David Villa turns 35 today and to celebrate, we’re looking back at 35 of the best moments of his life and career.
- The first moment! On December 3, 1981, David Villa is born in Tuilla, a small parish in Langreo, Asturias - a region in Northern Spain.
- In 2003, Villa married his childhood sweetheart Patricia Gonzalez with whom he has three children.
- 2000/01 – David makes his first-team debut for Sporting de Gijon where he scored 40 goals in 85 appearances.
- In 2003, Real Zaragoza sign David for approximately €3 million
- On April 25 2004, David scored all four goals for Zaragoza in a 4-4 draw with Sevilla.
- David won the first piece of silverware in his career on March 17 2004, scoring the second goal in Zaragoza’s 3-2 win over Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey final.
- Shortly after this famous win, David earned his first international cap on February 9 2005 in a World Cup qualifier against San Marino.
- Shortly after his international debut, Zaragoza serenaded David with his “illa, illa, illa, Villa maravilla” song which can be head at Yankee Stadium to this day.
- That earned Zaragoza a UEFA Cup spot and David scored his first European goals against Utrecht, hitting a brace.
- On April 17 2005, Villa scored another brace to put Zaragoza on their way to a famous 3-0 win over Sevilla.
- In the summer following the 2004/05 season, Valencia bought David, kicking off a long love affair between player and club.
- David scored his first Valencia goal against Gent in an Intertoto Cup game – his debut.
- His league debut soon followed against Betis where he entered as a late substitute – he would score against his former team Zaragoza in his next match to earn Valencia a 2-2 draw.
- On September 21 2005, David saved another point with a goal at the Camp Nou.
- Villa secured his legend status in the next month when he scored the winning goal against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.
- In November of 2005, Villa scored his first international goal for Spain – an equalizer against Slovakia.
- Villa finished his first season at the Mestella with an incredible record of 25 goals in 35 games.
- David was named in Spain’s squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany where he scored twice against Ukraine and netted against France in the Round of 16, although Spain went on to lose the match.
- He made his UEFA Champions League debut in 2006/07 and formed a formidable partnership with Fernando Morientes, netting 44 goals between them.
- David’s goals fired Valencia through to the quarter finals of the UEFA Champions League where they were edged out by Chelsea.
- The 2007/08 season was tougher for Valencia but David did manage to win the second Copa Del Rey title of his career, defeating Getafe in the final.
- Villa won the Golden Boot for Spain at Euro 2008 as Los Rojas went on to win the competition, thanks in no small part, to his four goals.
- It was announced that David would leave Valencia on May 19 2010 and join FC Barcelona following five hugely successful seasons at the Mestella.
- In the summer before joining Barca, David enjoyed one of his greatest moments of all, winning the World Cup and earning the Silver Shoe, Bronze Ball and a place in the Dream Team.
- David was named in the FIFA World XI in 2010 following an incredible year for club and country.
- David went on to win a clean sweep of trophies at the Camp Nou, including the UEFA Champions League in 2011 where David scored in the final against Manchester United.
- On March 25 2011, Villa became Spain’s all-time top scorer, succeeding Raul, with 59 goals in 97 matches.
- Joining Atletico Madrid in 2013, Villa went on to win La Liga in his first season and finished as runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in his only season there, scoring 15 goals.
- On June 1 2014, David became NYCFC’s first-ever signing and captain, describing the opportunity as an “irresistible project”.
- Before his debut, David went on loan to sister club Melbourne City where he scored two goals in four appearances.
- He scored NYCFC’s first-ever goal in a friendly match against St Mirren in February 2015 in Manchester.
- David also scored the team’s first home goal against New England Revolution at Yankee Stadium, giving NYCFC a first-ever MLS win.
- On July 29, he scored the winning goal in the All Star match against Tottenham Hotspur from a Kaka assist.
- He finished as NYCFC’s top scorer in the team’s first season, scoring 18 goals.
- Villa followed this up with an even better return in his sophomore season – netting 23 times, helping his team to the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time and earning himself a nomination for the MLS MVP award which will be announced next week.
Happy Birthday, David!
Did we miss any? Let us know on Twitter!
