Forgotten football icons: David Villa

People often let players who are less on the flamboyant side of the game slip their mind once their career is over. And sometimes, flamboyant players are overshadowed by those around them. One such star was David Villa!

The Spaniard is regarded by some as one of the greatest strikers of his generation, but unfortunately for him, his generation included the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at their peaks, overshadowing his achievements in the beautiful game. 

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From America to Japan, the retired striker amassed an impressive trophy cabinet that boasts silverware he won with his various teams as well as individual accolades. 

For many footballers, the FIFA World Cup would be the greatest team honour a player can achieve, and this is exactly what Villa accomplished in South Africa in 2010. He also earned the Silver Boot at the tournament after scoring five goals to help his nation to worldly glory. 

He represented Spain at three World Cups (in 2006, 2010 and 2014), playing in 12 games and scoring a total of nine WC goals — a goal average of 0.75. 

He was also part of the Spanish side that won the 2008 UEFA European Championship. He represented the cherry on the cake for the side, being the top goalscorer in the tournament with four goals. 

At club level, he also achieved a significant amount of silverware that includes three LALIGA titles, a UEFA Champions League trophy, and a FIFA Club World Cup, among others. 

Villa could be considered to have been an old-school poacher. He was a striker who had a natural ability to score goals, seemingly always finding himself in the right place at the right time to slot the ball into the back of the net and making it look ever so easy while doing it. He was truly a "fox in the box", able to sniff out an opportunity at any time during games. 

He wasn't the strongest or the most physically imposing, but he was so elegant and gracious in his movement. Whether he was sneaking away from a defender just before a set-piece was struck or hanging on the shoulder of the last man while waiting to pounce on a through-ball from the creative players behind him, he was simply a joy to watch. 

On some occasions, however, he would strike the ball with ferocity to ensure keepers had no chance of stopping his attempts. 

He scored 341 goals and amassed 82 assists in 667 club appearances, in a career that spanned just over 20 years. He represented Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza in the early stages of his football journey. However, his career really took off when he made the move to Valencia. He scored 129 goals in 226 appearances between 2005 and 2010 for Los Che. 

He then earned himself a move to Barcelona, but it could be argued that it was not the best move him on a personal level. Although he won an astonishing amount of silverware with the Blaugrana, he was not as prolific as he once was. In 119 appearances for the Catalan side, he managed just 48 goals and 24 assists. 

This could have been because he was shifted out to the left to accommodate Lionel Messi, who occupied central areas. It makes one wonder how many more goals Villa would have scored if he joined a club where he was the focal point of the attack at his peak and given the freedom to occupy the positions his instincts pulled him towards. 

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Would he then have been capable of stepping out of the shadow of Messi and Ronaldo hanging over him? It's certainly something worth pondering over! 

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