In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez sat down with all the minions below him and identified potential transfer targets for the upcoming campaign. The names on the list widened the eyes of some and frightened others. He was doing it again - galácticos. Barcelona had just jousted Real away from the title in the prior season, sweeping them aside at the Camp Nou and humiliating Los Blancos 2-6 in Madrid. Yes, a change was needed indeed, but few could have predicted the audacious measures that the president, fresh into his second term, would take. Among the shopping list were names you’d come to expect – Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, and David Villa.
Boing! Got your attention now. David Villa? Yes. Karim Benzema was Madrid’s plan B when the deal with Valencia fell through. El Guaje stayed put that summer and scored 21 league goals with Los Che before packing his suitcase and heading up the Spanish coastline to Barcelona before the World Cup in South Africa. Three years later, Spain’s all time leading scorer is Madrid bound, but not on the vegetated path Luis Figo put a machete to 13 years ago. Villa is in route to Atléti, where the crowd’s delight is as fervent as the expectations that await him.
Radamel Falcao not only left a hole in the hearts of Los Colchoneros faithful with a blockbuster move to AS Monaco, but also a crater in the team sheet as well. The Colombian ace notched 28 league goals this past season, only bested by Cristiano Ronaldo and Villa’s Barcelona teammate, Lionel Messi. In hindsight, Atlético Madrid did a fine stitch of business by selling him. The Vicente Calderón offices saw 60 million euro for the deal and only utilized 5.1 million of that money to rake in their replacement, David Villa. According to reports, there is a clause that entitles Barcelona to half of any future transfer fee for the front man, but purchasing Villa for 40 million and selling him just over 5 seems like a terrible sum of losses for the Blaugrana. OR you could be a half-full guy and say it’s fantastic business by Atléti! But that all depends whether or not Señor Villa can succeed in the talisman role that he just jumped into.
The move to Atlético may come as a surprise to a few. As it was reported in the media, if David Villa was going anywhere it was north London to join forces with Tottenham Hotspur, but the move to the Spanish capital makes sense if examined. First of all, El Guaje was sharing minutes as it was in Barcelona after an injury-plagued spell there and now with the injection of Neymar, the battle to secure playing time looked even grimmer. With the World Cup around the corner, Villa needs time. Atléti can almost guarantee a player of Villa’s quality a place in the team week in and week out. A move to London might not have pandered out favorably, with too much left to chance. The risk of joining a foreign a team in an unfamiliar league could be detrimental to his selección chances if he did not gel right away. Spurs fans look away, but Atlético Madrid also secured Champions League football next season whereas Tottenham did not, despite their best efforts. The attraction of keeping company with football’s pinnacle club competition was probably paramount to the deal.
David Villa only spent three seasons at Barcelona. It’s not as if he doesn’t know how to be productive away from the stars he’s grown fond of standing shoulder to shoulder with in Catalonia. He was largely influential at Valencia as far as his goal haul and he fits the top class striker persona that Los Rojiblancos have adopted in the last 10 years. Atlético de Madrid have survived on the efforts of one rock star forward since Fernando Torres caught fire as the next hottest thing to come out of Spain in the early 2000s. After El Niño, Atléti fans have sang for the likes of Diego Forlán, Sergio ‘Kun’ Agüero, and most recently Radamel Falcao. Now, David Villa. Not only does he have to live up to the stamp that Falcao left behind, but the pressure is on to be the accustomed ‘IT’ guy in red and white stripes.
One element that hasn’t changed in the transfer is Villa’s rivalry opposition to Real Madrid. Atlético Madrid broke a horrific curse last season in a triumphant manner by beating their local rivals in the Copa del Rey final at the Bernabéu. It was their first Derbi Madrileño victory in 14 years. According to MARCA, Villa describes his new employers as a winning team with lots of titles. And even though the Copa del Rey success was the first domestic title since the 90s, Los Colchoneros have been causing commotion in Europe as of late. With two Europa League titles and a European Supercup in the since 2009, the added Copa title only piles on expectations for years to come. In a sense, Atléti fans have come to expect a certain degree of title success after having suffered a silverware drought between 1996 and 2010. So looking to the future, Villa’s plate is full. The tasks ahead are formidable: living up to the ghosts of the past and being the club’s main source of goals in an attempt to continue winning titles while simultaneously staking claim for the 2014 World Cup roster will not be easy, especially with some mammoth boots for Villa to fill. Following his season will be an interesting look. Let’s hope for the sake of Atléti and for the player himsef that the injury bug didn’t follow him to Madrid.
Villa, even now at 31 years old, is a dynamic player. He fit the Barcelona style because of his toned technical ability and swift movement off the ball, but he is a true number 9 at heart. His eye for goal is why Atléti have reeled him in. Villa is dangerous from all corners of the penalty area and anywhere in-between. Nonetheless, will Diego Simeone’s tactics cater to the former Gijón and Zaragoza striker? Last season’s cast of Atlético Madrid players were successful because of their fortitude to defend heroically and at times were summoned more to grind out results rather than assuage audiences. This is an aspect of the game that Barcelona haven’t frequently had to scrap with in Villa’s time there. It’s yet to say whether or not Atléti will play the same way as they did last year but in lieu of what Villa is used to at Barcelona, him and the now departed Falcao emit very similar skill sets. Falcao at times is a bit more over the top with his power but where Villa lacks Falcao’s physical strength, he makes up for with his poise and finesse. Both have a fetish for curled shots into the back post, side netting. So who’s to say the new striker won’t fit in where the former left off?
Ability aside now, Villa brings something unique to the Atléti team, seasoned experience at the game’s highest levels. We’re talking about a decorated veteran, a two-time La Liga winner, a Copa del Rey winner, a Champions League winner, a Euro winner, and a World Champion. Not a single name on the current Atlético Madrid roster has a similar résumé to the incoming star. Perhaps not only will El Guaje lead by example but serve as a model professional for the rest of the squad.
In closing, Atlético Madrid have seduced another big name to lead their attack. If Villa can perform admirably, then the deal is a win-win for both parties. Atléti should keep the new standard with Villa making a solid argument for a plane ticket to Brazil next summer. On the other hand, if Villa slumps in form at his new club and/or falls victim to yet another taxing injury, the talisman-dependent Rojiblancos could be in for a troublesome season. But for now, the song “Ílla, ílla, ílla, Villa maravilla…” has found a new home at the Vicente Calderón.