Photo: David Villa scores his final World Cup and International goal for Spain with an audacious flick in the 3-0 win over Australia. (Getty Images)
When David Villa Sanchez was given his international debut for Spain in February 2005 under the management of the late Luis Aragones, no one had envisioned that six years later he would have been a world champion and Spain’s all time leading scorer. It took the prolific striker just 72 appearances to overtake Raul’s tally of 44 goals, leaving his mark on Spanish Football as their greatest ever striker.
Born December 3, 1981 in the municipal town of Langreo in northern Spain, El Guaje suffered a fractured femur in his right leg at age four but achieved a full recovery. His father was instrumental to his recovery and it also helped to strengthen his left leg as a result. At the age of 14, Villa’s football career was in serious doubt after he fell out with his coach. However, due to the encouragement he received from his parents he started his football career at UP Langreo and at the age of 17 he joined the Mareo Football School.
The 5ft 9in striker got his professional breakthrough at Sporting Gijon where he advanced through the youth ranks before making his first team debut in the 2000/2001 season. He scored 25 goals in his first two seasons and subsequently became a first team regular. He moved to Real Zaragoza in the summer of 2003 where he spent two season before moving to Valencia. This was where Villa started to make a real name for himself as his partnership with David Silva became one of the most feared in La Liga.
Villa is much more than just a goal-scorer because he has the ability to make goals and can play in any position in the final third. He generally plays through the centre but has often been deployed from the left coming inside on his preferred right foot. He has an eye for the spectacular but his movement, intelligence and his natural ability to drift into spaces makes him very difficult to defend against.
He has the natural ability to get pass his markers with his flair, trickery and pace. He has great feet, an immaculate touch and is perhaps the most technically gifted striker in world football since Ronaldo from Brazil. His vision, composure and movement in the final third is world class and of the highest order. He is very strong in every department and the standard he sets is extremely high which has seen Vicente del Bosque struggle to find a replacement since his injury problems from he broke his leg at the Club World Cup in December 2011.
The 32 year old has won every major title inclusive of the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, La Liga, FIFA Club World Cup, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. He has also won numerous individual awards most noticeable Spanish Player of the Year 2005/2006, Euro 2008 Golden Boot and World Cup 2010 Silver Shoe.
He is the only Spanish player to have reached 50 international goals as he finished his career with 59 strikes from 97 appearances in the Spain jersey. He also finishes with the most World Cup goals as a Spaniard with 9 strikes leaving behind Raul, Fernando Hierro, Emilio Butragueno and Fernando Morientes all on 5 goals. David Villa registered 3 strikes in Germany 2006, 5 in South Africa 2010 and his single strike from one game in Brazil 2014.
With all his achievements Villa has risen to the top despite many setbacks. He may not be the striker he was since his broken leg in 2011 but when he is fully fit, El Guaje is one of the best strikers around. He epitomises what a player in Spain’s ‘golden generation’ is like and was integral to everthing La Roja Furia achieved. Xavi, perhaps Spain’s greatest ever player, dubbed David Villa Spain’s ‘life insurance policy’ at the World Cup in South Africa.
Such praise from the main man behind Spain’s philosophy puts Villa in a special category. His emergence perhaps dented Fernando Torres’ career but no one can doubt that David Villa Sanchez is one of the best strikers to have ever played the beautiful game.
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