David Villa is the most titled Spanish footballer. He is idolized at home, there he is the same legend as Pele in Brazil and Maradona in Argentina. Villa has more than 500 matches played in games of various levels and about 300 goals scored.
Biography: early years
David Villa Sanchez was born on December 3, 1981 in the tiny village of Tuilla, which is located in the municipality of Langreo in the province of Asturias. This area in northern Spain was rich in coal. David's father, Jose Manuel, like most local men, worked at the mine. However, he was a fan of football. In his spare time, his father coached a team of local boys. He dreamed that his son also played football.
David began to chase the ball across the field from the age of three. The father personally worked with his son, despite the fatigue after a hard shift in the mine. However, at the age of four, David fell unsuccessfully and received a very serious injury to the femur of his right leg.
Doctors offered the family two options for solving the problem. The first involved a light operation, after which David waited for limited movement for his whole life, and the second - applying gypsum from the hip to the ankle with painfully long rehabilitation, but with a high probability of returning to his former life. Parents have chosen the second way.
Recovery took two months. During this time, the four-year-old David did not get out of bed. When he began to move, his father began to teach him to work with his left foot. Thanks to the injury, David became a “two-legged” footballer: he learned how to handle the ball equally well with both his right and left foot.
The care and support of his father became a catalyst for the progress of Villa. Thanks to connections and perseverance, he managed to arrange a nine-year-old David in one of the prestigious children's football clubs in the province of Asturias. The father personally drove and brought his son to training.
As a child, David was a feeble boy, for this reason he lacked stamina. The club's coaches drew attention to this and said that David is physically weak and completely unsuitable for football. He had to go to the club more modest. In an interview, Villa admitted that then it became a tragedy for him and on this basis certain complexes developed.
At the age of 16, David entered the football academy of the club Sporting Gijon, which was considered one of the honorary in Spain. By that time, he still did not differ in stamina and a good “breath”, which is important for a football player. Moreover, he had a well-developed so-called scoring instinct. Experienced coaches did not want to lose a player with such quality and after training gave David an additional load: he wound several circles and practiced in the gym. After a couple of years, he was no longer recognized. At the same time, Villa received the first contract in a professional club.
Career
From 2003 to 2005, David defended the colors of Zaragoza. During this time, he became the best forward of the club. Villa spent 73 games for him, scoring 36 goals. As part of this club, he won the Spanish Cup.
In 2005, David moved to Valencia. In the debut season, he became the club's top scorer. After this, Villa made his debut in the national team. He defended the colors of Valencia for four seasons. During this time, Villa played 166 matches and scored 107 goals. Great speed, scoring flair, an excellent hit with both legs, a decent head game - all this allowed David to become one of the best strikers in the Spanish championship.
In 2008, he brilliantly performed at the European Championships as part of the national team. The Spaniards then took the "gold". In 2010, the world championship was secured. The Spaniards again celebrated the victory. And in her there is a definite contribution of David.
In 2010, Villa became a player in Barcelona. Playing for the Catalans for three seasons, he took eight trophies, including the Champions League Cup. In the Barcelona T-shirt, Villa scored 33 goals in 77 matches.
In 2013, the Catalans decided to sell Vilyu. The reason was the injury that prevented him from being a base player. So David was in Madrid “Atletico”. With him, the club celebrated the victory in the Spanish championship for the first time in 18 years. Very well, “mattresses” made in the Champions League, reaching the final game. “Real” prevented them from taking the coveted Cup.
After a very successful season at Atlético, Villa unexpectedly decided to move to the States. There he became a New York City player. True, on loan he played for the Australian Melbourne City.
In 2019, Davil became the forward of the Japanese Vissel Kobe. With him, he took the Japan Cup. In January 2020, David announced his retirement from football.
