La Liga: 5 players who shone at Valencia

#2 David Villa: 2005-2010

David Villa scored goals for fun at Valencia

David Villa had already established himself as one of the top young strikers in Europe when he arrived at Valencia, having bagged 80 goals in 179 appearances for Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza. However, it was at Valencia, where he truly upped the ante and made a mark for himself as the leading striker in the league. The ambidextrous player was the leading man at the club, scoring goals for fun and making even the most renowned of defenders look foolish in their attempts to stop him from finding the back of the net.

Featuring on 225 occasions, Villa scored an incredible 129 goals during the process and won the Zarra trophy that is given to the Spanish player with the most goals in the La Liga 4 times during his 5-year tenure at the club. His exploits for Valencia resulted in him becoming Spain’s number one striker and he alongside a formerly glorious Fernando Torres formed one of the deadliest strike partnerships in the world of football.

The 34-year-old has enjoyed several successful stints at Barcelona and Atletico Madrid as well as his current employers New York City winning a number of accolades in the process. However, he has never managed to be as lethal as he was during his time at Valencia.