David Villa set to retire at the end of this J-League season
Published at :November 13, 2019 at 6:25 PM
Modified at :December 8, 2019 at 7:20 PM
The player will play his last game as a footballer on December 7.
Spanish striker David Villa has announced that he will retire at the end of this J-League season. The 37-year-old joined Vissel Kobe in December 2018. Since then, he has scored 12 goals in 22 domestic matches. Former FC Barcelona player revealed his decision of hanging his boots in a press conference on Wednesday. He insisted that he wanted to end his career on his own terms. He said, "I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. This is the result of discussions I had with my family and people around me." "I wanted to retire from football, not be forced to retire from football." Vissel Kobe officially confirmed that Villa's final game will be played on 7th December against Jubilo Iwata. As it stands, Villa won't be a part of the club's remaining cup games. [KH_ADWORDS type="3" align="center"][/KH_ADWORDS] All in all, Villa had an illustrious career spanning 19 years. He rose to the occasion when he impressed the people in Spain with Valencia where he spent five personal-best years. David Villa averaged a 20-goal season there which earned him an offer from FC Barcelona. On joining the Blaugrana in 2010, he won eight titles in three seasons including the UEFA Champions League in 2011. He later joined arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in 2013 and won another LaLiga title in his only season with La Rojiblancos. After leaving LaLiga in 2014, Villa played for New York City in Major League Soccer and Melbourne City in Hyundai A-league. In the international front, Villa retires as Spain's all-time highest scorer with 59 goals and their all-time highest scorer in the World Cups as well. Apart from that, he as scored most goals in a World Cup by a Spanish international(5). [KH_RELATED_NEWS title="Related News | ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW"][/KH_RELATED_NEWS] Post his retirement, Villa is keen on getting on to the administration side of a club as his club, Queensboro FC, is all set to join USL in 2021. "I lived and played in New York for four years and I know what a special place Queens is. I love the cultures, the food, the people and their passion for life and, of course, soccer." "There is no other place like it in the world. It’s a dream to help build this football club in Queens and I couldn’t choose a better location." "We’ve worked for many years on this. The opportunity to start a brand new team in a city like New York, in a borough like Queens, where the people are as passionate about soccer as I am, is huge!" "I'm very happy with my career. I'm very proud. I have loved this sport from the beginning of my life. I have tried to do my best to bring this sport everywhere. And the future now is Queens."Latest News
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