David Villa is the most titled Spanish footballer. At home, he is idolized, there he is the same legend as Pele in Brazil and Maradona in Argentina. On account of Villa more than 500 played matches in games of different levels and about 300 goals scored.
Biography: early years
David Villa Sanchez was born on December 3, 1981 in the tiny village of Tuilla, which is located in the municipality of Langreo in the province of Asturias. This area in northern Spain was rich in coal. David's father, Jose Manuel, like most of the local men, worked in the mine. However, he was a football fan. In his spare time, my father coached a team of local boys. He dreamed that his son would also play football.
David began to play the ball across the field at the age of three. The father personally worked with his son, despite the fatigue after a hard shift in the mine. However, at the age of four, David fell unsuccessfully and received a complex injury to the femur of his right leg.
The doctors offered the family two options for solving the problem. The first involved a light operation, after which David was expected to have limited movement for life, and the second - the application of a plaster cast from the hip to the ankle with an agonizingly long rehabilitation, but with a high probability of returning to his former life. The parents chose the second path.
The recovery took two months. During this time, four-year-old David did not get out of bed. When he began to move, his father taught him how to work with his left foot. Thanks to the injury, David became a "two-legged" footballer: he learned to handle the ball equally well with his right and left foot.
Father's care and support was the catalyst for Villa's progress. Thanks to his connections and perseverance, he managed to arrange nine-year-old David in one of the prestigious children's football clubs in the province of Asturias. The father personally drove and brought his son to training.
As a child, David was a puny boy, for this reason he lacked stamina. The club's coaches drew attention to this and said that David was physically weak and completely unsuitable for football. He had to go to a more modest club. In an interview, Villa admitted that then it became a tragedy for him and on this basis certain complexes developed.
At the age of 16, David entered the Sporting Gijon football academy, which was considered one of the most honorable in Spain. By that time, he still did not differ in stamina and good "breath", which is important for a football player. At the same time, he had a well-developed so-called scoring flair. Experienced coaches did not want to lose a player with such quality and after training they gave David an additional load: he wound several circles and worked in the gym. After a couple of years, he became unrecognizable. At the same time, Villa received his first contract with a professional club.
Career
Between 2003 and 2005, David defended the colors of Zaragoza. During this time, he became the club's best forward. For him, Villa played 73 games, scoring 36 goals. As part of this club, he won the Spanish Cup.
In 2005 David moved to Valencia. In his debut season, he became the club's top scorer. After that, Villa made his debut in the national team. He has defended Valencia's colors for four seasons. During this time, Villa played 166 matches and scored 107 goals. Excellent speed, scoring instinct, excellent kick from both feet, decent heading - all this allowed David to become one of the best strikers in the Spanish championship.
In 2008, he performed brilliantly at the European Championship as part of the national team. The Spaniards then took the "gold". In 2010, the success was consolidated at the world championship. The Spaniards celebrated their victory again. And it has a certain contribution from David.
In 2010, Villa became a Barcelona player. Playing for the Catalans for three seasons, he took eight trophies, including the Champions League Cup. In the Barcelona shirt, Villa has scored 33 goals in 77 appearances.
In 2013, the Catalans decided to sell Villa. The reason was an injury that prevented him from being a base player. So David ended up in Atletico Madrid. With him, the club celebrated a victory in the Spanish championship for the first time in 18 years. The “mattress makers” performed very well in the Champions League, reaching the final game. Real Madrid prevented them from taking the coveted Cup.
After a very successful season at Atlético, Villa suddenly made the decision to move to the States. There he became a New York City player. True, on loan he played for the Australian "Melbourne City".
In 2019, Davil became a forward for the Japanese "Vissel Kobe". With him he took the Japan Cup. In January 2020, David announced his retirement from football.
Personal life
David Villa is married to Patricia Gonzalez. They have known each other since childhood. In an interview, the footballer admitted that Patricia was his first love. As soon as he became independent, he hastened to propose to her. The wedding took place in 2003.
It is noteworthy that Patricia was also fond of football as a teenager. She even played in a professional women's club.
David and Patricia are raising three children: son Luka, daughters Olaya and Zaida. Their names were embroidered on the footballer's boots. Also on David's shoes there was always the flag of Spain and his native province of Asturias. Thus, the footballer wanted to say how important his “roots” and family are to him.
Villa spends a lot of time with his family, as evidenced by photographs of the paparazzi. However, David himself posts family pictures on social networks with enviable regularity. Also, children and wife very often attended matches with his participation.
