, beating Barcelona, but lost the Champions League.

In 2014, the Spaniard was assigned to MLS New York City. The contract was signed in May, and at that time the next sports season had already come to an end. Therefore, David went to Australia to stay in shape, where he played for Melbourne City.

Over the years of cooperation with New York City, he became the captain of the American club. He scored again with a goal from midfield, and Villa was later awarded the title of MLS Most Valuable Footballer.

The athlete first played for the Spanish national team in the winter of 2005, scoring his debut goal by the fall. The Slovakian goal received the ball from David's foot. The World Cup tournament in Germany became important for the Spaniard. David scored a double against the Ukrainian goal and the first goal in the match with France. Then Spain reached the 1/8 finals.

Euro 2008 added more fans to Villa: he scored a hat-trick in the game with the Russians, and in the second round, the winning goal in the match with Sweden. The team reached the playoffs. Many football fans remember David’s achievements in 2010. Switzerland fell to the Spaniards, the striker scored goals in the 1/8 and 1/4 finals - he scored five out of six goals, and in the end the team became the world champion. And this merit is attributed to the forward.

Villa lamented in 2012 - he did not make it to the European Championship, an injury prevented him. But two years later he took to the field in the final round against Australia and scored a goal. Since then, the footballer has not been called up to the national team. In total, the striker scored 59 goals in matches at the national level.

David greatly appreciates the talent and merits of his Barcelona colleague. In 2016, I was rooting for the football legend to be awarded the Golden Ball, but the award went to . Villa noted in the comments to the event:

“It’s difficult to evaluate this award. Sometimes individual contributions are assessed, sometimes team successes are assessed. But if we're talking about best player world, then Messi should have received the award. This year and many more years to come.”

Personal life

To the disappointment of female football fans, the handsome, dark-skinned footballer, who also has an excellent physique (with a height of 175 cm, David weighs 69 kg), has long established his personal life. Back in 2003, the beautiful Patricia Gonzalez became the athlete’s wife. The family has three children: two daughters and a son, Luka.

With family and sports life the Spanish striker is introduced by his personal page on "Instagram". There are especially many photos with the heir.

David Villa now

In August 2017, the coaching staff of the Spanish national team announced their bid for the upcoming qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. For the first time in four years, David Villa, who has already scored 19 goals for MLS this season, was on the list of players called up to the national team. However, the striker was not included in the final list of players at the championship held in Russia. Defending the honor of Spain were Iago Aspas, Rodrigo Moreno and Diego Costa.

Today, the New York City FC forward's salary is $5.61 million. In May 2018, the young man celebrated his anniversary: in a match against Dallas he scored the 400th and 401st goals in his football career. The achievement put him in sixth place on the list of those who managed to overcome the mark of four hundred goals scored. In front of the Spaniard are Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Samuel Eto'o.

Awards

2008 - European champion
2010 - World champion
2009 - bronze medalist of the Confederations Cup
2013 - silver medalist of the Confederations Cup
Three Spanish Super Cups
Three Spanish Cups
Twice champion of Spain
2011 - Champions League winner
2011 - UEFA Super Cup
2011 - winner of the Club World Championship
2013/2014 - champion of Spain

Villa de Villa

But there were enough difficulties. The team at the Langreo football school, for example, did not get along with the coach. I had to go to Mareo, where the talent of scorer Villa, who is from the village, showed itself.

Villa - "Nuevilla"

David's exploits in youth football attracted the interest of all clubs in Asturias. However, father and son Villa sent their steps to the then leading team of the province, Oviedo. However, the Asturian Real Madrid considered David unpromising, apparently due to his unimpressive physical characteristics. They say that in adult football they will bully the guy.

This was not a tragedy for the newcomer Villa. Fortunately, there was also Sporting Gijon, which played in the Segunda (second division) of Spain. They didn’t focus on David Villa’s height there. They gave him a chance to play for Nueville in the second team, where he showed his promise. Therefore, he was included in the main squad of Sporting without fear and quickly became the main attacking weapon there. Then came the inevitable in the biography of David Villa - a move to a better team.

Villa - "maravilla"

It became Zaragoza, which is also officially called Real Madrid. It was here that David received his first rhymed nickname from journalists. "Maravilla" is "magic". This was the name given to Villa's decisive goal against Real Madrid (result - 3:2) in the final of the Spanish Cup of the 2003-04 season. If someone didn’t notice Villa before, then after this goal absolutely everyone saw the light. The next year he even received an invitation to the national team. In addition, this was a historical event for Zaragoza. "Real" from Zaragoza, although "Real", is not one of the giants of Spanish football. Therefore, David had to leave her too.

Villa - "eficasilla"

Villa - "campeonilla"

Villa - "traumilla"

Villa - "colchonilla"

Villa - "Americanilla"

The season at Atlético showed that David's youth was behind him. And, of course, it couldn’t be eternal. With a light heart, David went to the USA to create his “maravilla” in New York City (his arrival in the economic capital of the USA was preceded by a short loan to the Australian Melbourne City), playing in the local MLS league. The level of football here, of course, is lower than in the Spanish Primera, but in the USA they already know very well which side to kick the ball from. Therefore, the two MLS Most Valuable Player titles surprised many. Apparently, the “village” guy hasn’t said his last word yet. This is confirmed by the video of Villa's 10 best goals last season.

Villa - "phenomenal"

What is the secret of football stars is constantly argued and discussed. Let's add fuel to the fire and try to reveal Villa's secret too. Phenomenon (“phenomeno” in Spanish) is a happy combination of speed, technicality, agility, quick thinking and scoring instinct. It is impossible to say what is primary and what is secondary in this list. It is all together that allows this football player to be recorded in world history as Villa - “Maravilla”.

Dossier

David Villa Sanchez (Spain). Villa

Football player.

Born on December 3, 1981 in Langreo (province of Asturias).

Role: striker.

Anthropometrics: 175 cm, 69 kg.

2000-03 - Sporting (Gijon, Spain) - 80 games, 39 goals;
2000-01 - Sporting B (Gijon, Spain) - 36 games, 14 goals;
2003-05 - Zaragoza (Spain) - 73 games, 32 goals;
2005-10 - Valencia (Spain) - 166 games, 107 goals;
2010-13 - Barcelona (Spain) - 77 games, 33 goals;
2013-14 - Atlético (Madrid, Spain) - 36 games, 13 goals;
2014 - Melbourne City (Australia) - 4 games, 2 goals;
since 2014 - New York City (USA) - 104 games, 69 goals;
In the Spanish national team (2005-17) - 98 games, 59 goals.

Achievements:

Spanish Cup 2004, 2008, 2011, 2014.
Spanish Super Cup 2004, 2010, 2011.
Top scorer of the Spanish championships 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010.
The best football player in Spain 2006.
"Gold" of Europe 2008.
In the symbolic team of Europe 2008.
"Bronze" of the 2009 Confederations Cup.
"Gold" of the world 2010.
In the symbolic team of the world (FIFA version) 2010.
Best athlete of Asturias 2010.
Champion of Spain 2011, 2013.
Winner of the Champions League 2011.
Winner of the 2011 European Super Cup.
Gold medal of the Royal Order of Sports Merit (Spain) 2011.
Silver medalist of the 2013 Confederations Cup.
MLS Most Valuable Player (US Championship) 2016, 2017.
Record holder of the Spanish national team for goals at the World Championships (9).
The best scorer in the history of the Spanish national team (59).

Personal life:

Married to Patricia Gonzalez. They have two daughters - Saida (13 years old) and Olalya (8 years old), as well as a son, Luca (5 years old).

Public life:

In 2007, he appeared alongside Brazilian Ronaldinho on the box of the FIFA 07 video game, which also included an interview with the player as a bonus.
In 2008, he participated in the campaign to recognize the Asturian language as the official language of the province of Asturias.
In 2008, he first organized the charity match “Friends of Villa vs. Friends of Mejuto” (Mejuto is a famous Spanish football referee, Villa’s fellow countryman). Since then, this has traditionally been held on Catholic Christmas. The teams constantly include familiar faces of famous Spanish athletes, artists and musicians.
In May 2010, he released the DVD "Learn to Play with David Villa", which includes football lessons, as well as a documentary about Villa and a video clip of the song "Villa Maravilla" ("Magic Villa").
In July 2012, he publicly supported the miners' strike in his native Langreo, emphasizing that he himself comes from a mining family.