David Villa has played and scored in El Clasico as a player for Barcelona and he speaks to Sportskeeda about the upcoming one on Sunday.
The Spanish striker spent the most part of his career in Spain but has been plying his trade in the MLS since 2014. In 2016, he was the MVP of the season and this year, his team, New York City, aspires to win the title.
The Spanish striker speaks about his retirement plans, the Indian Super League, Spanish national team, his goalscoring record, and this MLS season.
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Since 2014 you have been playing in New York City and helped the team progress, with the team reaching the MLS Cup semi-finals in 2016. Do you feel that the team is capable of winning the trophy this season?
I hope so. I think it would be important for the club to win the title but we know it is going to be hard. We are going to fight for it.
You were an established player in La Liga, but you adjusted quickly to MLS. What are the differences between the two leagues and how have you stayed unaffected by the differences as a player and goal scorer?
It wasn’t difficult for me to adapt to the US. The most important difference I see between both leagues is the competition format. Here, in order to win the MLS Cup, you have to win the playoffs, however, in Spain, there are no playoffs and the strongest team in regular season wins the title.
Villa scoring an absolute ‘worldie’ from 50 yards out
You were the MVP of MLS for 2016 and you have also won numerous individual awards. Which one/s do you consider as the most important?
Winning the MVP was very important for the club. I always work hard to help the team win games. For me, it is more important to win collective awards. If I win individual awards it is because of my teammates.
You are a player who has scored for whichever team you have played for. What do you attribute your impressive goalscoring record to?
During my whole career, I worked hard to score goals. Obviously, I have to do other things inside the field but scoring goals is my main job.
Currently, Real Madrid leads the La Liga table while Barcelona and Atletico follow closely. Who do you think will be this season's La Liga winner?
It depends on what happens this Sunday in El Clasico. If Real Madrid win, they will be favourites to win La Liga but if Barcelona win anything can happen. I hope Barcelona win against Real Madrid. In that case, Barcelona and Atletico might have a chance to fight until the end.
How difficult is it for Spain to win the World Cup or Euros again in the near future?
Spain is always going to be a candidate to win one of the main trophies. Winning the Euro and the World Cup is extremely hard but Spain has the quality to do so.
You have won every possible top level trophy in your career. Which trophy brought you the most joy and happiness?
The World Cup. No doubt about it. It is the hardest competition to win.
India has a football project which has attracted past greats. Would you consider an offer from an ISL club?
You never know what can happen. I don’t close any doors but I am very happy in the US and I hope to play here for many years.
Frank Lampard retired and his last team was New York City FC. Are you thinking of doing the same or would you like to play for another club? Do you have a dream club/championship to play in?
I am not thinking about retiring or playing anywhere else. I hope to play for many more years. But like I said before, you never know.
You were a teammate of Lionel Messi in Barcelona and you faced Cristiano Ronaldo as an opponent. Which of the two do you regard as the best?
It is great to have those two football stars competing against each other. Both of them are fantastic players but I think Leo Messi is the best. He was my teammate and I really think he is the best player in the world.
