David Villa
Encyclopedia
David Villa Sánchez nicknamed , is a Spanish
footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona
and the Spanish national football team
. He can also operate as a winger.
Despite sustaining a serious injury as a child, he started his professional career with Sporting de Gijón
. He moved to Real Zaragoza
after two seasons, where he made his La Liga
début, winning his first senior honours—the Copa del Rey
and Supercopa de España
. He joined Valencia CF
in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million and was part of the Valencia team that won the Copa del Rey in the 2007–08 season. In 2010 he moved to FC Barcelona
for €40 million where he won his first La Liga
and UEFA Champions League
titles.
Villa made his international début in 2005. He has since participated in three major tournaments, becoming an integral member of the Spain teams that won 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. He is the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and is Spain's all-time top goalscorer, having has also scored more World Cup goals than any other player in Spain's history in the process. The goals-to-games ratio he has achieved for the national team has not been matched by any player since Alfredo Di Stéfano
.
, a small village in Langreo
, Asturias
, a region in northern Spain
, 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 a fracture to the femur
in his right leg, but made a complete recovery. Due to the injury, he and his father worked on strengthening his left leg and Villa ultimately became ambidextrous
. He recalls his father being consistently supportive: "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."
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, realising 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.
, 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, he made his first-team début in the 2000–01 season. After scoring 25 goals in two seasons, he became a first team regular. Pepe Acebal, the Sporting Gijon 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".
With his goal tally nearly reaching 40 goals after spending two full seasons in Gijón's main team, Villa ultimately got his chance in Spain's top-flight when Sporting were in financial difficulty and newly promoted Real Zaragoza
signed him for approximately €3 million in the summer of 2003. The striker had no trouble adapting to playing at the higher level, netting 17 times in his first season at Zaragoza. His league début came during Zaragoza's first La Liga
game since his arrival where the team were defeated 1–0 away from home at the hands of Galician side Deportivo de La Coruña
while his first goal came two games later, an eighth minute goal against Real Murcia
which put Zaragoza 2–0 up in a match which ended 3–0. 4 December 2003 saw him net his first brace (2 goals) in a 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao
and on 25 April 2004, David Villa scored his first hat-trick
in a tight 4–4 draw against Sevilla
which saw Villa score all four of Zaragoza's goals, putting his team ahead on two occasions.
Zaragoza reached the 2004 Copa del Rey
final where he played a big part in the team's victory, scoring a crucial goal to put the Aragon
ese outfit 2–1 up against Real Madrid
in a match which eventually ended 3–2. Soon after he earned his first international call-up and cap which resulted in Zaragoza fans becoming so proud of his achievements, they invented the football chant "illa illa illa, Villa maravilla" which is a play on the words "Villa" and "maravilla" which is as "marvel" but can also mean "wonderful" or "great" in that context. After Zaragoza's triumph in the Copa del Rey, they were granted a place in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup; this was Villa's first time playing in a European competition.
In the team's opening group game against Utrecht, Villa netted a brace in the dying minutes of the game which subsequently ended 2–0 in Zaragoza's favour. In the round of 16, Zaragoza faced Austria Wien. The first leg ended 1–1, Villa scored in the second leg, however, the match ended 2–2 which saw the team from Vienna
go through to the next stage on the away goals rule
. Meanwhile, in La Liga, Villa excited Zaragoza fans on 23 September 2004 by putting the team 1–0 up against Barcelona
at the Camp Nou
, however, it was not to be as Barcelona came back to win the game 4–1. On 17 April 2005, Villa scored a brace which helped see off Sevilla in a 3–0 victory.
parted with €12 million to secure his services in the summer of 2005. During his first game in a Valencia shirt, an Intertoto Cup
match against Belgian
outfit K.A.A. Gent, Villa scored the first goal in a game which Valencia won 2–0. He made his league début for Valencia coming on as a substitute against Real Betis
in a 1–0 win on 27 August 2005. The next match would see his previous team, Real Zaragoza, leading 2–1 for the majority of the match, however, on the 81st minute, Villa came on as a late substitute for Rubén Baraja and scored the equalizer within the space of a minute, earning Valencia a point as the game ended 2–2.
On 21 September, Villa would once again save Valencia a vital point by netting a brace against Barcelona at Camp Nou, actually giving his team the lead at one point after Víctor Valdés
' clearance rebounded off Villa's back and into the net. On 23 October, Villa scored the winning goal against another Spanish giant, this time Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
and would once again score against Barcelona, on 12 February 2006, his one goal proving enough to secure all three points in a 1–0 victory. Villa scored a goal against Deportivo de La Coruña (at the Riazor on 4 February 2006), described as "superb" by ESPN
and "his best" by Sid Lowe
who went on to credit it even more pointing out he achieved it "on the turn". Hitting the ball from the half way line (50 yards out) it sailed over the keepers head and into the net.
He scored his first hat-trick for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés in La Liga on the 23 April 2006. Villa managed the hat-trick in just over five minutes (80th to the 85th minute) making it one of the quickest hat-tricks ever recorded. Valencia won that game 3–0. That season saw him score 25 goals in 35 league matches for Valencia, finishing one goal behind the league's top scorer Samuel Eto'o
of Barcelona. Villa's goal tally that year was the best that any Valencia player had ever achieved since Edmundo Suárez
over 60 years beforehand.
. Between them, Villa and Morientes netted 43 goals in all competitions. That year also saw Villa début in the UEFA Champions League
; his first match was a qualifying match, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 first leg loss against Red Bull Salzburg. He went on to start the second leg and scored in a 3–0 win which saw Valencia qualify for the Champions League group stages. Crucial goals against Roma
and Shakhtar Donetsk helped Valencia qualify for the knock out stages where they faced Inter Milan
. Villa scored a free kick goal in the first leg away from home, while one of Inter's defenders complained that Villa had "made us look like idiots, all on his own". Valencia went through to the quarter finals where they faced Chelsea
. Villa featured in both games but failed to make the score sheet. Valencia subsequently got knocked out by the London
team 3–2 on aggregate. In October 2006 he was included among the 50 nominees for the Ballon d'Or (often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year Award).
A crucial goal against Espanyol
and a brace against Sevilla helped him reach 16 goals that season and would see him come 6th in La Liga's top scorer list that season (scoring the same amount of goals as fellow international Raúl Tamudo
) while he created more assists than anyone.
was not easy for Villa nor for his teammates. Early in the season, their manager, Quique Sánchez Flores, was fired and replaced by Ronald Koeman
, who ended up being fired on the 22 April, after a run of poor results, even though he managed to win a trophy with Valencia
, as the team beat Getafe CF
in the Copa del Rey
-final. Koeman got replaced by the highly rated UD Almería
coach, Unai Emery, at the end of the season. Under Koeman, Villa managed to see the back of the net 18 times in his 26 appearances. He also won the first professional trophy of his Valencia spell, winning the Copa del Rey for the second time in his career, beating Barcelona 3–2 in the semi-finals and then Getafe CF
3–1 in the final. giving the team a place in the UEFA Cup
. By the end of the season he signed a new six-year contract with Valencia, committing his future to the club until 2014.
That season, Villa once again saw himself playing Champions League football. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Schalke 04 and went on to put Valencia 1–0 up against Chelsea, however, goals from Joe Cole
and Didier Drogba
saw Valencia lose 2–1. Valencia finished bottom of the group and were knocked out. On his 100th league appearance for Valencia, Villa scored a hat-trick against Levante
; his 54th, 55th and 56th league goals for the club. Another two goals on the final day of the season against Atletico Madrid completed his tally of 18 goals that season.
where he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win against Mallorca
in what was the opening game of the season. After failing to sign the player, Real Madrid manager at the time, Bernd Schuster
, accused Villa of having "no ambition", Villa responded by saying "Footballing ambition Is not about your mouth, It is about your feet. You can accuse me of lots of things - of having a bad day, of missing chances, of many things- but I have always had ambition and always will have. I think I have proved that on the pitch with Zaragoza, Sporting, UD Langreo, and the national team." In October 2008, Kaká
praised Villa, speaking to Canal+
, he claimed that Villa is "the best Spanish footballer" adding that "The player with whom I would most like to play is David Villa of Valencia." On 2 December 2008, Villa came 7th in the Ballon d'Or 2008
rankings and on 12 January 2009, Villa was announced as the joint 9th best player of 2008 alongside international team mate and Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta
, according to the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year
awards.
Valencia finished second in their UEFA Cup group, however, Villa was not featured heavily and was often an unused sub or a late sub. He scored a late winner against Maritimo and was used in the Round of 32 against Dynamo Kyiv, however, he did not make the score sheet. The two legs resulted in a 3–3 aggregate score, Dynamo Kyiv went through as the away goal rule went in their favour.
Hitting a consistent goal scoring form during mid season, he scored against Deportivo de la Coruña; however, he was sent off during the match after his second yellow card
, received due to a foul on Daniel Aranzubia
and as a result missed Valencia's next match against Real Valladolid
, a game which Valencia lost 2–1 at home. Ready to return from suspension, Villa suffered from an inflammation in the joint in his left knee due to a partial dislocation and would be out for the next 15 days, missing games against Numancia
, Recreativo de Huelva
and Racing de Santander
. When he finally returned from injury on 5 April 2009, he had no trouble recovering form, netting a brace in a match against Getafe, which Valencia won 4–1. On 12 April, Villa was set to return to El Molinón
, the home ground of Sporting de Gijón where he started his career. He admitted that the encounter would be very emotional for him but went on to score the second Valencia goal in a 3–2 win and kept a pre-match promise by not celebrating the goal. His goal against Villarreal brought his tally to 26, he then scored another two against Athletic Bilbao
finishing with 28 goals after the last game of the season, thus equalling records set by the Argentinian
Mario Kempes
and the Montenegrin Predrag Mijatović
, who also scored 28 goals in a Valencia shirt in 1978
and 1996
, respectively. Kempes reached his tally of 28 goals in 34 games while Mijatović achieved it in 40, ultimately seeing Villa beat their percentages, as he achieved the 28 goals in 33 games, recording a goal ratio of 0.84 goals per game. That season saw Villa's best season at Valencia as far as goal scoring is concerned.
With the season over Villa had marked his fourth year at Valencia, with only Eto'o scoring more goals than him in that period (six more). British columnist Sid Lowe points out that Eto'o achieved this "in a team that racked up 129 [goals] more than Villa's side" and noted that "most of that time he [Villa] has taken Valencia's corners and free-kicks – and however good a player is he can't head in his own crosses." Villa also ended the season as the third top scorer in La Liga with a total of 28 goals, just behind Samuel Eto'o
(30) and Diego Forlán
(32). After recording the best goal tally for a Valencia player in 60 years back in the 2005–06 season, he went three better in the 2008–09 season. The 28 league goals plus 3 more in other competitions that season, accumulated a total of 101 goals in 180 official games with the Valencian outfit.
, Villa returned from his holidays on 27 July, amidst much media speculation linking him with top clubs such as Real Madrid
, Barcelona
, Liverpool
, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Villa put to bed such rumours announcing his desire to remain at the Mestalla to fulfil his contract underlining that he "could not spend all summer refuting things, so I wanted to be quiet... I was told I should leave Valencia for the good of the club, soon after that everything changed and from that moment on I never saw myself out of here - before the Euros, the club told me what my asking price was, and I thought they were going to sell me, but when I returned from my vacations, Vicente Soriano said that he did not want me to leave Valencia. That removed all doubt for me. There is no train missed because all that I have achieved is because of Valencia and the Spanish national team." When questioned on whether or not he should apologise to Valencia fans, he simply replied, "I did not kill anyone, I do not think I have to ask for forgiveness."
On 20 August 2009, Villa scored in his first official match of the season, a 3–0 UEFA Europa League qualifer against Stabæk. He followed this up with two goals against Real Valladolid on 13 September, these were Villa's first league goals of the 2009–10 season. He scored twice more a week later against former club Sporting Gijón in a 2–2 draw at the Mestalla where he performed duties as the team's captain. After the match, Villa hinted towards being unhappy with Unai Emery's managerial decisions, stating "The approach for the second half was not right. We relaxed and ended up with the same result as last year. What has happened, has happened, but their goalkeeper
was good, unlike our approach, which was not good", however, a day later he denied being critical of Emery pointing out that "When I talked about the approach, I was referring to the whole team, I spoke in the heat of the moment, I was annoyed at the way we lost two points and I said what I thought, but I have clarified everything that needed to be cleared up."
In 2009 he scored more goals than any other footballer, 43 goals in 54 games across all competitions for Spain and Valencia. The IFFHS
listed him 4th in the "World's Top Goal Scorer 2009" rankings.
On 18 October, Villa was nominated for the Ballon D'Or, while nearly two weeks later, on 30 October, he was nominated for the FIFA World Player Of The Year. After going three league games without scoring, Villa contributed two goals towards Valencia's 4–1 victory against Villarreal on 17 January 2010, the first of his two goals became his 100th league goal with Valencia. Another brace came against Getafe on 22 February 2010, the second goal being "a superb chip" (as described by ESPN) over Jordi Codina
. On 18 March, Valencia went to the Weserstadion
to play Werder Bremen in the Europa League. Villa scored a hat-trick, his third goal being of note, which was fired in from eight yards out. The match ended 4–4 while Valencia proceeded to the next round on away goals. On May 4, 2010, Valencia played Xerez
, Villa did not start but came on as a substitute 62 minutes into the match, which ended 3-1. Valencia still had two more games to play in the league, however, Villa did not feature, making the game against Xerez the last time he played for Valencia.
reached an agreement with Valencia, for the acquisition of Villa for the fee of €40 million.
Villa signed on a four year contract with Barcelona, with the option for a fifth, worth a reported €7 million per season and thus, managed to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, Luis Enrique
and Quini
, both of whom, like Villa, started out at Sporting Gijón and ended up at Barcelona. On 21 May 2010, over 35,000 Barcelona
supporters packed into Camp Nou
to see Villa's presentation, where he revealed the kit Barcelona would use during the 2010-11 season
. He was given his favourite number 7, a number which had been free at the club since Eiður Guðjohnsen
left in 2009.
He made his first appearance for the club in the 2nd leg of the Supercopa de España
, during the second half as a substitute for fellow Spain international, Pedro Rodríguez
. His début appearance would also see him win his first piece of silver-ware with the Catalonia
n side, as Barcelona won 5-3 on aggregate due to a hat-trick by teammate Lionel Messi
. His first goal came during the Joan Gamper Trophy
(an annual friendly competition) against Milan
. Barcelona won 3-1 on penalties (after the match had ended 1-1 during normal time).
On 29 August 2010, Villa made his La Liga
début with Barcelona against Racing de Santander
, where he scored the third goal of the match to help seal a 3-0 victory. On 14 September 2010, Villa scored on his Champions League début with Barcelona in a 5-1 victory over Panathinaikos F.C.
Against Sevilla, on 31 October 2010, Barcelona won 5-0 against the Andalusia
n side, while Villa netted a brace. His first goal that match was voted "The Best Goal Of The Week (October 25–31)" by the readers of Goal.com
. Villa's first "El Clásico
" came on 29 November 2010, he scored two goals as Barcelona won 5-0 at the Camp Nou. Talking about the match, he commented that, "It's been a very important win. We looked for the victory and we got it. And the result and the manner in which we achieved it, you cannot ask for more.". He then scored a goal against Real Sociedad
, a match Barcelona won 5-0. He followed with a brace against RCD Espanyol
taking Barcelona to a 1-5 win.
On 27 December 2010, Villa was named "Male Athlete of the Year" by the United States Sports Academy
, as he edged fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal
and previous winner Manny Pacquiao
for the title.
On 28 May 2010, Villa scored the third goal — curling the ball into the net from 25-yards out — in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Manchester United
in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Final
. After the victory, Villa said that he would like to dedicate the victory "to all my family, my daughters and also Pepe Reina's, who are like my nieces."
and Club América
in pre-season friendly matches
. His first official match of the season was against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España
where Villa scored a "world-class" goal, helping Barcelona seal a 2-2 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, while on 17 August 2011, Villa was sent off in the dying moments of the second leg (which Barcelona won 3-2) after an altercation with Mesut Özil
.
Against Osasuna
on 17 September 2011, Villa contributed two goals and forced Rovérsio
into scoring an own goal
in Barcelona's 8-0 win over the team from Pamplona
.
, Villa marked his international début under Luis Aragonés
on 9 February 2005 in a 2006 World Cup Qualifier
where Spain
beat San Marino
5–0 at the Estadio del Mediterráneo while his first international goal came in the form of a late equaliser during a World Cup qualifier
against Slovakia
.
A successful season with Valencia saw him get called up as part of the 23-man squad to represent Spain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
. Spain's first match at the tournament and Villa's World Cup début resulted in a 4–0 win against Ukraine
where Villa netted a brace, and also put his nation 1–0 up against France
in the Round of 16, although Spain went on to lose the match 3–1. He and Fernando Torres
finished as Spain's top scorers with three goals each.
against Liechtenstein
. He was subsequently called up for the tournament where he formed a striking relationship with Torres, with whom he would often celebrate his goals. He scored a hat-trick in Spain's 4–1 win over Russia
, making him the first player to do so at a UEFA European Championship
since Patrick Kluivert
in 2000, and only the seventh overall. After the third goal, he went out of his way to meet Torres, who was on the bench at the time, to celebrate with him, "I had just scored a hat-trick and I knew people would be talking about me, but I wanted them to see that I had benefited from Torres's work, just as he sometimes benefits from mine." In the next match, he secured a 2–1 win against Sweden
with a goal in the 92nd minute. Rested for the next match against Greece
, he started once again in the quarter finals where Spain beat Italy
4–2 on penalties, Villa took the first penalty and scored.
Reaching their first semi-final in 24 years, Spain went on to face Russia for the second time during the tournament, however, during the early stages of the match, Villa sustained a thigh injury after taking a free kick and was replaced by Cesc Fàbregas
. The injury meant that he could not participate in the final where Spain beat Germany
1–0 to claim their second win at the European Football Championships
. Despite missing the final and the majority of the semi-final, Villa's 4 goals in the 4 games he played were enough for him to be top scorer of the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot. He also made the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament alongside striking partner Torres.
was against Bosnia and Herzegovina
where Villa scored the only goal of the game. He would go on to score four goals in Spain's next three games, including a last minute winner against Belgium. Another goal during a friendly match against Chile
saw him end the year with 12 goals, breaking Raúl's record of 10 goals held since 1999. Villa began 2009 with a goal against England
in a 2–0 friendly, with this goal, he broke another record and became the first Spanish international to have scored in 6 consecutive games, seeing off records set by Telmo Zarra and Ladislao Kubala. Speaking of the goal he said, "I am very happy with the goal. Truth is, I really want to see it on TV. The record is very nice. I would never have imagined in years that I would be able to obtain it. I am very proud and I hope I can continue breaking records".
On 1 June 2009, Vicente del Bosque named Villa in his 23 man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
. In a friendly match before the tournament, Villa scored his second international hat-trick against Azerbaijan
, nearly exactly a year after his hat-trick against Russia at Euro 2008. He débuted at the Confederations Cup with a goal, the last of the five goals in Spain's 5–0 victory over New Zealand, while in the next game he scored the decisive goal against a defensive Iraqi team
. Against South Africa
, he missed a penalty, but within a minute made up for the miss by putting Spain ahead, helping them equal the records of most consecutive wins and most consecutive matches undefeated before making way for Pablo Hernández
. The goal was his last of the tournament but was enough to see him win the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe, he would also go on to make the team of the tournament.
Villa earned his 50th cap during a friendly against the Republic of Macedonia in a match where Spain won 3–2.
On 5 September 2009, Villa added two more goals to his goal tally for Spain, while assisting twice during the World Cup Qualifier against Belgium, in A Coruña. The match ended 5–0 to Spain where Villa also had a first-half penalty saved by the 30 year old A.S. Bari
goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet
. He finished the year with his sixth international brace against Austria
in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, the setting where Spain were crowned European Champions the previous year. With these two goals, Villa equalled the record he set last year of most goals scored in one calendar year by a Spanish international. Spain's first match in 2010 came on March 3, against France at the Stade de France
. Villa scored the opening goal in a game which Spain went on to win 2–0.
's 23 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. In a friendly against Saudi Arabia
on May 29, 2010, Villa scored the first of Spain's goals as they won 3-2 at the Tivoli Neu
- the stadium where he scored his hat-trick against Russia during Euro 2008. Failing to score in Spain's next match against Korea Republic
, he opened the score sheet in Spain's next match against Poland
, a match where Poland lost 6-0, recording their worst defeat in 50 years.
In Spain's first 2010 World Cup match, Villa was chosen as a lone striker, but could do nothing to prevent their shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland
. Five days later, Spain defeated Honduras
2-0, where Villa scored both goals, but wasted his chance to complete a hat-trick when he was awarded a penalty kick - side-footing the ball just wide of the post. It was the first time in fourteen attempts Spain ever missed a penalty in a World Cup during the run of play. In the same game, Villa was shown to slap Emilio Izaguirre
in the face after the Honduran player trod on him. Villa said he was "not proud" of the heat of the moment incident, but he escaped a ban. Villa helped secure Spain's place in the round of 16 after scoring the first goal in a 2-1 win over Chile, with a long-range shot into an empty net after Chilean
goalkeeper Claudio Bravo ran out of his area to prevent Torres
from scoring. The goal would become his 6th goal in FIFA World Cup matches, becoming Spain's all time top scorer at the World Cup finals, ahead of Emilio Butragueño
, Fernando Hierro
, Fernando Morientes
and Raúl González
, all of whom have five.
Spain were up against Portugal
in the round of 16, and Villa would prove to be vital once again, as Xavi backheeled an Andrés Iniesta
pass to the on-rushing Villa who hit the back of the net on the rebound after having his first shot saved by Eduardo
, proving enough to give Spain a place in the quarter-finals against Paraguay
, where Villa scored a goal from a rebound after Pedro
hit the post. Once again, Villa's goal proved to be the difference as the match finished 1-0, while Spain booked a game with Germany
in the semi-finals, where Spain recorded yet another 1-0 victory with the only goal coming from Carles Puyol
.
Villa started in the final against the Netherlands
, where he had an opportunity to score from close range, but was impeded by John Heitinga
who managed to block his shot. Villa would eventually make way for Torres after 106 minutes on the pitch. Spain became world champions as they went on to win the match 1-0, while Villa was awarded the Silver Shoe, with the Gold Shoe going to Thomas Müller
, both players had five goals, however, Müller had more assists. Villa was subsequently named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
was against Liechtenstein
on 3 September 2010, Villa scored the second goal of the match which eventually ended 4-0. It was believed that this goal meant that he had equalled Raúl's record 44-goal tally, however, after many debates about whether he or Dariusz Dudka
scored the first goal in Spain's 6-0 win over Poland, FIFA eventually decided that the goal was indeed an own goal by Dudka, meaning Villa's goal tally would remain at 43. On 12 October 2010, he finally equalled Raúl's record, scoring a penalty against Scotland
and helping Spain see off the Scots in a 3-2 victory at Hampden Park
.
On 25 March 2011, Villa scored two goals against the Czech Republic
in a Euro 2012 qualifier
, which ultimately handed Spain a 2-1 victory, while at the same time he managed to eclipse Raúl
as Spain's all-time leading goalscorer. Speaking of the achievement, he stated that "The goals are dedicated to all the team-mates, all the coaches, all partners and friends I had during my career... But long ago I promised José, who is a friend of mine, that the goal which overtook Raul would be for him."
On 7 September 2011, Villa helped secure Spain's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 by scoring two goals in Spain's 6-0 victory over Liechtenstein
. In Spain's last Euro 2012 qualifying match, Villa scored his 50th international goal against Scotland in a 3-1 victory for Spain. That same match was also the first time Villa was able to wear the captain's armband while playing for the Spanish national team.
In February 2010, Bernd Schuster was asked if Raúl did not favour Villa moving to Real Madrid, to which he responded with "I have a cough", this caused many to believe that he was implying the rumour to be true. Villa firmly ridiculed that idea by saying "It is impossible that a player with as much class on and off the pitch as Raúl would speak poorly of me. I have always had a good relationship with Raúl, even though we have hardly met on international duty."
Speaking of Raúl's record with the Spanish national team as the nation's leading top scorer, Villa said, "I've got 25 goals but he's got 44 and is still playing. I'd be delighted to reach that tally as I'd help the national team achieve great victories and, in many years' time, I could see my name on a [scorers' list] that another young lad was trying to beat. That would be great." On March 25, 2011, two years after making that remark, Villa surpassed Raúl
as Spain's all-time top scorer.
In 2003 Villa married his childhood sweetheart Patricia González (who had also been a footballer in her teenage years). They had a daughter who they named Zaida. Her name is engraved on his personalised Adidas F50
's, while one boot bears the Spanish flag
, the other has the Asturian flag
. In 2009, his second daughter Olaya was born, named after the wife of Fernando Torres
, who is a close friend of Patricia. His footballing idols are Luis Enrique
and Quini
.
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.
Villa featured on the Spanish box art for video game FIFA 07
.
-nominated Spanish
singer Ana Torroja
on the song "Insurrection" by El Último de la Fila
. The recording was made for the beneficiary project Voces X1FIN, to help raise money to build an art and education school
in Mali
. Villa commented that footballers "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."
Note: Each season is September - August
Valencia
Barcelona
Achievements
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
and the Spanish national football team
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. He can also operate as a winger.
Despite sustaining a serious injury as a child, he started his professional career with Sporting de Gijón
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
. He moved to Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
after two seasons, where he made his La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
début, winning his first senior honours—the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
and Supercopa de España
Supercopa de España
The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
. He joined Valencia CF
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million and was part of the Valencia team that won the Copa del Rey in the 2007–08 season. In 2010 he moved to FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
for €40 million where he won his first La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
and UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
titles.
Villa made his international début in 2005. He has since participated in three major tournaments, becoming an integral member of the Spain teams that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. He scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, was the top scorer at Euro 2008 and earned the Silver Boot at the 2010 World Cup. He is the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and is Spain's all-time top goalscorer, having has also scored more World Cup goals than any other player in Spain's history in the process. The goals-to-games ratio he has achieved for the national team has not been matched by any player since Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Di Stéfano
Alfredo Stéfano Di Stéfano Laulhé, born into a family of Italian immigrants from Capri, is a former Argentinian footballer and coach, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time...
.
Childhood and early career
Villa was born in TuillaTuilla
Tuilla is a parish and former mining village in the municipality of Langreo, Asturias, North Spain. It is located to the southeast of the center of the city of Oviedo, near La Felguera-Langreo, and had a population of 1,491 in 2009...
, a small village in Langreo
Langreo
Langreo, , officially Llangréu / Langreo is a municipality of northern Spain, province of The Principality of Asturias....
, Asturias
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
, a region in northern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, the son of José Manuel Villa, a miner
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
. When Villa was four, his chances of becoming a footballer were put in jeopardy when he suffered a fracture to the femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
in his right leg, but made a complete recovery. Due to the injury, he and his father worked on strengthening his left leg and Villa ultimately became ambidextrous
Ambidexterity
Ambidexterity is the state of being equally adept in the use of both left and right appendages . It is one of the most famous varieties of cross-dominance. People that are naturally ambidextrous are rare, with only one out of one hundred people being naturally ambidextrous...
. He recalls his father being consistently supportive: "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."
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, realising 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
UP Langreo
Unión Popular de Langreo is a Spanish football team based in Langreo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded in 1961, it plays in Tercera División - Group 2, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Ganzábal in La Felguera, with a capacity of 4,024 seats.-Season to season:------------------*8...
and when he turned 17 he joined the Mareo football school.
Sporting de Gijón and Real Zaragoza
Villa attracted interest from many Asturian teams, but one of the province's bigger teams, Real OviedoReal Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926, it currently plays in Segunda División B - Group 2....
, 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
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division....
, following in the footsteps of his childhood idol Quini
Quini
Enrique Castro González , aka Quini, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.In a career totally connected with Sporting de Gijón and FC Barcelona, he was widely regarded as one of the country's best strikers, having won a total of seven Pichichi Trophy awards, five of those in La...
. Starting out at the team's youth ranks, he made his first-team début in the 2000–01 season. After scoring 25 goals in two seasons, he became a first team regular. Pepe Acebal, the Sporting Gijon 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".
With his goal tally nearly reaching 40 goals after spending two full seasons in Gijón's main team, Villa ultimately got his chance in Spain's top-flight when Sporting were in financial difficulty and newly promoted Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points...
signed him for approximately €3 million in the summer of 2003. The striker had no trouble adapting to playing at the higher level, netting 17 times in his first season at Zaragoza. His league début came during Zaragoza's first La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
game since his arrival where the team were defeated 1–0 away from home at the hands of Galician side Deportivo de La Coruña
Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña is a professional football club based in the city of A Coruña, Galicia; founded in 1906 and currently playing in Segunda División...
while his first goal came two games later, an eighth minute goal against Real Murcia
Real Murcia
Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the region of Murcia. Founded in 1908, it currently plays in the second division, playing home matches at Estadio Nueva Condomina, which can hold 33,045 spectators....
which put Zaragoza 2–0 up in a match which ended 3–0. 4 December 2003 saw him net his first brace (2 goals) in a 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
and on 25 April 2004, David Villa scored his first hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
in a tight 4–4 draw against Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
which saw Villa score all four of Zaragoza's goals, putting his team ahead on two occasions.
Zaragoza reached the 2004 Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey 2003-04
The Copa del Rey 2003–04 is the 100th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on August 24, 2003 and concluded on March 17, 2004 with the Final, held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, in which Real Zaragoza lifted the trophy with a 2–3 victory over Real Madrid...
final where he played a big part in the team's victory, scoring a crucial goal to put the Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
ese outfit 2–1 up against Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in a match which eventually ended 3–2. Soon after he earned his first international call-up and cap which resulted in Zaragoza fans becoming so proud of his achievements, they invented the football chant "illa illa illa, Villa maravilla" which is a play on the words "Villa" and "maravilla" which is as "marvel" but can also mean "wonderful" or "great" in that context. After Zaragoza's triumph in the Copa del Rey, they were granted a place in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup; this was Villa's first time playing in a European competition.
In the team's opening group game against Utrecht, Villa netted a brace in the dying minutes of the game which subsequently ended 2–0 in Zaragoza's favour. In the round of 16, Zaragoza faced Austria Wien. The first leg ended 1–1, Villa scored in the second leg, however, the match ended 2–2 which saw the team from Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
go through to the next stage on the away goals rule
Away goals rule
The away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise equal...
. Meanwhile, in La Liga, Villa excited Zaragoza fans on 23 September 2004 by putting the team 1–0 up against Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
at the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
, however, it was not to be as Barcelona came back to win the game 4–1. On 17 April 2005, Villa scored a brace which helped see off Sevilla in a 3–0 victory.
2005–06 season
After his success at Zaragoza, the team was in need of money, as a result, Villa made his big move to one of Spanish football's heavyweights, as a new look Valencia under Quique Sánchez FloresQuique Sanchez Flores
Enrique "Quique" Sánchez Flores is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a right defender, and a current manager....
parted with €12 million to secure his services in the summer of 2005. During his first game in a Valencia shirt, an Intertoto Cup
UEFA Intertoto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued...
match against Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
outfit K.A.A. Gent, Villa scored the first goal in a game which Valencia won 2–0. He made his league début for Valencia coming on as a substitute against Real Betis
Real Betis
Real Betis Balompié S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Seville, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 12 September 1907, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio Benito Villamarín....
in a 1–0 win on 27 August 2005. The next match would see his previous team, Real Zaragoza, leading 2–1 for the majority of the match, however, on the 81st minute, Villa came on as a late substitute for Rubén Baraja and scored the equalizer within the space of a minute, earning Valencia a point as the game ended 2–2.
On 21 September, Villa would once again save Valencia a vital point by netting a brace against Barcelona at Camp Nou, actually giving his team the lead at one point after Víctor Valdés
Víctor Valdés
Víctor Valdés i Arribas is a Spanish football goalkeeper who currently plays for FC Barcelona in the Spanish La Liga.He is the most successful goalkeeper in Barcelona's history and is widely considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world, having won a total of 17 titles including five...
' clearance rebounded off Villa's back and into the net. On 23 October, Villa scored the winning goal against another Spanish giant, this time Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
Santiago Bernabéu Stadium
The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators....
and would once again score against Barcelona, on 12 February 2006, his one goal proving enough to secure all three points in a 1–0 victory. Villa scored a goal against Deportivo de La Coruña (at the Riazor on 4 February 2006), described as "superb" by ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and "his best" by Sid Lowe
Sid Lowe
Simon Lowe, better known as Sid Lowe, is a Madrid-based British columnist who has been covering Spanish football for The Guardian newspaper and Guardian Unlimited website since 2001...
who went on to credit it even more pointing out he achieved it "on the turn". Hitting the ball from the half way line (50 yards out) it sailed over the keepers head and into the net.
He scored his first hat-trick for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés in La Liga on the 23 April 2006. Villa managed the hat-trick in just over five minutes (80th to the 85th minute) making it one of the quickest hat-tricks ever recorded. Valencia won that game 3–0. That season saw him score 25 goals in 35 league matches for Valencia, finishing one goal behind the league's top scorer Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
of Barcelona. Villa's goal tally that year was the best that any Valencia player had ever achieved since Edmundo Suárez
Edmundo Suarez
Edmundo Suárez Trabanco was a Spanish footballer and coach. He was born in Baracaldo. He played center-forward for Valencia CF for most of his career except for his last season where he played with CD Alcoyano....
over 60 years beforehand.
2006–07 season
Villa's form continued into the 2006–07 season, with the striker forming a partnership up front with former Real Madrid star Fernando MorientesFernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes Sánchez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.His main asset was his aerial and strong goalscoring abilities. He played for a number of clubs throughout his career, including Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool, and Valencia...
. Between them, Villa and Morientes netted 43 goals in all competitions. That year also saw Villa début in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
; his first match was a qualifying match, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 first leg loss against Red Bull Salzburg. He went on to start the second leg and scored in a 3–0 win which saw Valencia qualify for the Champions League group stages. Crucial goals against Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
and Shakhtar Donetsk helped Valencia qualify for the knock out stages where they faced Inter Milan
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
. Villa scored a free kick goal in the first leg away from home, while one of Inter's defenders complained that Villa had "made us look like idiots, all on his own". Valencia went through to the quarter finals where they faced Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
. Villa featured in both games but failed to make the score sheet. Valencia subsequently got knocked out by the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
team 3–2 on aggregate. In October 2006 he was included among the 50 nominees for the Ballon d'Or (often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year Award).
A crucial goal against Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
and a brace against Sevilla helped him reach 16 goals that season and would see him come 6th in La Liga's top scorer list that season (scoring the same amount of goals as fellow international Raúl Tamudo
Raúl Tamudo
Raúl Tamudo Montero is a Spanish footballer who currently plays for Rayo Vallecano as a striker....
) while he created more assists than anyone.
2007–08 season
The 2007–08 seasonLa Liga 2007-08
-League table:||rowspan=2 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=7 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Results:...
was not easy for Villa nor for his teammates. Early in the season, their manager, Quique Sánchez Flores, was fired and replaced by Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman is a former Dutch footballer, and the current manager of Feyenoord. He is the younger brother of former Feyenoord coach Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman...
, who ended up being fired on the 22 April, after a run of poor results, even though he managed to win a trophy with Valencia
Valencia CF
Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
, as the team beat Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
in the Copa del Rey
Copa del Rey
The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
-final. Koeman got replaced by the highly rated UD Almería
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded in 1989 as Almería Club de Fútbol, it currently plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos, with a 22,000-seat...
coach, Unai Emery, at the end of the season. Under Koeman, Villa managed to see the back of the net 18 times in his 26 appearances. He also won the first professional trophy of his Valencia spell, winning the Copa del Rey for the second time in his career, beating Barcelona 3–2 in the semi-finals and then Getafe CF
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol is a Spanish La Liga football club based in Getafe, a city in the Madrid metropolitan area, founded in 1946 and refounded in 1983.In the top level since 2004-05, it holds home games at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez....
3–1 in the final. giving the team a place in the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. By the end of the season he signed a new six-year contract with Valencia, committing his future to the club until 2014.
That season, Villa once again saw himself playing Champions League football. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Schalke 04 and went on to put Valencia 1–0 up against Chelsea, however, goals from Joe Cole
Joe Cole
Joseph John "Joe" Cole is an English footballer who plays for Lille, on loan from Liverpool, and the England national football team as midfielder. He started his career with where he played more than 100 games during five years, until he left for Chelsea in 2003...
and Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
saw Valencia lose 2–1. Valencia finished bottom of the group and were knocked out. On his 100th league appearance for Valencia, Villa scored a hat-trick against Levante
Levante UD
Levante Unión Deportiva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, in the namesake community.Founded in 1909, it plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadi Ciutat de València.-Early years:...
; his 54th, 55th and 56th league goals for the club. Another two goals on the final day of the season against Atletico Madrid completed his tally of 18 goals that season.
2008–09 season
After finishing as the top scorer at Euro 2008, Villa continued his form into the 2008–09 seasonLa Liga 2008-09
-Personnel and sponsoring: FC Barcelona have no shirt sponsors, instead choosing to sport the logo of humanitarian organisation, UNICEF. Barcelona donates five million euros every year to the organisation and wears the organisation's logo on its jersey....
where he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win against Mallorca
RCD Mallorca
Real Club Deportivo Mallorca is a Spanish football team based on Palma, Majorca, in the Balearic Islands. Founded on 5 March 1916, the team currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at Son Moix....
in what was the opening game of the season. After failing to sign the player, Real Madrid manager at the time, Bernd Schuster
Bernd Schuster
Bernhard Schuster is a German football manager and former player, currently unemployed. His nickname is "der Blonde Engel" .-Club career:...
, accused Villa of having "no ambition", Villa responded by saying "Footballing ambition Is not about your mouth, It is about your feet. You can accuse me of lots of things - of having a bad day, of missing chances, of many things- but I have always had ambition and always will have. I think I have proved that on the pitch with Zaragoza, Sporting, UD Langreo, and the national team." In October 2008, Kaká
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite , commonly known as Kaká , is a Brazilian football attacking midfielder who currently plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Brazilian national team. Kaká started his footballing career at the age of eight, when he began playing for a local club...
praised Villa, speaking to Canal+
Canal+
Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
, he claimed that Villa is "the best Spanish footballer" adding that "The player with whom I would most like to play is David Villa of Valencia." On 2 December 2008, Villa came 7th in the Ballon d'Or 2008
Ballon d'Or 2008
The 2008 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in the world as judged by an international panel of sports journalists, was awarded to Cristiano Ronaldo on 2 December 2008....
rankings and on 12 January 2009, Villa was announced as the joint 9th best player of 2008 alongside international team mate and Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team....
, according to the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year
2008 FIFA World Player of the Year
The 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards took place on 12 January 2009 at the Zurich Opera House, Zürich, Switzerland, with Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United and Portugal taking the men's award, and Marta of Umeå IK and Brazil taking the women's award for the third year in a row.Other...
awards.
Valencia finished second in their UEFA Cup group, however, Villa was not featured heavily and was often an unused sub or a late sub. He scored a late winner against Maritimo and was used in the Round of 32 against Dynamo Kyiv, however, he did not make the score sheet. The two legs resulted in a 3–3 aggregate score, Dynamo Kyiv went through as the away goal rule went in their favour.
Hitting a consistent goal scoring form during mid season, he scored against Deportivo de la Coruña; however, he was sent off during the match after his second yellow card
Penalty card
A penalty card is used in many sports as a means of warning, reprimanding or penalising a player, coach or team official. Penalty cards are most commonly used by referees or umpires to indicate that a player has committed an offense. The referee will hold the card above his or her head while...
, received due to a foul on Daniel Aranzubia
Daniel Aranzubia
Daniel Aranzubia Aguado is a Spanish footballer who plays for Deportivo de La Coruña in Segunda División, as a goalkeeper.-Athletic Bilbao:...
and as a result missed Valencia's next match against Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, a game which Valencia lost 2–1 at home. Ready to return from suspension, Villa suffered from an inflammation in the joint in his left knee due to a partial dislocation and would be out for the next 15 days, missing games against Numancia
CD Numancia
Club Deportivo Numancia de Soria, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Soria, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Founded on 9 April 1945, it plays in Segunda División, holding home games at Nuevo Estadio Los Pajaritos, with a 10,200-seat capacity.Besides football it has other...
, Recreativo de Huelva
Recreativo de Huelva
Real Club Recreativo de Huelva, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Huelva, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 23 December 1889, it is the oldest football team in Spain, and currently plays in the second division, holding home games at Estadio Nuevo Colombino, which has a...
and Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
. When he finally returned from injury on 5 April 2009, he had no trouble recovering form, netting a brace in a match against Getafe, which Valencia won 4–1. On 12 April, Villa was set to return to El Molinón
El Molinón
Estadio El Molinón is an association football stadium in Gijón, Asturias-Spain. The stadium is the home ground of Sporting de Gijón.The stadium's address is Parque de Isabel la Católica, 33390 Gijón.-History:...
, the home ground of Sporting de Gijón where he started his career. He admitted that the encounter would be very emotional for him but went on to score the second Valencia goal in a 3–2 win and kept a pre-match promise by not celebrating the goal. His goal against Villarreal brought his tally to 26, he then scored another two against Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Club, also known as Athletic Bilbao, is an association football club from Bilbao in Biscay, Spain. The club has played in the Primera División of La Liga since its start in 1928. They have won La Liga on eight occasions...
finishing with 28 goals after the last game of the season, thus equalling records set by the Argentinian
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Mario Kempes
Mario Kempes
Mario Alberto Kempes Chiodi is a retired Argentine footballer. His father, Mario, also a footballer, inspired him to play from a young age. At the age of 7, he began playing with a junior team and at 14, he joined La Cuarta de Talleres...
and the Montenegrin Predrag Mijatović
Predrag Mijatovic
Predrag "Peđa" Mijatović is a Montenegrin football player and former sports director of Real Madrid. He is considered one of Yugoslavia's best players of the 1990s. He was acclaimed as the best athlete of Yugoslavia in 1997...
, who also scored 28 goals in a Valencia shirt in 1978
La Liga 1977-78
La Liga 1977-78 season, the 47th since its establishment, started on September 3, 1977 and finished on May 7, 1978. It was composed of the following clubs:-Final table:-Results table:...
and 1996
La Liga 1995-96
La Liga 1995-96 season, the 65th since its establishment, started on September 9, 1995 and finished on May 26, 1996. It was composed of the following clubs:...
, respectively. Kempes reached his tally of 28 goals in 34 games while Mijatović achieved it in 40, ultimately seeing Villa beat their percentages, as he achieved the 28 goals in 33 games, recording a goal ratio of 0.84 goals per game. That season saw Villa's best season at Valencia as far as goal scoring is concerned.
With the season over Villa had marked his fourth year at Valencia, with only Eto'o scoring more goals than him in that period (six more). British columnist Sid Lowe points out that Eto'o achieved this "in a team that racked up 129 [goals] more than Villa's side" and noted that "most of that time he [Villa] has taken Valencia's corners and free-kicks – and however good a player is he can't head in his own crosses." Villa also ended the season as the third top scorer in La Liga with a total of 28 goals, just behind Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o
Samuel Eto'o Fils is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Russian team Anzhi Makhachkala. He is also the current captain of the Cameroon national team.Eto'o trained at Kadji Sports Academy...
(30) and Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán
Diego Forlán Corazo is an Uruguayan footballer who plays as a striker for Internazionale and the Uruguayan national team. He is a two-time winner of both the Pichichi Trophy and the European Golden Shoe, and also received the Golden Ball as the best player at the 2010 World Cup.Forlán was born...
(32). After recording the best goal tally for a Valencia player in 60 years back in the 2005–06 season, he went three better in the 2008–09 season. The 28 league goals plus 3 more in other competitions that season, accumulated a total of 101 goals in 180 official games with the Valencian outfit.
2009–10 season
After the shock exit from the Confederations Cup with the Spain teamSpain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
, Villa returned from his holidays on 27 July, amidst much media speculation linking him with top clubs such as Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Villa put to bed such rumours announcing his desire to remain at the Mestalla to fulfil his contract underlining that he "could not spend all summer refuting things, so I wanted to be quiet... I was told I should leave Valencia for the good of the club, soon after that everything changed and from that moment on I never saw myself out of here - before the Euros, the club told me what my asking price was, and I thought they were going to sell me, but when I returned from my vacations, Vicente Soriano said that he did not want me to leave Valencia. That removed all doubt for me. There is no train missed because all that I have achieved is because of Valencia and the Spanish national team." When questioned on whether or not he should apologise to Valencia fans, he simply replied, "I did not kill anyone, I do not think I have to ask for forgiveness."
On 20 August 2009, Villa scored in his first official match of the season, a 3–0 UEFA Europa League qualifer against Stabæk. He followed this up with two goals against Real Valladolid on 13 September, these were Villa's first league goals of the 2009–10 season. He scored twice more a week later against former club Sporting Gijón in a 2–2 draw at the Mestalla where he performed duties as the team's captain. After the match, Villa hinted towards being unhappy with Unai Emery's managerial decisions, stating "The approach for the second half was not right. We relaxed and ended up with the same result as last year. What has happened, has happened, but their goalkeeper
Juan Pablo Colinas
Juan Pablo Colinas Ferreras , known as Juan Pablo, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Sporting de Gijón in the Spanish first division, as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
was good, unlike our approach, which was not good", however, a day later he denied being critical of Emery pointing out that "When I talked about the approach, I was referring to the whole team, I spoke in the heat of the moment, I was annoyed at the way we lost two points and I said what I thought, but I have clarified everything that needed to be cleared up."
In 2009 he scored more goals than any other footballer, 43 goals in 54 games across all competitions for Spain and Valencia. The IFFHS
International Federation of Football History & Statistics
The International Federation of Football History & Statistics is an organization that chronicles the history and records of Association football. It was founded on 27 March 1984 at Leipzig by Dr. Alfredo Pöge with the blessings of general secretary of the FIFA at the time, Dr. Helmut Käser...
listed him 4th in the "World's Top Goal Scorer 2009" rankings.
On 18 October, Villa was nominated for the Ballon D'Or, while nearly two weeks later, on 30 October, he was nominated for the FIFA World Player Of The Year. After going three league games without scoring, Villa contributed two goals towards Valencia's 4–1 victory against Villarreal on 17 January 2010, the first of his two goals became his 100th league goal with Valencia. Another brace came against Getafe on 22 February 2010, the second goal being "a superb chip" (as described by ESPN) over Jordi Codina
Jordi Codina
Jordi Codina Rodríguez is a Spanish footballer who plays for Getafe CF as a goalkeeper.-Football career:...
. On 18 March, Valencia went to the Weserstadion
Weserstadion
The Weserstadion is a multi-purpose stadium in Bremen, Germany. The stadium is scenically situated on the north bank of the Weser River and is surrounded by lush green parks . The city center is only about a kilometer away...
to play Werder Bremen in the Europa League. Villa scored a hat-trick, his third goal being of note, which was fired in from eight yards out. The match ended 4–4 while Valencia proceeded to the next round on away goals. On May 4, 2010, Valencia played Xerez
Xerez CD
Xerez Club Deportivo, S.A.D., usually just Xerez, is a Spanish football team based in Jerez de la Frontera, Province of Cádiz, in the autonomous community of Andalusia...
, Villa did not start but came on as a substitute 62 minutes into the match, which ended 3-1. Valencia still had two more games to play in the league, however, Villa did not feature, making the game against Xerez the last time he played for Valencia.
2010–11 season
On 19 May 2010, FC BarcelonaFC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
reached an agreement with Valencia, for the acquisition of Villa for the fee of €40 million.
Villa signed on a four year contract with Barcelona, with the option for a fifth, worth a reported €7 million per season and thus, managed to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, Luis Enrique
Luís Enrique Martínez García
Luis Enrique Martínez García , known as Luis Enrique, is a retired Spanish footballer, and the current head coach of Serie A club A.S. Roma...
and Quini
Quini
Enrique Castro González , aka Quini, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.In a career totally connected with Sporting de Gijón and FC Barcelona, he was widely regarded as one of the country's best strikers, having won a total of seven Pichichi Trophy awards, five of those in La...
, both of whom, like Villa, started out at Sporting Gijón and ended up at Barcelona. On 21 May 2010, over 35,000 Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
supporters packed into Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
to see Villa's presentation, where he revealed the kit Barcelona would use during the 2010-11 season
2010–11 La Liga
The 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
. He was given his favourite number 7, a number which had been free at the club since Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Guðjohnsen
Eiður Smári Guðjohnsen is an Icelandic footballer who currently plays for AEK Athens F.C. in the Superleague Greece. He has previously played for Premier League club Chelsea and FC Barcelona of Spain, having made his name with Bolton Wanderers. He was the captain of the Iceland national team until...
left in 2009.
He made his first appearance for the club in the 2nd leg of the Supercopa de España
2010 Supercopa de España
The 2010 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 14 August and 21 August 2010. It was contested by Sevilla, the 2009–10 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2009–10 Primera División winners....
, during the second half as a substitute for fellow Spain international, Pedro Rodríguez
Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma
Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma , commonly known as Pedro or Pedrito, is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, as a forward or winger....
. His début appearance would also see him win his first piece of silver-ware with the Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
n side, as Barcelona won 5-3 on aggregate due to a hat-trick by teammate Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi
Lionel Andrés "Leo" Messi is an Argentine footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and captains the Argentina national team, mainly as a striker. Messi received several Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year nominations by the age of 21, and won in 2009 and 2010...
. His first goal came during the Joan Gamper Trophy
Joan Gamper Trophy
The Joan Gamper Trophy or Joan Gamper Cup is an annual friendly football competition held in August, before the start of Spanish club FC Barcelona's La Liga season. The competition is hosted by FC Barcelona at the Camp Nou stadium and is named in honour of Joan Gamper, a founding member, player,...
(an annual friendly competition) against Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
. Barcelona won 3-1 on penalties (after the match had ended 1-1 during normal time).
On 29 August 2010, Villa made his La Liga
2009–10 La Liga
- Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|...
début with Barcelona against Racing de Santander
Racing de Santander
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Santander, in the autonomous community of Cantabria. Founded in 1913, it currently plays in La Liga, holding home games at Estadio El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,400 spectators....
, where he scored the third goal of the match to help seal a 3-0 victory. On 14 September 2010, Villa scored on his Champions League début with Barcelona in a 5-1 victory over Panathinaikos F.C.
Against Sevilla, on 31 October 2010, Barcelona won 5-0 against the Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n side, while Villa netted a brace. His first goal that match was voted "The Best Goal Of The Week (October 25–31)" by the readers of Goal.com
Goal.com
Goal.com, founded in 2004 by Chicco Merighi and former Ferrari Maserati and Ralph Lauren President and CEO Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, is a website for international football news. Goal.com represents the largest football community in the world, with 22 language versions, covering over 200...
. Villa's first "El Clásico
El Clásico
El Clásico , also known as El derbi Español, is the name given in football to a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona. It is contested twice a year in the Spanish La Liga competition, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions...
" came on 29 November 2010, he scored two goals as Barcelona won 5-0 at the Camp Nou. Talking about the match, he commented that, "It's been a very important win. We looked for the victory and we got it. And the result and the manner in which we achieved it, you cannot ask for more.". He then scored a goal against Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909...
, a match Barcelona won 5-0. He followed with a brace against RCD Espanyol
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat with seats for 40,500 spectators. It was inaugurated on 2 August 2009...
taking Barcelona to a 1-5 win.
On 27 December 2010, Villa was named "Male Athlete of the Year" by the United States Sports Academy
United States Sports Academy
The United States Sports Academy is an accredited, sport-specific institution located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the Academy has provided its sports programs to more than 60 countries around the...
, as he edged fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera is a Spanish professional tennis player and a former World No. 1. , he is ranked No. 2 by the Association of Tennis Professionals...
and previous winner Manny Pacquiao
Manny Pacquiao
Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao, PLH is a Filipino professional boxer and politician. He is the first eight-division world champion; having won six world titles, as well as the first to win the lineal championship in four different weight classes. He was named "Fighter of the Decade" for the...
for the title.
On 28 May 2010, Villa scored the third goal — curling the ball into the net from 25-yards out — in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Final
2011 UEFA Champions League Final
The 2011 UEFA Champions League Final was a football match played on 28 May 2011 at Wembley Stadium in London that decided the winner of the 2010–11 season of the UEFA Champions League. The winners received the European Champion Clubs' Cup...
. After the victory, Villa said that he would like to dedicate the victory "to all my family, my daughters and also Pepe Reina's, who are like my nieces."
2011–12 season
Villa started the season with goals against C.D. GuadalajaraC.D. Guadalajara
Club Deportivo Guadalajara , is a Mexican professional football club based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. Guadalajara plays in the Primera División de México and is the most successful club in Mexican football, having won 11 First Division titles, 7 Campeón de Campeones and 2 Copa México...
and Club América
Club América
Club América is a Mexican Professional football club based in Mexico City. It competes in the Primera División, the top professional league in the country. The team's nickname is Las Águilas ....
in pre-season friendly matches
Exhibition game
An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
. His first official match of the season was against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España
2011 Supercopa de España
The 2011 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up that was played on 14 and 17 August 2011. It was contested by Real Madrid, the 2010–11 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2010–11 La Liga winners....
where Villa scored a "world-class" goal, helping Barcelona seal a 2-2 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, while on 17 August 2011, Villa was sent off in the dying moments of the second leg (which Barcelona won 3-2) after an altercation with Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil
Mesut Özil is a footballer who plays for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and for the German national team. Özil has been a youth national team member since 2006, and a member of the German national team since 2009. He gained international attention during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and was nominated...
.
Against Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
on 17 September 2011, Villa contributed two goals and forced Rovérsio
Rovérsio Rodrigues de Barros
Rovérsio Rodrigues de Barros, simply Rovérsio , is a Brazilian footballer who plays for CA Osasuna in Spain, as a central defender.-Football career:...
into scoring an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
in Barcelona's 8-0 win over the team from Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
.
2006 World Cup
An occasional member of the Under 21 teamSpain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
, Villa marked his international début under Luis Aragonés
Luis Aragonés
José Luis Aragonés Suárez , usually referred to as Luis Aragonés and sometimes simply as Luis, is a former Spanish footballer and national coach....
on 9 February 2005 in a 2006 World Cup Qualifier
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament...
where Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
beat San Marino
San Marino national football team
The San Marino national football team is the national football team of San Marino, controlled by the San Marino Football Federation...
5–0 at the Estadio del Mediterráneo while his first international goal came in the form of a late equaliser during a World Cup qualifier
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
against Slovakia
Slovakia national football team
The Slovakia national football team represents Slovakia in association football and is controlled by the Slovak Football Association , the governing body for football in Slovakia. Slovakia's home stadium is Štadión Pasienky and their head coach is Vladimír Weiss...
.
A successful season with Valencia saw him get called up as part of the 23-man squad to represent Spain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
. Spain's first match at the tournament and Villa's World Cup début resulted in a 4–0 win against Ukraine
Ukraine national football team
The Ukraine national football team is the national football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine. After Ukrainian Independence and breakaway from the Soviet Union, they played their first match against Hungary on 29 April 1992...
where Villa netted a brace, and also put his nation 1–0 up against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
in the Round of 16, although Spain went on to lose the match 3–1. He and Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
finished as Spain's top scorers with three goals each.
Euro 2008
By the end of 2006, Villa had become an integral part of Luis Aragonés' plans and ousted Raúl from the team. Proving vital in Spain's qualification for Euro 2008, he scored six goals, including a bicycle kickBicycle kick
A Bicycle kick or Scissor kick is a physical move made by throwing the body up into the air, making a shearing movement with the legs to get one leg in front of the other without holding on to the ground. The move can either be done backwards or sideways...
against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
. He was subsequently called up for the tournament where he formed a striking relationship with Torres, with whom he would often celebrate his goals. He scored a hat-trick in Spain's 4–1 win over Russia
Russia national football team
The Russia national football team represents Russia in association football and is controlled by the Russian Football Union , the governing body for football in Russia. Russia's home grounds are Luzhniki Stadium, Lokomotiv Stadium , and Petrovsky Stadium in St.Petersburg and their head coach is...
, making him the first player to do so at a UEFA European Championship
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
since Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Kluivert
Patrick Stephan Kluivert is a former Dutch footballer, currently head coach of the youth side of FC Twente. He played as a striker for AFC Ajax, A.C. Milan, FC Barcelona, Newcastle United, Valencia CF, PSV Eindhoven, and Lille OSC. Kluivert played for the Dutch national team from 1994 to 2004. He...
in 2000, and only the seventh overall. After the third goal, he went out of his way to meet Torres, who was on the bench at the time, to celebrate with him, "I had just scored a hat-trick and I knew people would be talking about me, but I wanted them to see that I had benefited from Torres's work, just as he sometimes benefits from mine." In the next match, he secured a 2–1 win against Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
with a goal in the 92nd minute. Rested for the next match against Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
, he started once again in the quarter finals where Spain beat Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
4–2 on penalties, Villa took the first penalty and scored.
Reaching their first semi-final in 24 years, Spain went on to face Russia for the second time during the tournament, however, during the early stages of the match, Villa sustained a thigh injury after taking a free kick and was replaced by Cesc Fàbregas
Cesc Fàbregas
Francesc "Cesc" Fàbregas i Soler is a Spanish footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona.Fàbregas started his career as a trainee with Barcelona but was signed by Premier League side Arsenal in September 2003 at the age of 16...
. The injury meant that he could not participate in the final where Spain beat Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
1–0 to claim their second win at the European Football Championships
UEFA European Football Championship
The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
. Despite missing the final and the majority of the semi-final, Villa's 4 goals in the 4 games he played were enough for him to be top scorer of the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot. He also made the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament alongside striking partner Torres.
2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup qualification
Spain's first match during qualification for the 2010 World Cup2010 FIFA World Cup qualification - UEFA Group 5
The 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification UEFA Group 5 was a UEFA qualifying group for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group comprised European champions Spain, Turkey, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Armenia and Estonia....
was against Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team
The Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
where Villa scored the only goal of the game. He would go on to score four goals in Spain's next three games, including a last minute winner against Belgium. Another goal during a friendly match against Chile
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
saw him end the year with 12 goals, breaking Raúl's record of 10 goals held since 1999. Villa began 2009 with a goal against England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
in a 2–0 friendly, with this goal, he broke another record and became the first Spanish international to have scored in 6 consecutive games, seeing off records set by Telmo Zarra and Ladislao Kubala. Speaking of the goal he said, "I am very happy with the goal. Truth is, I really want to see it on TV. The record is very nice. I would never have imagined in years that I would be able to obtain it. I am very proud and I hope I can continue breaking records".
On 1 June 2009, Vicente del Bosque named Villa in his 23 man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...
. In a friendly match before the tournament, Villa scored his second international hat-trick against Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan national football team
The Azerbaijan national football team is the national football team of Azerbaijan and is controlled by Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan...
, nearly exactly a year after his hat-trick against Russia at Euro 2008. He débuted at the Confederations Cup with a goal, the last of the five goals in Spain's 5–0 victory over New Zealand, while in the next game he scored the decisive goal against a defensive Iraqi team
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...
. Against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
, he missed a penalty, but within a minute made up for the miss by putting Spain ahead, helping them equal the records of most consecutive wins and most consecutive matches undefeated before making way for Pablo Hernández
Pablo Hernández Domínguez
Pablo Hernández Domínguez, , known as Pablo or Hernández, is a Spanish footballer who plays for Valencia CF mainly as a right winger.-Club career:...
. The goal was his last of the tournament but was enough to see him win the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe, he would also go on to make the team of the tournament.
Villa earned his 50th cap during a friendly against the Republic of Macedonia in a match where Spain won 3–2.
On 5 September 2009, Villa added two more goals to his goal tally for Spain, while assisting twice during the World Cup Qualifier against Belgium, in A Coruña. The match ended 5–0 to Spain where Villa also had a first-half penalty saved by the 30 year old A.S. Bari
A.S. Bari
Associazione Sportiva Bari is an Italian football club founded in 1908, they are based in Bari, Apulia and plays in Serie B. The club have spent many seasons bouncing between the top two divisions in Italian football, Serie A and Serie B....
goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet
Jean-François Gillet
Jean-François Gillet is a Belgian professional footballer. He currently plays for the Italian Serie A side Bologna. A skilled goalkeeper, he is considered an expert penalty stopper...
. He finished the year with his sixth international brace against Austria
Austria national football team
The Austria national football team is the association football team that represents the country of Austria in international competition and is controlled by the Austrian Football Association ....
in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, the setting where Spain were crowned European Champions the previous year. With these two goals, Villa equalled the record he set last year of most goals scored in one calendar year by a Spanish international. Spain's first match in 2010 came on March 3, against France at the Stade de France
Stade de France
The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for...
. Villa scored the opening goal in a game which Spain went on to win 2–0.
2010 World Cup
In 2010, he came 1st in the IFFHS "2010's World Top Goalscorer at International Level" rankings, he was subsequently selected as a part of Vicente del BosqueVicente Del Bosque
Vicente del Bosque González, 1st Marquis of Del Bosque is a former Spanish footballer He is currently the manager of the Spanish national football team. After taking over from Luis Aragonés who had led Spain to European success in Euro 2008, Del Bosque went on to manage the national team to the...
's 23 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. In a friendly against Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
on May 29, 2010, Villa scored the first of Spain's goals as they won 3-2 at the Tivoli Neu
Tivoli Neu
' is a multi-purpose stadium in Innsbruck, Austria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FC Wacker Innsbruck. The stadium capacity was 17,400 when it was built in 2000...
- the stadium where he scored his hat-trick against Russia during Euro 2008. Failing to score in Spain's next match against Korea Republic
Korea Republic national football team
The Korea Republic national football team represents Korea Republic in international football and is controlled by the Korea Football Association. Korea Republic is the most successful Asian football team in the history of the FIFA World Cup having participated in eight World Cup tournaments,...
, he opened the score sheet in Spain's next match against Poland
Poland national football team
The Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
, a match where Poland lost 6-0, recording their worst defeat in 50 years.
In Spain's first 2010 World Cup match, Villa was chosen as a lone striker, but could do nothing to prevent their shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
. Five days later, Spain defeated Honduras
Honduras national football team
The Honduran national football team, nicknamed Los Catrachos, La Bicolor or La H, is the national team of Honduras and is controlled by the Federación Nacional Autónoma de Fútbol de Honduras...
2-0, where Villa scored both goals, but wasted his chance to complete a hat-trick when he was awarded a penalty kick - side-footing the ball just wide of the post. It was the first time in fourteen attempts Spain ever missed a penalty in a World Cup during the run of play. In the same game, Villa was shown to slap Emilio Izaguirre
Emilio Izaguirre
Emilio Arturo Izaguirre Girón is a Honduran footballer who plays as a left back for Scottish Premier League side Celtic and the Honduras national team. He has represented his country at the 2010 World Cup and the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup....
in the face after the Honduran player trod on him. Villa said he was "not proud" of the heat of the moment incident, but he escaped a ban. Villa helped secure Spain's place in the round of 16 after scoring the first goal in a 2-1 win over Chile, with a long-range shot into an empty net after Chilean
Chile national football team
The Chilean national football team represents Chile in all major international football competitions. The team is controlled by the Federación de Fútbol de Chile which was established in 1895. They have appeared in eight World Cup tournaments and were hosts of the 1962 FIFA World Cup finishing in...
goalkeeper Claudio Bravo ran out of his area to prevent Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
from scoring. The goal would become his 6th goal in FIFA World Cup matches, becoming Spain's all time top scorer at the World Cup finals, ahead of Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño
Emilio Butragueño Santos is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.He was best known for his spell with Real Madrid...
, Fernando Hierro
Fernando Hierro
Fernando Ruiz Hierro is a retired Spanish footballer. He is mostly known for his spells with Real Madrid and Spain, appearing in more than 500 official games with the former and representing the latter on nearly 100 occasions, whilst appearing in four World Cups and two European...
, Fernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes
Fernando Morientes Sánchez is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.His main asset was his aerial and strong goalscoring abilities. He played for a number of clubs throughout his career, including Real Madrid, Monaco, Liverpool, and Valencia...
and Raúl González
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
, all of whom have five.
Spain were up against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
in the round of 16, and Villa would prove to be vital once again, as Xavi backheeled an Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta
Andrés Iniesta Luján is a Spanish football player. He currently plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club FC Barcelona, and the Spanish national team....
pass to the on-rushing Villa who hit the back of the net on the rebound after having his first shot saved by Eduardo
Eduardo dos Reis Carvalho
Eduardo dos Reis Carvalho , simply Eduardo, is a Portuguese footballer who plays for S.L. Benfica and the Portuguese national football team, as a goalkeeper.-Club career:...
, proving enough to give Spain a place in the quarter-finals against Paraguay
Paraguay national football team
The Paraguay national football team is controlled by the Paraguayan Football Association and represents Paraguay in men's international football competitions. The team has reached the second round of the World Cup on four occasions . The 2010 trip also featured their first appearance in the...
, where Villa scored a goal from a rebound after Pedro
Pedro Rodríguez Ledesma
Pedro Eliezer Rodríguez Ledesma , commonly known as Pedro or Pedrito, is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team, as a forward or winger....
hit the post. Once again, Villa's goal proved to be the difference as the match finished 1-0, while Spain booked a game with Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
in the semi-finals, where Spain recorded yet another 1-0 victory with the only goal coming from Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol
Carles Puyol i Saforcada is a Spanish footballer who plays for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national team.Mainly a central defender, he can also play on either flank, especially as a right back...
.
Villa started in the final against the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, where he had an opportunity to score from close range, but was impeded by John Heitinga
John Heitinga
John Gijsbert Alan "Johnny" Heitinga is a Dutch footballer who plays as a defender for English Premier League club Everton and the Dutch national team. A product of Jong Ajax, he previously played for AFC Ajax and Atlético Madrid, before signing for Everton in 2009. Heitinga previously represented...
who managed to block his shot. Villa would eventually make way for Torres after 106 minutes on the pitch. Spain became world champions as they went on to win the match 1-0, while Villa was awarded the Silver Shoe, with the Gold Shoe going to Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller
Thomas Müller was a German Waffen-SS Colonel who commanded the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen, 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen and the 27. SS-Freiwilligen-Grenadier-Division Langemarck during World War II...
, both players had five goals, however, Müller had more assists. Villa was subsequently named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.
Euro 2012 qualifying
Spain's first match of UEFA Euro 2012 qualifyingUEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine...
was against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
on 3 September 2010, Villa scored the second goal of the match which eventually ended 4-0. It was believed that this goal meant that he had equalled Raúl's record 44-goal tally, however, after many debates about whether he or Dariusz Dudka
Dariusz Dudka
Dariusz Dudka is a Polish footballer who currently plays for AJ Auxerre and the Polish national football team as a defensive midfielder or full-back. He can also play as a centre back.-Career:...
scored the first goal in Spain's 6-0 win over Poland, FIFA eventually decided that the goal was indeed an own goal by Dudka, meaning Villa's goal tally would remain at 43. On 12 October 2010, he finally equalled Raúl's record, scoring a penalty against Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
and helping Spain see off the Scots in a 3-2 victory at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
.
On 25 March 2011, Villa scored two goals against the Czech Republic
Czech Republic national football team
The Czech Republic national football team represents the Czech Republic in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of the Czech Republic, the governing body for football in the Czech Republic. Their current head coach is Michal Bílek...
in a Euro 2012 qualifier
UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying Group I
This page shows the standings and results for Group I of the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying tournament.- Standings :- Results and fixtures :Group I fixtures were negotiated between the participants at a meeting in Madrid, Spain, on 19 February 2010....
, which ultimately handed Spain a 2-1 victory, while at the same time he managed to eclipse Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
as Spain's all-time leading goalscorer. Speaking of the achievement, he stated that "The goals are dedicated to all the team-mates, all the coaches, all partners and friends I had during my career... But long ago I promised José, who is a friend of mine, that the goal which overtook Raul would be for him."
On 7 September 2011, Villa helped secure Spain's qualification for UEFA Euro 2012 by scoring two goals in Spain's 6-0 victory over Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
. In Spain's last Euro 2012 qualifying match, Villa scored his 50th international goal against Scotland in a 3-1 victory for Spain. That same match was also the first time Villa was able to wear the captain's armband while playing for the Spanish national team.
Succeeding Raúl as Spain's number 7
The Spanish media has often compared Villa with Raúl, to the point where Villa was accused of taking the #7 jersey away from the then-Real Madrid player. In March 2009, Villa spoke out saying, "I have not taken anything away from anybody, I was simply playing well for my club and the national coach gave me an opportunity. Too much has been said about the number issue. I’m not looking to cause any controversy. In fact, Raúl and I were in the national squad together in the past. I haven’t forced anybody out." When questioned on whether the whole uproar created over Raúl's omission was affecting him personally, he said, "I’ve never liked it because I think it has been damaging for the both of us. We’ve always got on well together whenever we’ve met up for international duty, so I’m not concerned. I just work hard for myself. All I want is to be in the squad for every game, to have the Spain badge on my chest and to score as many goals as I can."In February 2010, Bernd Schuster was asked if Raúl did not favour Villa moving to Real Madrid, to which he responded with "I have a cough", this caused many to believe that he was implying the rumour to be true. Villa firmly ridiculed that idea by saying "It is impossible that a player with as much class on and off the pitch as Raúl would speak poorly of me. I have always had a good relationship with Raúl, even though we have hardly met on international duty."
Speaking of Raúl's record with the Spanish national team as the nation's leading top scorer, Villa said, "I've got 25 goals but he's got 44 and is still playing. I'd be delighted to reach that tally as I'd help the national team achieve great victories and, in many years' time, I could see my name on a [scorers' list] that another young lad was trying to beat. That would be great." On March 25, 2011, two years after making that remark, Villa surpassed Raúl
Raúl González
Raúl González Blanco , known simply as Raúl, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a striker. He currently plays for German club Schalke 04....
as Spain's all-time top scorer.
Personal life
Adidas F50
The Adidas F50 range of football boots is Adidas's signature line of customisable, lightweight boots. First released in 2004, in the build-up to UEFA Euro 2004, the range was released as a successor of the X-Line range and as a direct competitor to Nike's Mercurial Vapor range, which had been...
's, while one boot bears the Spanish flag
Flag of Spain
The flag of Spain , as it is defined in the Spanish Constitution of 1978, consists of three horizontal stripes: red, yellow and red, the yellow stripe being twice the size of each red stripe...
, the other has the Asturian flag
Asturias
The Principality of Asturias is an autonomous community of the Kingdom of Spain, coextensive with the former Kingdom of Asturias in the Middle Ages...
. In 2009, his second daughter Olaya was born, named after the wife of Fernando Torres
Fernando Torres
Fernando José Torres Sanz , nicknamed , is a Spanish footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Spain national team as a striker....
, who is a close friend of Patricia. His footballing idols are Luis Enrique
Luís Enrique Martínez García
Luis Enrique Martínez García , known as Luis Enrique, is a retired Spanish footballer, and the current head coach of Serie A club A.S. Roma...
and Quini
Quini
Enrique Castro González , aka Quini, is a retired Spanish footballer who played as a striker.In a career totally connected with Sporting de Gijón and FC Barcelona, he was widely regarded as one of the country's best strikers, having won a total of seven Pichichi Trophy awards, five of those in La...
.
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.
Villa featured on the Spanish box art for video game FIFA 07
FIFA 07
FIFA 07 is the 2007 edition of EA Sports' series of football simulator video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts....
.
Music
In 2010 he sang alongside Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
singer Ana Torroja
Ana Torroja
Ana Torroja is a Grammy Award-nominated Spaniard singer. She is the lead singer of the pop trio Mecano, considered one of the most popular pop bands from Spain during the 1980s and 1990s. Mecano split in 1998 and she embarked on a solo career.-Biography:Ana Torroja met José María Cano while...
on the song "Insurrection" by El Último de la Fila
El Último de la Fila
El Último de la Fila was a Spanish music group created in the mid 1980s in Barcelona, Spain. The original members were Manolo García and Quimi Portet.-History:...
. The recording was made for the beneficiary project Voces X1FIN, to help raise money to build an art and education school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
in Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
. Villa commented that footballers "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."
Club
As of 30 November 2011| Club | Season | League | CupIncludes Copa del Rey Copa del Rey The Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol .... and Supercopa de España Supercopa de España The Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey... . |
EuropeIncludes UEFA Intertoto Cup UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that had not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued... , UEFA Cup UEFA Cup The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League... and UEFA Champions League UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It... . |
Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Sporting Gijón B Sporting de Gijón B Real Sporting de Gijón B is a Spanish football club based in Gijón, in the autonomous community of Asturias. Founded in 1967, it is the reserve team of Sporting de Gijón, and currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 1, holding home games at Escuela de Fútbol de Mareo.Unlike the English League,... |
1999–00 División de Honor Juvenil de Fútbol The División de Honor Juvenil is the top level of the Spanish football league system for youth players 18 years old and under. The División de Honor is administered by the RFEF through the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Aficionado ... |
30 | 12 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 12 | |||||
| 2000–01 | 35 | 13 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 13 | ||||||
| Total | 65 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 25 | - | |
| Sporting Gijón Sporting de Gijón Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club from Gijón, Asturias. Founded in 1 June 1905, it currently plays in Spanish first division.... |
2000–01 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 2001–02 | 40 | 18 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | — | 44 | 20 | ||||
| 2002–03 | 39 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 40 | 20 | ||||
| Total | 80 | 38 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 85 | 40 | - | |
| Zaragoza Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points... |
2003–04 | 38 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | — | 46 | 21 | 7 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 La Liga 2004–05 season was composed of the following clubs:* Albacete Balompié* Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Real Betis* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Levante UD* Málaga CF* Real Mallorca* CD Numancia* CA Osasuna... |
35 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 46 | 20 | 7 | |
| Total | 73 | 32 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 92 | 41 | 14 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
2005–06 2005–06 La Liga * Athletic Bilbao* Atlético Madrid* FC Barcelona* Betis* Cádiz CF* Celta de Vigo* Deportivo Alaves* Deportivo de La Coruña* Espanyol* Getafe CF* Málaga CF* RCD Mallorca* CA Osasuna* Racing de Santander* Real Madrid* Real Sociedad* Sevilla FC... |
35 | 25 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 28 | 8 |
| 2006–07 | 36 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 49 | 21 | 17 | |
| 2007–08 | 30 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 41 | 22 | 11 | |
| 2008–09 | 33 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 40 | 30 | 7 | |
| 2009–10 2009–10 La Liga - Personnel and sponsoring :- Before the start of the season :- During the season :-League table:||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=1 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|... |
32 | 21 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 42 | 28 | 10 | |
| Total | 166 | 108 | 38 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 17 | 10 | 212 | 129 | 53 | |
| Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
2010–11 2010–11 FC Barcelona season The 2010–11 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's 117th in existence and the club's 79th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football... |
34 | 18 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 52 | 23 | 9 |
| 2011–12 2011–12 FC Barcelona season The 2011–12 season is Futbol Club Barcelona's 112th in existence and the club's 81st consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. Barcelona will be debuting their new and first paid shirt sponsor Qatar Foundation after an agreement was reached in 2010 with the non-profit organization... |
14 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 22 | 9 | 2 | |
| Total | 48 | 23 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 74 | 32 | 11 | |
| Career total | 431 | 226 | 57 | 37 | 14 | 6 | 62 | 27 | 15 | 526 | 267 | 78 | |
International statistics
As of 7 October 2011.| National team | Club | Year | Friendly | Competitive | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Ratio | |||
| Spain Spain national football team The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque... |
Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza Real Zaragoza, S.A.D. is a Spanish association football team from Zaragoza in Spain. Founded on 18 March 1932, Real Zaragoza have spent the majority of their 78 year history in the Spanish top-flight. Real Zaragoza are Spain's 9th highest ranked team in overall league points... |
2004–05 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Valencia Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the... |
2005–06 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 12 | 5 | ||
| 2006–07 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 7 | |||
| 2007–08 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 6 | |||
| 2008–09 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 8 | 14 | 13 | |||
| 2009–10 | 6 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 11 | |||
| Barcelona FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.... |
2010–11 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 11 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | |||
| Career Total | 30 | 14 | 50 | 36 | 80 | 50 | |||
Note: Each season is September - August
International goals
As of 15 November 2011.| David Villa international goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Goal | Result | Competition |
| 2005–2006 | ||||||
| 1. | 16 November 2005 | Tehelné pole Tehelné pole -External links:*... , Bratislava Bratislava Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava... , Slovakia Slovakia The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south... |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition... |
|
| 2. | 1 March 2006 | Estadio José Zorrilla Estadio José Zorrilla Estadio José Zorrilla is a football stadium in Valladolid, Spain. The stadium holds 26,512 people.The stadium was built in 1982 and is named after poet José Zorrilla y Moral... , Valladolid Valladolid Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
1–1 | 3–2 | International friendly Exhibition game An exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition... |
|
| 3. | 13 June 2006 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing... , Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup 2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six... |
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| 4. | 13 June 2006 | Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany |  Ukraine |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 5. | 27 June 2006 | AWD-Arena AWD-Arena The AWD-Arena is a football stadium in the district Calenberger Neustadt in Hanover, Lower Saxony, Germany, and competition venue of the German Bundesliga football club Hannover 96.... , Hannover, Germany |
1–0 | 1–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2006–2007 | ||||||
| 6. | 2 September 2006 | Estadio Nuevo Vivero Estadio Nuevo Vivero Estadio Nuevo Vivero is a multi-use stadium in Badajoz, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of CD Badajoz. The stadium holds 15,200 and was built in 1999. They previously played at Estadio El Vivero, in the east of the city, before moving a few... , Badajoz Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain, situated close to the Portuguese border, on the left bank of the river Guadiana, and the Madrid–Lisbon railway. The population in 2007 was 145,257.... , Spain |
2–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying | |
| 7. | 2 September 2006 | Estadio Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain |  Liechtenstein |
3–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying |
| 8. | 6 September 2006 | Windsor Park Windsor Park Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:... , Belfast Belfast Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly... , Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west... |
1–2 | 3–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying | |
| 9. | 11 October 2006 | Nueva Condomina Estadio Nueva Condomina Estadio Nueva Condomina is a multi-use stadium in Murcia, Spain. Completed in 2006, it is used mostly for football matches and hosts the homes matches of Real Murcia. The stadium has a capacity of 31,179 people. It replaces their previous stadium La Condomina.The stadium was officially opened on... , Murcia Murcia -History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village... , Spain |
2–1 | 2–1 | International friendly | |
| 10. | 24 March 2007 | Santiago Bernabéu Santiago Bernabéu Stadium The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is an all-seater football stadium in Madrid, Spain. It was inaugurated on 14 December 1947 and is owned by Real Madrid Club de Fútbol. It has a current capacity of 85,454 spectators.... , Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... , Spain |
2–0 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying | |
| 11. | 6 June 2007 | Rheinpark Stadion Rheinpark Stadion The Rheinpark Stadion in Vaduz is the national stadium of Liechtenstein. It plays host to the home matches of the Liechtenstein national football team, and is also the home of Liechtenstein's top football club, FC Vaduz.... , Vaduz Vaduz Vaduz is the capital of the principality of Liechtenstein and the seat of the national parliament. The town, located along the Rhine, has about 5,100 inhabitants , most of whom are Roman Catholic. Its cathedral is the seat of a Roman Catholic archbishop.... , Liechtenstein Liechtenstein The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan... |
Liechtenstein |
0–1 | 0–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying |
| 12. | 6 June 2007 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein |
0–2 | 0–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying |
| 2007–2008 | ||||||
| 13. | 26 March 2008 | Manuel Martínez Valero Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero The Estadio Manuel Martinez Valero is located in the city Spanish in Elche in Alicante, Spain. It is a sports arena that houses matches of Elche CF, a team that is currently playing in the Liga Adelante . Its name pays tribute to the late president of the club Elche, Manuel Martinez Valero... , Elche, Spain |
1–0 | 1–0 | International friendly | |
| 14. | 31 May 2008 | Nuevo Colombino Nuevo Colombino Estadio Nuevo Colombino is a multi-purpose stadium in Huelva, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Recreativo de Huelva. Football was first introduced to Spain in Huelva and it still hosts the annual Trofeo Colombino, one of the traditional... , Huelva Huelva Huelva is a city in southwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalusia. It is located along the Gulf of Cadiz coast, at the confluence of the Odiel and Tinto rivers. According to the 2010 census, the city has a population of 149,410 inhabitants. The... , Spain |
1–0 | 2–1 | International friendly | |
| 15. | 10 June 2008 | Tivoli Neu Tivoli Neu ' is a multi-purpose stadium in Innsbruck, Austria. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FC Wacker Innsbruck. The stadium capacity was 17,400 when it was built in 2000... , Innsbruck Innsbruck - Main sights :- Buildings :*Golden Roof*Kaiserliche Hofburg *Hofkirche with the cenotaph of Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor*Altes Landhaus... , Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
1–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 | |
| 16. | 10 June 2008 | Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria |  Russia |
2–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 17. | 10 June 2008 | Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria | Russia |
3–0 | 4–1 | UEFA Euro 2008 |
| 18. | 14 June 2008 | Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria | 1–2 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 | |
| 2008–2009 | ||||||
| 19. | 6 September 2008 | Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification The qualification competition for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations. Each confederation — the AFC , CAF , CONCACAF , CONMEBOL , OFC , and UEFA — was allocated a certain number of the 32 places at the tournament... |
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| 20. | 10 September 2008 | Estadio Carlos Belmonte Estadio Carlos Belmonte Estadio Carlos Belmonte is a multi-purpose stadium in Albacete, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Albacete Balompié. The stadium holds 17,300 and was built in 1940.... , Albacete Albacete Albacete is a city and municipality in southeastern Spain, 258 km southeast of Madrid, the capital of the province of Albacete in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. The municipality had a population of c. 169,700 in 2009.... , Spain |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 21. | 10 September 2008 | Estadio Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain |  Armenia |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 22. | 11 October 2008 | A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena A. Le Coq Arena is a football stadium in Tallinn, Estonia. As well as football matches, it also hosts various concerts and events. According to the plan, the stadium is unfinished.... , Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list... , Estonia Estonia Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies... |
0–2 | 0–3 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 23. | 15 October 2008 | King Baudouin Stadium King Baudouin Stadium The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition... , Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... , Belgium |
1–2 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 24. | 19 November 2008 | El Madrigal, Villarreal, Spain | 1–0 | 3–0 | International friendly | |
| 25. | 11 February 2009 | Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán is a stadium in Seville, Spain. It is the home stadium of Sevilla Fútbol Club. It was the venue for the 1986 European Cup Final between Steaua Bucureşti and Barcelona and the 1982 World Cup semi-final game between Germany and France.This stadium contains a singular... , Sevilla, Spain |
1–0 | 2–0 | International friendly | |
| 26. | 9 June 2009 | Tofik Bakhramov Tofik Bakhramov Tofik Bahram oglu Bahramov , commonly known as the Russian linesman in England, was an Azerbaijani football referee notable for being the linesman who helped to award a goal for England in the 1966 FIFA World Cup Final against West Germany... , Baku Baku Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal... , Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... |
1–0 | 6–0 | International friendly | |
| 27. | 9 June 2009 | Tofik Bakhramov, Baku, Azerbaijan |  Azerbaijan |
2–0 | 6–0 | International friendly |
| 28. | 9 June 2009 | Tofik Bakhramov, Baku, Azerbaijan | Azerbaijan |
3–0 | 6–0 | International friendly |
| 29. | 14 June 2009 | Royal Bafokeng Stadium Royal Bafokeng Stadium The Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace is a football, rugby and athletics stadium in Phokeng near Rustenburg, South Africa It was built and is managed by the Royal Bafokeng Nation.. It is used as the home stadium for Premier Soccer League club Platinum Stars... , Rustenburg, South Africa South Africa The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans... |
5–0 | 5–0 | 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park... |
|
| 30. | 17 June 2009 | Free State Stadium Free State Stadium The Free State Stadium , also known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and association football... , Bloemfontein Bloemfontein Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and... , South Africa |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup | |
| 31. | 20 June 2009 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup | |
| 2009–2010 | ||||||
| 32. | 5 September 2009 | Estadio Riazor, A Coruña A Coruña A Coruña or La Coruña is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. It is the second-largest city in the autonomous community and seventeenth overall in the country... , Spain |
 Belgium |
2–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 33. | 5 September 2009 | Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain | Belgium |
5–0 | 5–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 34. | 18 November 2009 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... , Austria |
1–2 | 1–5 | International friendly | |
| 35. | 18 November 2009 | Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria |  Austria |
1–3 | 1–5 | International friendly |
| 36. | 3 March 2010 | Stade de France Stade de France The Stade de France is the national stadium of France, situated just north of Paris in the commune of Saint-Denis. It has an all-seater capacity of 80,000, making it the fifth largest stadium in Europe, and is used by both the France national football team and French rugby union team for... , Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... , France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
 France |
0–1 | 0–2 | International friendly |
| 37. | 29 May 2010 | Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria | 1–1 | 3–2 | International friendly | |
| 38. | 21 June 2010 | Ellis Park Stadium Ellis Park Stadium Ellis Park Stadium, also known because of its sponsorship by The Coca-Cola Company as Coca-Cola Park, is a rugby union and association football stadium in the city of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. It hosted the final of the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was won by the country's... , Johannesburg Johannesburg Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa... , South Africa |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup 2010 FIFA World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010... |
|
| 39. | 21 June 2010 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa |  Honduras |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 40. | 25 June 2010 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium Loftus Versfeld Stadium Loftus Versfeld Stadium is a rugby and association football stadium situated in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The stadium has a capacity of 51,762 for rugby union and hosted the 2009 Currie Cup final... , Pretoria Pretoria Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is... , South Africa |
 Chile |
0–1 | 1–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| 41. | 29 June 2010 | Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town Cape Town Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality... , South Africa |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | |
| 42. | 3 July 2010 | Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa | 0–1 | 0–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup | |
| 2010-2011 | ||||||
| 43. | 3 September 2010 | Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein | Liechtenstein |
0–2 | 0–4 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying The qualifying competition for UEFA Euro 2012 is a series of parallel association football competitions held over 2010 and 2011 to decide the qualifiers for UEFA Euro 2012, to be held in Poland and Ukraine... |
| 44. | 12 October 2010 | Hampden Park Hampden Park Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland... , Glasgow Glasgow Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands... , Scotland Scotland Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the... |
0–1 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 45. | 25 March 2011 | Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes -External links:*... , Granada Granada Granada is a city and the capital of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence of three rivers, the Beiro, the Darro and the Genil. It sits at an elevation of 738 metres above sea... , Spain |
1–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 46. | 25 March 2011 | Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain | 2–1 | 2–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 47. | 7 June 2011 | Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, Puerto la Cruz Puerto la Cruz Puerto la Cruz is a port city located in Anzoátegui State, in Venezuela. It is the seat of the Juan Antonio Sotillo Municipality. The city has road connections to the state capital, Barcelona, to Lecheria and to Guanta, and has the potential to become the largest and most important metropolitan... , Venezuela Venezuela Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south... |
0–1 | 0–3 | International friendly | |
| 2011–2012 | ||||||
| 48. | 6 September 2011 | Estadio Las Gaunas Estadio Las Gaunas Estadio Las Gaunas is a football stadium in Logroño, Spain. It has a capacity of 16,000.- External links :*... , Logroño Logroño Logroño is a city in northern Spain, on the Ebro River. It is the capital of the autonomous community of La Rioja, formerly known as La Rioja Province.The population of Logroño in 2008 was 153,736 and a metropolitan population of nearly 197,000 inhabitants... , Spain |
5–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 49. | 6 September 2011 | Estadio Las Gaunas, Logroño, Spain | 6–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 50. | 11 October 2011 | Estadio José Rico Pérez Estadio José Rico Pérez Estadio José Rico Pérez is a multi-purpose stadium in Alicante, Spain. It is currently used mostly for football matches, being home to Hércules CF. It also held World Cup matches when Spain organized the event in 1982. The stadium can hold up to 30,000 people... , Alicante Alicante Alicante or Alacant is a city in Spain, the capital of the province of Alicante and of the comarca of Alacantí, in the south of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante proper was 334,418, estimated , ranking as the second-largest... , Spain |
3–0 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying | |
| 51. | 15 November 2011 | Estadio Nacional de Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica San José, Costa Rica San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San... |
2–2 | 2–2 | International friendly | |
- Note: According to virtually all sources, Villa's apparent 38th goal (against PolandPoland national football teamThe Poland national football team represents Poland in association football and is controlled by the Polish Football Association, the governing body for football in Poland...
) was actually an own goal by an opponent. Although FIFA credited the goal to Villa at the time, their own website now says his goal against Scotland was his 50th, not 51st.
Club
Real Zaragoza- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1
-
- 2004Copa del Rey 2003-04The Copa del Rey 2003–04 is the 100th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on August 24, 2003 and concluded on March 17, 2004 with the Final, held at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, in which Real Zaragoza lifted the trophy with a 2–3 victory over Real Madrid...
- Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 1
- Supercopa de España
- 20042004 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2004 Supercopa de España was two-leg Spanish football matches played on 24 August and 27 August 2003. It contested by Real Zaragoza, who were Spanish Cup winners in 2003–04, and Valencia CF, who won the 2003–04 Spanish League. Real Zaragoza won 3–2 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second...
- 2004
Valencia
- Copa del ReyCopa del ReyThe Copa del Rey is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams. Its full name is Campeonato de España – Copa de Su Majestad el Rey de Fútbol ....
: 1
-
- 2008Copa del Rey 2007-08The Copa del Rey 2007–08 was the 104th staging of the Copa del Rey.The competition started on August 29, 2007 and concluded on April 16, 2008 with the Final, held at the Estadio Vicente Calderón in Madrid, in which Valencia CF lifted the trophy for the seventh time in their history with a 3–1...
- 2008
Barcelona
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
: 1
-
- 2010–112010–11 La LigaThe 2010–11 La Liga season was the 80th since its establishment. The campaign began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 21 May 2011. A total of 20 teams contested the league, 17 of which already contested in the 2009–10 season and three of which were promoted from the Segunda División...
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1
- UEFA Champions League
- 2010–11
- Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
: 2
- Supercopa de España
- 20102010 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2010 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 14 August and 21 August 2010. It was contested by Sevilla, the 2009–10 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2009–10 Primera División winners....
, 20112011 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2011 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up that was played on 14 and 17 August 2011. It was contested by Real Madrid, the 2010–11 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2010–11 La Liga winners....
- UEFA Super Cup: 1
- 20112011 UEFA Super Cup-External links:*, UEFA.com...
- 2010–11
Country
Spain- UEFA European ChampionshipUEFA European Football ChampionshipThe UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA . Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current...
: 1
-
- 2008
- FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
: 1
- FIFA World Cup
- 20102010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
- 2008
Individual
Awards- Don Balón AwardDon Balón AwardFrom 1976 until 2010, the Spanish magazine Don Balón confered the Don Balón Award to the best Spanish player, the best foreign player, the best referee, and the breakthrough player in La Liga...
(Spanish Player of the Year): 2005-06 - Zarra TrophyZarra TrophyThe Zarra Trophy is a trophy awarded annually by the Spanish sports daily Marca to the Spanish domestic player with the highest goal total in La Liga...
: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09La Liga 2008-09-Personnel and sponsoring: FC Barcelona have no shirt sponsors, instead choosing to sport the logo of humanitarian organisation, UNICEF. Barcelona donates five million euros every year to the organisation and wears the organisation's logo on its jersey....
, 2009-10 - UEFA Euro 2008 Golden Boot
- UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament
- Man of the Match Spain vs Russia, Spain vs Sweden Euro 2008
- 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe
- 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament.
- 2010 FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe
- 2010 FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 20102010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
- Man of the Match Spain vs Honduras World Cup 2010
- Male Athlete of the YearUnited States Sports AcademyThe United States Sports Academy is an accredited, sport-specific institution located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the Academy has provided its sports programs to more than 60 countries around the...
: 2010 - FIFPro World XIFIFProThe Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels , usually known by the abbreviation FIFPro, is a worldwide representative organization for professional football players. At the moment there are 43 national players associations who are members of FIFPro...
: 2010 - UEFA Team of the YearUEFA Team of the YearThe UEFA Team of the Year is a football award given by UEFA through a poll on its . This award started in 2001 to allow users and visitors of the organization's website to choose their own eleven players and a coach based on their overall performances in European club football and international...
: 2010 - Prince of Asturias AwardsPrince of Asturias AwardsThe Prince of Asturias Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Prince of Asturias Foundation to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs....
: 2010
Achievements
- ValenciaValencia CFValencia Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish Football and European Football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the...
Top Scorer: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08La Liga 2007-08-League table:||rowspan=2 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|||rowspan=7 style="background-color:#F9F9F9;"|-Results:...
, 2008-09La Liga 2008-09-Personnel and sponsoring: FC Barcelona have no shirt sponsors, instead choosing to sport the logo of humanitarian organisation, UNICEF. Barcelona donates five million euros every year to the organisation and wears the organisation's logo on its jersey....
, 2009-10 - La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
's Top Assisting Player: 2006-07 - Spain all time top scorer: 49 goals
- Spain's all time top scorer in FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
matches - Most goals scored in one World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
(by a Spanish international): 5 - Most goals scored in one calendar year (by a Spanish international): 12 (2008, 2009)
- Largest streak of games having scored (by a Spanish international): 6