David Villa retirement: El Guaje bows out as a Barcelona icon and the greatest striker in Spain's history

Villa retires a legend of Spanish football.
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Ben Hayward13 November 2019

David Villa announced his retirement on Wednesday after almost two decades as a professional and he will deservedly go down as the greatest striker in Spain's history.

Younger football fans may not remember, but the decision by Luis Aragones to drop Raul and opt for Villa in his place was a big controversy back in 2006. And it proved a masterstroke.

Without Raul and with Villa, Spain went onto win Euro 2008, their first continental crown since 1964, and under Vicente del Bosque in 2010, La Roja claimed a maiden World Cup in South Africa.

Del Bosque, who had coached Raul at Real Madrid, was expected to recall his former player. Instead, he stuck by Villa and was rewarded as the striker hit five goals en route to the trophy.

Villa netted against Honduras (twice), Chile, Portugal and Paraguay as Spain went on to claim the game's greatest prize. Their excellence had been built on a solid defence and a masterful midfield, yet someone had to score the goals. El Guaje was as important as anyone in that team.

He missed out on the Golden Boot as several players were tied on five goals and Thomas Muller won it by virtue of having more assists, but his intelligent movement and finishing had put the icing on the cake in an era-defining Spain side.

"It's the best moment you can live as a footballer," he said afterwards. "There are goals you can reach or not, but there is nothing greater than winning a World Cup with your country."

And after the World Cup, there was more greatness ahead. Having starred for Sporting Gijon, Zaragoza and Valencia, Villa had agreed a transfer to Barcelona ahead of the competition and under Pep Guardiola, he went onto shine in a side which may well have been the best version of the Catalan coach's brilliant Blaugrana team.

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In an age of acronyms for forward lines which have included MSN at Barcelona and BBC at Real Madrid, Villa formed part of the magnificent MVP trident at Camp Nou, alongside Lionel Messi and Pedro.

That team won La Liga and produced a masterclass in the 2011 Champions League final win over Manchester United at Wembley, with the goals that day scored by the three forwards. Villa's, a superb curler from just inside the 'D' to make it 3-1 after 69 minutes, was the clincher.

Barca had missed out on a treble by one match as they had lost the Copa del Rey final to Real Madrid at Mestalla, yet many fans remember that side as the best to feature under Guardiola -- superior even to the 2008-09 treble-winning team.

Unfortunately, it would not last long. Villa broke his leg at the Club World Cup in December 2011 and would miss the rest of the season. He would not play again under Guardiola and in his absence, Barca were unable to win either La Liga or the Champions League.

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The striker was also unable to recover in time to make Spain's squad for Euro 2012 and would spend only one more season at Barca, winning La Liga but not featuring as much as he would have liked in his third campaign at Camp Nou.

A move to Atletico Madrid followed and, although Diego Costa took much of the credit for the way he led the line in Diego Simeone's title-winning team, Villa's movement, intelligence and experience were vital as the Rojiblancos claimed La Liga and also advanced to the Champions League final, which they lost to Real Madrid.

Villa had been close to joining Madrid from Valencia as Florentino Perez returned to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2009, but he ended up playing for Real's two biggest rivals instead.

And even though he retired from Spain duty in 2014, before a brief return in 2017, his 59 goals in 98 appearances and the pivotal part he played in the team's success between 2008 and 2012 make him La Roja's greatest ever striker.

"After 19 years as a professional, I have decided to retire from playing football at the end of this season," he wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. "Thank you to all the teams, coaches and teammates that have allowed me to enjoy this dreamed career. Thank you to my family, that has always been there to support me."

Fans from all over will be grateful too as Villa prepares to say farewell to his current club, Japanese side Vissel Kobe, at the end of this year after with 439 goals to his name so far for clubs and country.

One of football's good guys, El Guaje leaves as a legend. And having been a key player in the greatest Barcelona and Spain sides, plus a vital component at Atletico and an idol at Valencia, Zaragoza, Sporting, in New York and now Japan, his legacy will be long-lasting.

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