10 Best Strikers Of The 21st Century

Total career goals: 435 and counting

David Villa is a legend of Spanish football in two ways. Firstly because he spent most of his career at Spanish clubs, whether it was breaking through at Sporting Gijón, being Valencia’s top scorer five years in a row, winning three Ligas and a Champions League with Barcelona, or becoming the only player this century to win La Liga with two different teams as an Atlético Madrid player.

Then secondly, because he was Spain’s starting Number 9 at a time Spain made a case for itself being the greatest team of all time. He was the best goal-scorer at both Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup (joint). He was unfortunate to miss Euro 2012 through injury, but still was the top scorer of his qualifications group. It’s almost never brought up, but Spain’s decline does coincide with Villa aging. The 2014 Spain World Cup squad had the likes of Iniesta, Xavi, Busquets, Ramos or Piqué in top form, but an injured Diego Costa upfront who couldn’t fit the shoes of Villa. Neither could, as of now, Alvaro Morata, Paco Alcacer or Rodrigo.

It’s also rarely brought up, but David Villa could be considered an MLS legend as well. When he signed for a newly-launched New York City team in 2014, it just looked like an unofficial retirement. We’d figure he’d play one or two seasons, score a goal here and there, and move on to the serious business, passing his coaching degree. Actually, he played four seasons in the US and managed to score a whopping 82 goals.

What’s Villa up to nowadays? Back at Valencia in some management position? Or maybe finally studying for his coaching degree after all? Nope, he’s a starter at Vissel Kobe in the J-1, playing alongside Iniesta, and has currently scored 12 times in 22 games....