FIFA World Cup 2014 - David Villa's swansong

David Villa might be competing in his last World Cup

It was back in 2007-08 when the football world was shaken to its very foundation by the arrival of a talented youngster who few would have expected to become the all time leading goal scorer in Spanish football history. Signed from Real Zaragoza by Valencia in 2005-06 season, this charismatic marksman would hold the scruff of the neck of the Football world and force it to take notice.

Little would the Spanish public know that they had found the legendary Raul Gonzalez’s replacement. He went on the win the Copa Del Rey with the La Liga outfit in the 2007-08 season and eventually got selected in the Spanish national side for the 2008 Euros. After that there was no looking back for him and the name David Villa would forever be etched in the annals of not only the Euros but in the history of Spanish Football.

The Euros would not be the last time that the football fans would catch a glimpse of the talented performer as he made a return to the world stage again after two years as an integral part of the 2010 World Cup Squad. With a lethal partnership with Fernando Torres and a star studded midfield to provide him the ammunition, Villa would make the biggest impact to date in his long career when he would play a pivotal role in helping Spain bring the World Cup home. This ended their chokers tag.

He earned the Silver Boot for his efforts and has become the highest goal scorer in Spanish History. He joined Barcelona in the 2010-11 season signing a 4 year contract with the Catalan club and eventually won the La Liga and the Champion’s League with them. Barcelona would lose their La Liga title in the next edition to bitter rivals Real Madrid with Villa missing the entire season with a broken tibia which would also exclude him from the Spanish squad for Euro 2012.

He would return after an extended break and help the Catalans in securing the 2012-13 edition of the Spanish La Liga. At the beginning of the 2013-14 season, Villa was sold to Atletico Madrid for a measly 5 million Euros which would serve as an indication of how far his star had fallen. In a magnificent twist of fate that would put any film script to shame Villa’s Atletico Madrid would win the 2013-14 La Liga by defeating Barcelona in the final match of the season at the Camp Nou.

That would cap the perfect season for Villa as part of an Atletico outfit that would also go on to finish the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League as Runners Up. With three La Ligas, one Champions League, one Euro and one World Cup under his belt, it would be the understatement of the decade to say that Villa has had a ho hum career. He has won everything there is to win in World football and his career has truly been well documented.

Perhaps now that he has accomplished everything that a footballer would dream of accomplishing in a lifetime, he is slowly sidelining himself from one of the more competitive leagues in the world. After his Spanish League winning campaign he left Atletico to join the MLS outfit New York City Football Club. Though he is still in the Spanish side which is aiming for an unprecedented coup of winning four major international tournaments back to back, time and age are most definitely not on his side.

He will be 32 years of age when he dons the Spanish jersey at this edition of the World Cup which leaves us to wonder if this will be the last time we will see the trailblazing Spanish dynamo in action. With his pace having deserted him and his leg injury limiting his skill set, this may be his last major tournament in international colors.

With the rise of Diego Costa and other Spanish youngsters like Alvaro Morata, Suso, Thiago Alcantara, Ruben Garcia and Isco, it is just a matter of time till Villa gets replaced by a younger prodigy. That is the vicious circle every player has to go through. Villa replaced Raul when he first burst onto the Spanish canvas and now history is repeating itself.

Though he may have an ace up his sleeve in the upcoming World Cup in the form of experience, there is no denying the fact that he will have to go up against defenders who have just reached their prime and are younger and much faster than him. The close competition in his own team to hold on to the starting place will also take its toll.

With Diego Costa’s injury, Fernando Torres’ dismal form and Pedro’s inconsistenct this season, Villa may get a place in the starting XI due to the lack of experienced strikers.

The fact remains though that he still has enough moves in his repertoire to dazzle on the grandest stage of World fotball as he did back in 2010.