He became World Champion and European Champion, but now the active football career of David Villa comes to an end. The 37-year-old Spaniard, currently playing for Vissel Kobe, will end his career after the current season of the Japanese J-League at the end of January.
"Thanks to all the teams, coaches and teammates who helped make my dream come true," wrote Villa on Instagram. At a press conference he said, "I've been thinking about it for a long time, it's the result of talking to family and friends, it's better to leave football before he leaves me."
Villa, who has been a professional for 19 years, won the European title in 2008 with the Spanish national team and two years later the World Cup. With 59 goals in 98 internationals, he is a Spanish record scorer - at the 2010 World Cup, he scored five goals.
On club level, Villa triumphed with FC Barcelona in the Champions League (2011) and twice won the championship (2011, 2013). Prior to joining Japan, he worked for Atlético Madrid and MLS New York City FC. He started his professional career at Sporting Gijón and played for Valencia.
Also Villas future will be related to football: Already on Tuesday, he had announced that he wanted to start a club in New York together with other investors. Queensboro FC will play in the USL Championship in 2021, the second US league.