Villa: Tuilla’s Prodigy

Courtesy: David Villa's Facebook

I was struggling to find a topic to write about for this week’s analysis section. I logged-in to Facebook and saw a post from Spanish soccer player David Villa (who currently is signed by Barcelona) that read “We are preparing something great.”

I asked myself: “preparing something great? Isn’t Villa injured?” Later I found out that Villa is partnering with McDonald’s for a children’s campaign.

But it made me wonder how Villa’s life was been since the injury where he broke his left tibia, last December playing against Al-Sabb.

I cannot imagine five months of inactivity for the thirty year old who has won it all, who was the world champion in the 2010 World Cup. I just couldn’t.

David Villa better known as the “Guaje” or the “kid” in Asturian, was born and raised in the small mining town of Tuilla in Asturias, Spain.

Villa began to play soccer when he was 9 years old. The forward recalls “I would often forget the books, but not the soccer ball, not the soccer ball.”  Later, he would leave his native Tuilla to live in Gijon, Spain, where a phenomenon was born.

Villa was unstoppable. He scored goals in every match, and so, the bigger and more powerful teams began to notice him. He was signed by Valencia in 2005, where he played for 5 years.

Finally, in 2010 and $50M dollars later, Villa began to play in a soccer club of his level, Barcelona.

But perhaps Villa’s biggest accomplishments had come with the Spanish National team. In six years, Villa has become the top scorer in Spain’s history.

Teammate Xavi Hernandez describes him as “as very smart player.” “To me, being a smart player is having the ability to adapt to any situation, and Villa has everything.”

Despite having accomplished everything there is to accomplish in soccer, humbleness is what characterizes Villa.

Courtesy: funscup.com

El Guaje can easily vacation to exotic beaches all over the world. Instead, he spends his free time in his native Tuilla.

When asked why he always returned to Tuilla, Villa answered: “Because I love to be there. I’m happy there. Because the people treat me like a normal person, like the boy who lived there a few years ago.”

Suddenly, it became apparent what David Villa might be doing during his recovery. He must be enjoying his native hometown.

David Villa’s song: