KOBE: Star striker David Villa, Spain’s top goalscorer, Wednesday announced he will retire football at the end of the Japanese top flight season, ending a glittering career in which he won the World Cup, European Championships and Champions League.

The 37-year-old Villa, who has been playing in Japan with Vissel Kobe since the beginning of this year, made the announcement with a statement on his official Twitter account as well as calling a news conference.

“After 19 years as a professional, I have decided to retire from playing football at the end of this season. Thank you to all the teams, coaches and teammates that have allowed me to enjoy this dream career,” he wrote.

“It is my objective to put the cherry on top by winning the Emperors Cup with Vissel Kobe. From then on, I will continue to enjoy football through all the projects that were currently developing with DV7 group. Thank you for all the love.”

Villa began his career with Sporting Gijon, later moving to Real Zaragoza, Valencia, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid before leaving Spain in 2014 for MLS-side New York City. He also had a brief loan spell at Melbourne City.

He won two La Liga titles with Barca and one with Atletico among other trophies, also lifting the 2011 Champions League title with the Catalans, scoring in the 3-1 win over Manchester United.

Villa scored 59 goals in 98 appearances for Spain from 2004-17, including five goals at the 2010 World Cup as his nation won the title for the first time. He scored four goals for Spain en route to the 2008 European Championship title.

“It’s better to leave football before football leaves me,” he told a news conference speaking in Spanish, his voice occasionally breaking with emotion. “I’ve been thinking for several years when you reach 33, 34 or 35 the moment can arrive at any time in a game, in training, or with an injury.

“It’s a decision I’ve thought about a lot. I spoke about this with the people who care about me, with my family, and the people who have been with me for my whole career.”

Villa repeated several times that it was not a knee-jerk reaction. He scored 12 goals this season for Kobe, a decent scoring output for a struggling club. But he said he knew the retirement time was near.

At Kobe, he played alongside fellow Spanish legend Andres Iniesta and German striker Lukas Podolski but the presence of the ageing foreign stars has done little to bring success to the ambitious Japanese club.

Vissel Kobe are currently languishing 10th in the J-League after 31 games — the same position they finished last year.

Villa is expected to play three more J-League matches as well as semi-finals and finals of the Emperor’s Cup. His retirement ceremony will be on December 7, the day of his last J-League game.

He was asked about the quality of play in Japan and was laudatory.

“I was surprised at the level of play in the J-League,” he said. “Not only in terms of the veteran players here, but the young players here that have enormous potential. It’s not that I was expecting less. I was expecting a top league, but it surpassed by expectations.”

Villa has also mentioned his interest being an investor in a new club based in the New York area Queensboro FC, which will play in the second tier of American football.

“Even though I will no longer be on the pitch, I will continue to be involved in football in other ways and will continue to contribute to the football world,” he said.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2019