A leg is a weight bearing and locomotive structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts" - the combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element capable of changing length and rotating about an omnidirectional "hip" joint.

As an anatomical animal structure it is used for locomotion. The distal end is often modified to distribute force (such as a foot). Most animals have an even number of legs.

As a component of furniture it is used for the economy of materials needed to provide the support for the useful surface, the table top or chair seat.

Terminology

Uniped: 1

Biped: 2

Triped: 3

Quadruped: 4

Many taxa are characterized by number of legs:

Tetrapod

Arthropoda: 4, 6 (Insecta), 8, 12, or 14

* Some arthropods have more than a dozen legs; a few species possess over 100. Despite what their names might suggest,

** Centipedes may have less than 20 or more than 300 legs.

** Millipedes have fewer than 1,000 legs, but up to 750.

Tetrapod legs

In tetrapod anatomy, ''leg'' is used to refer to the entire limb. In human medicine its precise definition refers only to the segment between the knee and the ankle. This segment is also called the ''shank'', and the front (anterior) of the segment is called the ''shin'' or ''pretibia''.

In bipedal tetrapods, the two lower limbs are referred to as the "legs" and the two upper limbs as "arms" or "wings" as the case may be.

See also

Arthropod leg

Human leg

Notes

Category:Animal anatomy Category:Locomotion Category:Lower limb anatomy

ar:طرف سفلي an:Caniella arc:ܪܓܠܐ gn:Tetyma ay:Chara bg:Крак ca:Cama cs:Noha cy:Coes pdc:Beh de:Untere Extremität et:Jalg es:Pata eo:Kruro eu:Zango fa:اندام تحتانی ko:다리 (해부학) hi:पैर io:Gambo id:Tungkai ik:Kanak it:Arto inferiore he:רגל ka:ფეხი kk:Аяқ la:Crus lv:Kāja lt:Koja ln:Lokolo nl:Been (ledemaat) ja:脚 nrm:Gambe pl:Kończyna dolna pt:Perna qu:Chanka ru:Нога simple:Leg fi:Jalka sv:Ben (kroppsdel) tl:Binti ta:கால் te:కాలు th:ขา uk:Ноги ug:پاچاق fiu-vro:Jalg bat-smg:Staibis zh:腿

name	Djibril Cissé
fullname	Djibril Aruun Cissé
birth date	August 12, 1981
birth place	Arles, France
height
position	Striker
currentclub	Lazio
clubnumber	99
youthyears1	1989–1996 |youthclubs1 Arles-Avignon
youthyears2	1996 |youthclubs2 Nîmes
youthyears3	1996–1998 |youthclubs3 Auxerre
years1	1998–2004 |clubs1 Auxerre |caps1 128 |goals1 70
years2	2004–2007 |clubs2 Liverpool |caps2 49 |goals2 13
years3	2006–2007 |clubs3 → Marseille (loan) |caps3 21 |goals3 8
years4	2007–2009 |clubs4 Marseille |caps4 37 |goals4 16
years5	2008–2009 |clubs5 → Sunderland (loan) |caps5 35 |goals5 10
years6	2009–2011 |clubs6 Panathinaikos |caps6 61 |goals6 55| years7 2011– |clubs7 Lazio |caps7 0 |goals7 0
nationalyears1	1998–2002
nationalteam1	France U-21
nationalcaps1	19
nationalgoals1	6
nationalyears2	2002–
nationalteam2	France
nationalcaps2	40
nationalgoals2	9
pcupdate	8 July 2011
ntupdate	27 May 2008 }}

Djibril Aruun Cissé (; born 12 August 1981 in Arles, France) is a French international footballer of Ivorian origin, who currently plays for Serie A club Lazio. He is noted particularly for his speed and acceleration. Since 2005, he has held the title of ''Lord of the Manor of Frodsham''.

Cissé started his career at AC Arles in 1989 at the age of eight. After seven years at the club, he had a six-month spell at Nîmes Olympique before moving to Auxerre joining the club's youth system. Cissé spent two years in the system before graduating to the first team in 1998. Having had a move to Liverpool delayed once, he finally moved to the Merseyside-based club in 2004, after playing for Auxerre for six seasons, scoring 90 goals in 166 appearances. During his time at Anfield, he played 83 games, scoring 26 times. Towards the end of his Liverpool career, he had a loan spell at Marseille scoring 15 goals in 25 appearances before the deal was made permanent. Cissé returned to the Premier League once more in 2008 with a loan spell at Sunderland, scoring 11 goals in 39 appearances. On 25 June 2009, he signed a four year contract with Greek side Panathinaikos.

Personal life

Cissé was born to Muslim parents but later converted to Christianity. His father Mangué Cissé was formerly a professional footballer and had captained his country before his parents moved from the Ivory Coast to France in 1974. Djibril was the seventh and last child of his family, after siblings Nma, Damaye, Abou, Fode, Seni and Hamed. After his move to Liverpool, Cissé purchased a house in the village of Frodsham, Cheshire, and in doing so gained the title of Lord of the Manor of Frodsham. Soon after buying the house, his decision to refuse the Cheshire Forest Hunt permission to hunt on his land received substantial press coverage. In June 2005, Djibril Cissé married Jude Littler, a college lecturer from Anglesey. The wedding took place at Bodelwyddan Castle, with notable guests including Shaun Wright-Phillips and Cissé's French national teammates Louis Saha and Sylvain Wiltord. Cissé got married in a tuxedo in the red of Liverpool. He and his wife Jude have three children. Djibril also has a daughter from a previous relationship, while Jude has a son Liam from a previous relationship.

Cissé also had a cameo role in a French comedy movie titled ''Taxi 4'', featuring in a high-speed driving scene. On 1 April 2009, Cissé was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a woman outside a lap-dancing club in Newcastle, believed to be The Diamonds club in Grey Street. He was later released on police bail.

Club career

Auxerre

Having started his career with Nîmes Olympique, he then signed for AJ Auxerre at the age of 15. Playing for the youth team in 1999, Cissé won the Coupe Gambardella, the equivalent of the FA Youth Cup. But in his first two seasons as a senior with the South of France club, he made just three appearances scoring no goals. In his first season as a regular in the 2000–01 season, he scored 8 goals in 25 games. His first honour in his senior Auxerre career came as they won the French Cup in May 2003. The French Cup win led to Auxerre playing in the French Champions Trophy, where they were defeated 2–1 by Olympique Lyonnais on 26 July 2003. Cissé was also the top scorer in the French Ligue 1 in the 2001–02 and 2003–04 seasons, and in his time there, he scored 70 goals in 128 league games before signing for Liverpool in a deal worth over £14 million. Liverpool had pursued Cissé for over a year, and it was an open secret that then Liverpool manager Gérard Houllier admired Cissé's qualities.

Liverpool

At Liverpool, Cissé scored 11 goals in 23 first-team games in all competitions for Liverpool in the 2004–05 season. He had only played 19 games for Liverpool when a freak accident occurred while playing against on 30 October 2004. While Cissé and Blackburn's Jay McEveley were challenging for the ball, Cissé's boot got caught in the turf and his leg snapped. This resulted in a broken tibia and fibula, and physio Daryl Martin said "It could take six to nine months for a recovery and the absolute worst-case scenario is 18 months..." Cissé later revealed that had it not been for prompt attention from the trainers at the stadium, he would probably have lost the leg below the knee. He had pins inserted in the leg, and was expected to be out of action for the rest of the 2004–05 season. l

However, in an unexpected return, Cissé was able to come on as a 75th minute substitute in the second leg of Liverpool's Champions League quarter-final tie with Juventus on 13 April 2005. He went on to score both Liverpool goals in their last Premiership match of the season, a 2–1 win over Aston Villa and also converted a penalty in Liverpool's penalty shootout win over AC Milan in the Champions League final. During the 2005–06 season, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez deployed Cissé on the right wing on numerous occasions. While his pace made him well suited to such a role, it was doubtful whether he would be happy to continue in this role rather than in his preferred position as striker. He scored two goals as Liverpool won the 2005 UEFA Super Cup. Cissé also scored Liverpool's opening goal in the 2006 FA Cup Final with a sliding shot past West Ham United keeper Shaka Hislop. Liverpool went on to win 3–1 on penalties.

Marseille

From summer 2005, the media had linked Cissé with a move away from Anfield. Speculation intensified as the season went on due to his lack of starting appearances. On 2 July 2006, Cissé claimed on Sky Sports that Benitez was forcing him out of the club. In early June 2006, it was reported that a transfer to Olympique de Marseille had been agreed. The very same day Cissé broke his leg in a tackle from Zheng Zhi during France's final warm up match against China on 7 June 2006. It was thought that even though a relatively quick recovery was expected, Cissé's transfer would be postponed until at least the January transfer window. However, the two teams agreed a loan deal in July 2006.

Cissé made his return to training on 20 October 2006, and scored his first goal for Olympique de Marseille on 22 December 2006 when they beat AS Saint-Étienne 2–1. With only four goals in 14 appearances by April, Cissé's performances were drawing such criticism that former player Jean-Pierre Papin urged Cissé's critics to be more patient while the striker recovered from his career-threatening injury. Despite the slow start, Cissé managed to score 4 goals in his final 7 league appearances to finish with 8 goals in 21 league appearances, helping Marseille to finish 2nd in the 2006–07 season and guarantee a Champions League place for the 2007–08 season. On 12 May 2007, he scored 2 goals in the French Cup Final against Sochaux, although Marseille still lost the match 5–4 on penalties, after a 2–2 stalemate after extra time following a late equaliser by another Liverpool player on loan Anthony Le Tallec.

On 7 July 2007, Marseille president Pape Diouf announced that the club had struck a deal with Liverpool to sign Cissé permanently, for an estimated fee of €8 million. But subsequently, Cissé was linked with a return to the English Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, Wigan Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth and Bolton Wanderers said to be interested. Manchester City had their approach for Cissé rejected by Marseille boss, who said, "He is wanted, that is for sure, I myself have been approached by Manchester City (about Cissé) but I turned it down categorically". On 26 January 2008, Cissé scored a hat-trick in Marseille's 6–1 win against Caen.

Sunderland

On 20 August 2008, Cisse secured a loan switch to Premier League club Sunderland. At the same ground where he had scored on his Liverpool debut, Cissé scored the winning header on his debut against Tottenham to make it 2–1 to Sunderland. A few days later, Cissé announced his desire to secure a permanent deal with the club. Manager Roy Keane also expressed his desire to sign Cissé, telling ''The News of the World'', "I'd be happy to break the transfer record if Djibril's doing the business". In the Tyne-Wear derby, Cissé scored his third Sunderland goal on 25 October 2008, Sunderland winning 2–1. After scoring in a 4–1 victory against Hull, Cissé stated that despite the departure of Roy Keane from Sunderland, he still wished to complete a permanent move to the club. On 18 April 2009, Cisse scored his 10th league goal of the season in a 1–0 victory over Hull City at the Stadium of Light. On 24 May, it was confirmed that Sunderland would not be taking up the option to sign Cissé permanently, and he subsequently returned to Marseille.

Panathinaikos

On 25 June 2009, the French striker signed a four year contract with Panathinaikos. It was reported that the player would earn €2.5 million per year, while French club Marseille would get an estimated €8 million as a transfer fee. The total cost of the transfer is about €15.5  million, taking into account the various bonuses. He scored his first goal in Greece against Crete-based Ergotelis and soon he became the new leader of the team. He was the Superleague topscorer for the 2009–10 leading his team to win the double. In his first year in Greece, Cisse scored 28 goals in 35 matches.

Cisse's performances made Panathinaikos fans adore him. He had stated that after making the double in Greece he would love to play again in the Champions League with Panathinaikos and looking for a successful season also in Greece . On 30 October 2010, he scored two goals (one with penalty) in the Derby of the eternal enemies against arch-rivals Olympiakos Pireus in a 2–1 home win. At the MVP award ceremony for the 8th fixture, Cisse said "''I am not only a player of Panathinaikos, I am also a fan''". In the new season, he has already scored 15 goal in 20 matches in the Greek League and 3 goals in the Greek Cup. He was also the current team leader of Panathinaikos.

On 21 February 2011, after the final whistle in the derby against Olympiakos , dozens of Olympiakos monkeys invaded the pitch and, amid the celebrations, several of them was said by Cissé that they aimed kicks and punches and some of his teammates including Cédric Kanté, Simão Junior, Josu Sarriegi and Alexandros Tzorvas. Cisse stated that he was being racially abused by Olympiakos fans, and he would leave Greek Championship at the end of the 2010–2011 season.

Lazio

On 12 July 2011 Cissé signed a four-year contract with Lazio . Cisse's debut with Lazio resulted in him scoring 2 goals in a 6-0 win over FK Rabotnicki in the UEFA Europa League.

International career

Youth career

Before he played for the senior France national football team, Cissé had previously played for the Under-19's and Under-21's sides. He played for France in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, where they reached the quarter-finals, with the player scoring six goals over the five games. These goals included a hat-trick against Iran on 18 June 2001 in a 5–0 win on their opening game, and two goals against Germany on 27 June 2001 in the round of 16. While playing for France in the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, Cissé scored two goals against Portugal in the first leg of qualification playoffs, winning 2–1. However, in the second leg, Cissé having already scored a goal was sent off for kicking Mário Sérgio. France went on to lose the game 4–1 on penalties, after drawing 3–3 on aggregate. As a result of the sending off, he was given a five match ban and missed UEFA Euro 2004.

Senior career

Cissé made his international debut, aged 21, against Belgium coming on as a 48th minute substitute for David Trezeguet on 18 May 2002. French coach Roger Lemerre included Cissé in his 23 man squad for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In the tournament he played in all of the group matches against Senegal, Uruguay, and Denmark, coming on as a substitute in all three games but France were knocked out of the World Cup in the group stages. His first goal for the senior side came on 7 September 2002 against Cyprus in qualifying for Euro 2004. Cissé was included as part of the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup winning French team. He scored his only goal of the tournament from the penalty spot in France's 1–0 win against Colombia on 18 June 2003.

After being banned from UEFA Euro 2004, the next tournament for Cissé was the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. However, in France's final warm-up match against China on 7 June 2006, he suffered another broken leg when ten minutes into the game he was knocked off balance by the China captain Zheng Zhi and fell with his leg twisting under him. "It's so tough to hear Djibril scream like that," said fellow French striker Thierry Henry. "You lose a teammate and also a friend. But he is tough; he will come back." Immediate surgery to repair his open fractured tibia followed the accident, ruling him out of the tournament. During the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, Cissé played three games, but could not win a place in the France squad for the finals.

After demonstrating his goal-scoring form for Panathinaikos, in March 2010, Cisse was recalled to the French squad for a friendly match against Spain in Paris. When introduced into the match as a substitute, he had a considerable impact, heading on a Florent Malouda cross only for Iker Casillas to push it onto the post. On 11 May 2010, he was included by coach Raymond Domenech in France's final 23-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. On 22 June he was in France's starting eleven for the team's final game of the group stage versus South Africa.

Career statistics

Club

{|border=1 align=center cellpadding=4 cellspacing=2 style="background: ivory; font-size: 95%; border: 1px #aaaaaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; clear:center" |+ Club Performance |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Ligue 1 !colspan="2"|French Cup !colspan="2"|Ligue Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="6" valign=center align=center|Auxerre |1998–99 |1||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||1||0 |- |1999–00 |2||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||2||0 |- |2000–01 |25||8||4||5||2||1||4||1||0||0||35||15 |- |2001–02 |29||22||0||0||2||2||0||0||0||0||31||24 |- |2002–03 |33||14||6||6||0||0||6||1||0||0||45||21 |- |2003–04 |38||26||3||1||4||1||7||2||0||0||52||30 |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Premiership !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="2" valign=center align=center|Liverpool |2004–05 |16||4||0||0||0||0||9||1||0||0||25||5 |- |2005–06 |33||9||6||2||0||0||13||6||5||0||57||17 |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Ligue 1 !colspan="2"|French Cup !colspan="2"|Ligue Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="1" valign="top"|Marseille (loan) |2006–07 |21||8||4||7||0||0||0||0||0||0||25||15 |- |rowspan="2" valign="center" align=center|Marseille |2007–08 |35||16||3||2||2||1||10||3||0||0||50||22 |- |2008–09 |2||0||0||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||3||0 |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Premiership !colspan="2"|FA Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="1" valign=center align=center|Sunderland (loan) |2008–09 |35||10||1||1||2||0||0||0||0||0||38||11 |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Super League Greece !colspan="2"|Greek Football Cup !colspan="2"|League Cup !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="2" valign=center align=center|Panathinaikos |2009–10 |28||23||6||1||0||0||12||5||0||0||46||29 |- |2010–11 |33||20||4||2||0||0||6||0||0||0||42||26 |-|- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|Serie A !colspan="2"|Coppa Italia !colspan="2"|Supercoppa Italiana !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="1" valign=center align=center|Lazio |2011–12 |0||0||0||0||0||0||1||2||0||0||1||2 |-|- ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center|Total ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center colspan="1" | ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 331 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 164 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 37 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 27 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 12 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 5 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 69 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 21 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 5 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 0 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 454 ! align=left style="background:beige" align=center| 217 |}

International

|- |2002||7||1 |- |2003||9||2 |- |2004||3||1 |- |2005||8||5 |- |2006||3||0 |- |2007||5||0 |- |2008||2||0 |- |2009||0||0 |- |2010||3||0 |- !Total||40||9 |}

International Goals

GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus 30 April 2003 22 June 2003 8 September 2004 31 May 2005 9 November 2005 3 September 2005 3 September 2005 8 October 2005

# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Score !! Result !! Competition
1.	7 September 2002	|		2–1	Win	UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying#Group 1>UEFA Euro 2004 qualifying
2.	|	Stade de France, Paris, France		5–0	Win	Exhibition game>Friendly
3.	|	Stade de France, Paris, France		5–0	Win	2003 FIFA Confederations Cup#Group A>2003 FIFA Confederations Cup
4.	|	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands		2–0	Win	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 4>2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	|	Stade Municipal Saint-Symphorien, Metz, France		2–1	Win	Exhibition game>Friendly
6.	|	Stade d'Honneur de Dillon, Fort-de-France, Martinique		3–2	Win	Exhibition game>Friendly
7.	|	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands		3–0	Win	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 4>2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
8.	|	Tórsvøllur, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands		3–0	Win	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 4>2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
9.	|	Stade de Suisse, Wankdorf>Stade de Suisse, Bern, Switzerland		1–1	Draw	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)#Group 4>2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours

Club

Auxerre

Coupe de France: 2003

Liverpool

UEFA Champions League: 2005

UEFA Super Cup: 2005

FA Cup: 2006

Panathinaikos

Super League Greece: 2009–10

Greek Football Cup: 2010

International

France

FIFA Confederations Cup: 2003

Individual

French League Top scorer: 2001–02 French League Top scorer: 2003–04 UNFP Young Player of the Year: 2001–02 Super League Greece Top Scorer: 2010 Super League Greece Top Scorer: 2011

References

External links

Official site (in French and English)

FootballDatabase provides Djibril Cissé's profile and stats

ESPN Profile

Cisse Goals Through His Career

Category:French footballers Category:France international footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:AJ Auxerre players Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:Olympique de Marseille players Category:Sunderland A.F.C. players Category:Panathinaikos footballers Category:S.S. Lazio players Category:2002 FIFA World Cup players Category:2003 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:FIFA Confederations Cup-winning players Category:French people of Ivorian descent Category:French expatriate footballers Category:Expatriate footballers in England Category:Expatriate footballers in Greece Category:Expatriate footballers in Italy Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Ligue 1 players Category:Premier League players Category:Superleague Greece players Category:French people of Black African descent

Category:People from Arles Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:Converts to Christianity from Islam

ar:جبريل سيسي br:Djibril Cissé bg:Джибрил Сисе ca:Djibril Cissé da:Djibril Cissé de:Djibril Cissé el:Τζιμπρίλ Σισέ es:Djibril Cissé fr:Djibril Cissé ko:지브릴 시세 id:Djibril Cissé it:Djibril Cissé he:ג'יבריל סיסה la:Djibril Cissé lv:Džibrils Sisē lt:Djibril Cissé hu:Djibril Cissé mr:ड्जिब्रिल सिसे nl:Djibril Cissé ja:ジブリル・シセ no:Djibril Cissé nn:Djibril Cissé pl:Djibril Cissé pt:Djibril Cissé ro:Djibril Cissé ru:Сиссе, Джибриль simple:Djibril Cissé fi:Djibril Cissé sv:Djibril Cissé tr:Djibril Cissé uk:Джибріль Сіссе ur:جبریل سیسے zh:贾布里勒·西塞

| birth date	February 06, 1983
originalteam	South Fremantle (WAFL)
heightweight	195cm / 94kg
debutdate	Round 3, 9 April 2005
debutteam	West Coast Eagles
debutopponent	Fremantle
debutstadium	Subiaco
playingteams	West Coast (2005-2008) 37 games, 13 goals
statsend	2008 }}

Jaymie Graham (born 6 February 1983) is an Australian rules footballer currently playing for South Fremantle in the West Australian Football League. He previously played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Originally from Kalgoorlie, where he played for the Mines Rovers Football Club, Graham joined South Fremantle in 2002. He was drafted into the AFL by the Eagles with the 40th selection in the 2004 AFL Rookie Draft. He was elevated from the West Coast Eagles rookie list in 2005 and made his debut for the club in Round 3 of that year against Fremantle.

In the 2006 season Graham emerged as a key fixture in the West Coast Eagles backline and was named the Eagles best rookie for the year. He played in 24 games, missing only one game, the 2006 AFL Grand Final, making way for David Wirrpanda who was coming back from injury.. He has also, on occasion, been moved forward and has kicked 13 goals in his 37 games. Graham won a grand final with WAFL club side South Fremantle in 2005, when they defeated the Claremont Tigers.

Graham only played 5 games in 2007, struggling to overcome injury and a form slump. At the conclusion of the 2008 season he retired from the AFL, citing personal reasons.

He continued to play for South Fremantle, playing mainly as a ruckman. However, after playing all 22 games in 2009, including the victorious 2009 WAFL Grand Final, his 2010 and 2011 seasons were both hampered by serious knee injuries. In 2010 he ruptured his posterior cruciate ligament, which prevented him from playing in the second half of the season. Despite this setback, he was named as captain of South Fremantle for the 2011 season. After playing his 100th game for South Fremantle in the opening round of the 2011 WAFL season, in Round 7 Graham had his leg trapped under an oncoming player and badly dislocated his kneecap and ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. He is likely to miss the remainder of the season.

References

External links

WAFLonline profile

Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:South Fremantle Football Club players Category:West Coast Eagles players Category:Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Category:People from Kalgoorlie

playername	David Villa
fullname	David Villa Sánchez
height
dateofbirth	December 03, 1981
cityofbirth	Langreo
countryofbirth	Spain
currentclub	Barcelona
clubnumber	7
position	Striker
youthyears1	1991–1999
youthclubs1	Langreo
years1	1999–2001
years2	2001–2003
years3	2003–2005
years4	2005–2010
years5	2010–
clubs1	Sporting Gijón B
clubs2	Sporting Gijón
clubs3	Zaragoza
clubs4	Valencia
clubs5	Barcelona
caps1	65 |goals1 25
caps2	80 |goals2 38
caps3	73 |goals3 32
caps4	166|goals4 108
caps5	35 |goals5 18
nationalyears1	2000–2003
nationalyears2	2005–
nationalteam1	Spain U21
nationalteam2	Spain
nationalcaps1	7 |nationalgoals1 0
nationalcaps2	76 |nationalgoals2 47
pcupdate	30 August 2011
ntupdate	14 August 2011 }}

David Villa Sánchez (; born 3 December 1981), nicknamed (), is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as winger.

Despite sustaining a serious injury as a child, he started his professional career with Sporting de Gijón. He moved to Real Zaragoza after two seasons, where he made his La Liga début, winning his first senior honours—the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España. He joined Valencia CF in 2005 for a transfer fee of €12 million and was part of the Valencia team that won the Copa del Rey in the 2007–08 season. In 2010 he moved to FC Barcelona for €40 million where he won his first La Liga and UEFA Champions League titles.

Villa made his international début in 2005. He has since participated in three major tournaments, becoming an integral member of the Spain teams that won Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup. He scored three goals at the 2006 World Cup, was the top scorer at Euro 2008 and earned the Silver Boot at the 2010 World Cup. With 46 goals, Villa is Spain's all-time top goalscorer and has also scored more World Cup goals than any other player in Spain's history. The goals-to-games ratio he has achieved for the national team has not been matched by any player since Alfredo Di Stéfano.

Childhood and early career

Villa was born in Tuilla, a small village in Langreo, Asturias, a region in northern Spain, the son of José Manuel Villa, a miner. When Villa was four, his chances of becoming a footballer were put in jeopardy when he suffered a fracture to the femur in his right leg, but made a complete recovery. Due to the injury, he and his father worked on strengthening his left leg and Villa ultimately became ambidextrous. He recalls his father being consistently supportive: "He would be there throwing me the ball over and over, making me kick it with my left leg when my right was in plaster after breaking it, I was four. I can barely remember a single training session when my dad wasn't there. I have never been alone on a football pitch."

Villa admitted that he came close to giving up football at the age of 14 after growing disillusioned and falling out with his coach. However, thanks to his parents' encouragement, he persisted in pursuing his dream, realising his talent could earn him a living. "In those days I was a nobody, not earning a penny and after being made to sit on the bench all season I just wanted to get away and play with my friends" he said. "But my dad always supported me and cheered me up until my career turned round." He went on to begin his footballing career at UP Langreo and when he turned 17 he joined the Mareo football school.

Club career

Sporting de Gijón and Real Zaragoza

Villa attracted interest from many Asturian teams, but one of the province's bigger teams, Real Oviedo, declared that he was too short and that they did not believe he had sufficient potential. He subsequently got his professional breakthrough at his local club Sporting de Gijón, following in the footsteps of his childhood idol Quini. Starting out at the team's youth ranks, he made his first-team début in the 2000–01 season. After scoring 25 goals in two seasons, he became a first team regular. Pepe Acebal, the Sporting Gijon manager at the time, said that Villa initially lacked the stamina to have a real impact and had to be given his chance bit by bit and that Villa's capacity for work was "unrivalled". With his goal tally nearly reaching 40 goals after spending two full seasons in Gijón's main team, Villa ultimately got his chance in Spain's top-flight when Sporting were in financial difficulty and newly promoted Real Zaragoza signed him for approximately €3 million in the summer of 2003. The striker had no trouble adapting to playing at the higher level, netting 17 times in his first season at Zaragoza. His league début came during Zaragoza's first La Liga game since his arrival where the team were defeated 1–0 away from home at the hands of Galician side Deportivo de La Coruña while his first goal came two games later, an eighth minute goal against Real Murcia which put Zaragoza 2–0 up in a match which ended 3–0. 4 December 2003 saw him net his first brace (2 goals) in a 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao and on 25 April 2004, David Villa scored his first hat-trick in a tight 4–4 draw against Sevilla which saw Villa score all four of Zaragoza's goals, putting his team ahead on two occasions.

Zaragoza reached the 2004 Copa del Rey final where he played a big part in the team's victory, scoring a crucial goal to put the Aragonese outfit 2–1 up against Real Madrid in a match which eventually ended 3–2. Soon after he earned his first international call-up and cap which resulted in Zaragoza fans becoming so proud of his achievements, they invented the football chant "illa illa illa, Villa maravilla" which is a play on the words "Villa" and "maravilla" which is as "marvel" but can also mean "wonderful" or "great" in that context. After Zaragoza's triumph in the Copa del Rey, they were granted a place in the 2004–05 UEFA Cup; this was Villa's first time playing in a European competition.

In the team's opening group game against Utrecht, Villa netted a brace in the dying minutes of the game which subsequently ended 2–0 in Zaragoza's favour. In the round of 16, Zaragoza faced Austria Wien. The first leg ended 1–1, Villa scored in the second leg, however, the match ended 2–2 which saw the team from Vienna go through to the next stage on the away goals rule. Meanwhile, in La Liga, Villa excited Zaragoza fans on 23 September 2004 by putting the team 1–0 up against Barcelona at the Camp Nou, however, it was not to be as Barcelona came back to win the game 4–1. On 17 April 2005, Villa scored a brace which helped see off Sevilla in a 3–0 victory.

Valencia

2005–06 season

After his success at Zaragoza, the team was in need of money, as a result, Villa made his big move to one of Spanish football's heavyweights, as a new look Valencia under Quique Sánchez Flores parted with €12 million to secure his services in the summer of 2005. During his first game in a Valencia shirt, an Intertoto Cup match against Belgian outfit K.A.A. Gent, Villa scored the first goal in a game which Valencia won 2–0. He made his league début for Valencia coming on as a substitute against Real Betis in a 1–0 win on 27 August 2005. The next match would see his previous team, Real Zaragoza, leading 2–1 for the majority of the match, however, on the 81st minute, Villa came on as a late substitute for Rubén Baraja and scored the equalizer within the space of a minute, earning Valencia a point as the game ended 2–2.

On 21 September, Villa would once again save Valencia a vital point by netting a brace against Barcelona at Camp Nou, actually giving his team the lead at one point after Víctor Valdés' clearance rebounded off Villa's back and into the net. On 23 October, Villa scored the winning goal against another Spanish giant, this time Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and would once again score against Barcelona, on 12 February 2006, his one goal proving enough to secure all three points in a 1–0 victory. Villa scored a goal against Deportivo de La Coruña (at the Riazor on 4 February 2006), described as "superb" by ESPN and "his best" by Sid Lowe who went on to credit it even more pointing out he achieved it "on the turn". Hitting the ball from the half way line (50 yards out) it sailed over the keepers head and into the net.

He scored his first hat-trick for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao at San Mamés in La Liga on the 23 April 2006. Villa managed the hat-trick in just over five minutes (80th to the 85th minute) making it one of the quickest hat-tricks ever recorded. Valencia won that game 3–0. That season saw him score 25 goals in 35 league matches for Valencia, finishing one goal behind the league's top scorer Samuel Eto'o of Barcelona. Villa's goal tally that year was the best that any Valencia player had ever achieved since Edmundo Suárez over 60 years beforehand.

2006–07 season

Villa's form continued into the 2006–07 season, with the striker forming a partnership up front with former Real Madrid star Fernando Morientes. Between them, Villa and Morientes netted 43 goals in all competitions. That year also saw Villa début in the UEFA Champions League; his first match was a qualifying match, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 first leg loss against Red Bull Salzburg. He went on to start the second leg and scored in a 3–0 win which saw Valencia qualify for the Champions League group stages. Crucial goals against Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk helped Valencia qualify for the knock out stages where they faced Inter Milan. Villa scored a free kick goal in the first leg away from home, while one of Inter's defenders complained that Villa had "made us look like idiots, all on his own". Valencia went through to the quarter finals where they faced Chelsea. Villa featured in both games but failed to make the score sheet. Valencia subsequently got knocked out by the London team 3–2 on aggregate. In October 2006 he was included among the 50 nominees for the Ballon d'Or (often referred to as the European Footballer of the Year Award).

A crucial goal against Espanyol and a brace against Sevilla helped him reach 16 goals that season and would see him come 6th in La Liga's top scorer list that season (scoring the same amount of goals as fellow international Raúl Tamudo) while he created more assists than anyone.

2007–08 season

The 2007–08 season was not easy for Villa nor for his teammates. Early in the season, their manager, Quique Sánchez Flores, was fired and replaced by Ronald Koeman, who ended up being fired on the 22 April, after a run of poor results, even though he managed to win a trophy with Valencia, as the team beat Getafe CF in the Copa del Rey-final. Koeman got replaced by the highly rated UD Almería coach, Unai Emery, at the end of the season. Under Koeman, Villa managed to see the back of the net 18 times in his 26 appearances. He also won the first professional trophy of his Valencia spell, winning the Copa del Rey for the second time in his career, beating Barcelona 3–2 in the semi-finals and then Getafe CF 3–1 in the final. giving the team a place in the UEFA Cup. By the end of the season he signed a new six-year contract with Valencia, committing his future to the club until 2014.

That season, Villa once again saw himself playing Champions League football. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Schalke 04 and went on to put Valencia 1–0 up against Chelsea, however, goals from Joe Cole and Didier Drogba saw Valencia lose 2–1. Valencia finished bottom of the group and were knocked out. On his 100th league appearance for Valencia, Villa scored a hat-trick against Levante; his 54th, 55th and 56th league goals for the club. Another two goals on the final day of the season against Atletico Madrid completed his tally of 18 goals that season.

2008–09 season

After finishing as the top scorer at Euro 2008, Villa continued his form into the 2008–09 season where he scored the first goal in a 3–0 win against Mallorca in what was the opening game of the season. After failing to sign the player, Real Madrid manager at the time, Bernd Schuster, accused Villa of having "no ambition", Villa responded by saying "Footballing ambition Is not about your mouth, It is about your feet. You can accuse me of lots of things - of having a bad day, of missing chances, of many things- but I have always had ambition and always will have. I think I have proved that on the pitch with Zaragoza, Sporting, UD Langreo, and the national team." In October 2008, Kaká praised Villa, speaking to Canal+, he claimed that Villa is "the best Spanish footballer" adding that "The player with whom I would most like to play is David Villa of Valencia." On 2 December 2008, Villa came 7th in the Ballon d'Or 2008 rankings and on 12 January 2009, Villa was announced as the joint 9th best player of 2008 alongside international team mate and Barcelona player Andrés Iniesta, according to the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

Valencia finished second in their UEFA Cup group, however, Villa was not featured heavily and was often an unused sub or a late sub. He scored a late winner against Maritimo and was used in the Round of 32 against Dynamo Kyiv, however, he did not make the score sheet. The two legs resulted in a 3–3 aggregate score, Dynamo Kyiv went through as the away goal rule went in their favour.

Hitting a consistent goal scoring form during mid season, he scored against Deportivo de la Coruña; however, he was sent off during the match after his second yellow card, received due to a foul on Daniel Aranzubia and as a result missed Valencia's next match against Real Valladolid, a game which Valencia lost 2–1 at home. Ready to return from suspension, Villa suffered from an inflammation in the joint in his left knee due to a partial dislocation and would be out for the next 15 days, missing games against Numancia, Recreativo de Huelva and Racing de Santander. When he finally returned from injury on 5 April 2009, he had no trouble recovering form, netting a brace in a match against Getafe, which Valencia won 4–1. On 12 April, Villa was set to return to El Molinón, the home ground of Sporting de Gijón where he started his career. He admitted that the encounter would be very emotional for him but went on to score the second Valencia goal in a 3–2 win and kept a pre-match promise by not celebrating the goal. His goal against Villarreal brought his tally to 26, he then scored another two against Athletic Bilbao finishing with 28 goals after the last game of the season, thus equalling records set by the Argentinian Mario Kempes and the Montenegrin Predrag Mijatović, who also scored 28 goals in a Valencia shirt in 1978 and 1996, respectively. Kempes reached his tally of 28 goals in 34 games while Mijatović achieved it in 40, ultimately seeing Villa beat their percentages, as he achieved the 28 goals in 33 games, recording a goal ratio of 0.84 goals per game. That season saw Villa's best season at Valencia as far as goal scoring is concerned.

With the season over Villa had marked his fourth year at Valencia, with only Eto'o scoring more goals than him in that period (six more). British columnist Sid Lowe points out that Eto'o achieved this "in a team that racked up 129 [goals] more than Villa's side" and noted that "most of that time he [Villa] has taken Valencia's corners and free-kicks – and however good a player is he can't head in his own crosses." Villa also ended the season as the third top scorer in La Liga with a total of 28 goals, just behind Samuel Eto'o (30) and Diego Forlán (32). After recording the best goal tally for a Valencia player in 60 years back in the 2005–06 season, he went three better in the 2008–09 season. The 28 league goals plus 3 more in other competitions that season, accumulated a total of 101 goals in 180 official games with the Valencian outfit.

2009–10 season

After the shock exit from the Confederations Cup with the Spain team, Villa returned from his holidays on 27 July, amidst much media speculation linking him with top clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United. Villa put to bed such rumours announcing his desire to remain at the Mestalla to fulfil his contract underlining that he "could not spend all summer refuting things, so I wanted to be quiet... I was told I should leave Valencia for the good of the club, soon after that everything changed and from that moment on I never saw myself out of here - before the Euros, the club told me what my asking price was, and I thought they were going to sell me, but when I returned from my vacations, Vicente Soriano said that he did not want me to leave Valencia. That removed all doubt for me. There is no train missed because all that I have achieved is because of Valencia and the Spanish national team." When questioned on whether or not he should apologise to Valencia fans, he simply replied, "I did not kill anyone, I do not think I have to ask for forgiveness."

On 20 August 2009, Villa scored in his first official match of the season, a 3–0 UEFA Europa League qualifer against Stabæk. He followed this up with two goals against Real Valladolid on 13 September, these were Villa's first league goals of the 2009–10 season. He scored twice more a week later against former club Sporting Gijón in a 2–2 draw at the Mestalla where he performed duties as the team's captain. After the match, Villa hinted towards being unhappy with Unai Emery's managerial decisions, stating "The approach for the second half was not right. We relaxed and ended up with the same result as last year. What has happened, has happened, but their goalkeeper was good, unlike our approach, which was not good", however, a day later he denied being critical of Emery pointing out that "When I talked about the approach, I was referring to the whole team, I spoke in the heat of the moment, I was annoyed at the way we lost two points and I said what I thought, but I have clarified everything that needed to be cleared up."

In 2009 he scored more goals than any other footballer, 43 goals in 54 games across all competitions for Spain and Valencia. The IFFHS listed him 4th in the "World's Top Goal Scorer 2009" rankings.

On 18 October, Villa was nominated for the Ballon D'Or, while nearly two weeks later, on 30 October, he was nominated for the FIFA World Player Of The Year. After going three league games without scoring, Villa contributed two goals towards Valencia's 4–1 victory against Villarreal on 17 January 2010, the first of his two goals became his 100th league goal with Valencia. Another brace came against Getafe on 22 February 2010, the second goal being "a superb chip" (as described by ESPN) over Jordi Codina. On 18 March, Valencia went to the Weserstadion to play Werder Bremen in the Europa League. Villa scored a hat-trick, his third goal being of note, which was fired in from eight yards out. The match ended 4–4 while Valencia proceeded to the next round on away goals. On May 4, 2010, Valencia played Xerez, Villa did not start but came on as a substitute 62 minutes into the match, which ended 3-1. Valencia still had two more games to play in the league, however, Villa did not feature, making the game against Xerez the last time he played for Valencia.

Barcelona

2010–11 season

On 19 May 2010, FC Barcelona reached an agreement with Valencia, for the acquisition of Villa for the fee of €40 million. Villa signed on a four year contract with Barcelona, with the option for a fifth, worth a reported €7 million per season and thus, managed to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, Luis Enrique and Quini, both of whom, like Villa, started out at Sporting Gijón and ended up at Barcelona. On 21 May 2010, over 35,000 Barcelona supporters packed into Camp Nou to see Villa's presentation, where he revealed the kit Barcelona would use during the 2010-11 season. He was given his favourite number 7, a number which had been free at the club since Eiður Guðjohnsen left in 2009. He made his first appearance for the club in the 2nd leg of the Supercopa de España, during the second half as a substitute for fellow Spain international, Pedro Rodríguez. His début appearance would also see him win his first piece of silver-ware with the Catalonian side, as Barcelona won 5-3 on aggregate due to a hat-trick by teammate Lionel Messi. His first goal came during the Joan Gamper Trophy (an annual friendly competition) against Milan. Barcelona won 3-1 on penalties (after the match had ended 1-1 during normal time).

On 29 August 2010, Villa made his La Liga début with Barcelona against Racing de Santander, where he scored the third goal of the match to help seal a 3-0 victory. On 14 September 2010, Villa scored on his Champions League début with Barcelona in a 5-1 victory over Panathinaikos F.C. Against Sevilla, on 31 October 2010, Barcelona won 5-0 against the Andalusian side, while Villa netted a brace. His first goal that match was voted "The Best Goal Of The Week (October 25–31)" by the readers of Goal.com. Villa's first "El Clásico" came on 29 November 2010, he scored two goals as Barcelona won 5-0 at the Camp Nou. Talking about the match, he commented that, "It's been a very important win. We looked for the victory and we got it. And the result and the manner in which we achieved it, you cannot ask for more.". He then scored a goal against Real Sociedad, a match Barcelona won 5-0. He followed with a brace against RCD Espanyol taking Barcelona to a 1-5 win.

On 27 December 2010, Villa was named "Male Athlete of the Year" by the United States Sports Academy, as he edged fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal and previous winner Manny Pacquiao for the title.

On 28 May 2010, Villa scored the third goal — curling the ball into the net from 25-yards out — in Barcelona's 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the 2010–11 UEFA Champions League Final. After the victory, Villa said that he would like to dedicate the victory "to all my family, my daughters and also Pepe Reina's, who are like my nieces."

2011–12 season

Villa started the season with goals against C.D. Guadalajara and Club América in pre-season friendly matches. His first official match of the season was against Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2011 Supercopa de España where Villa scored a "world-class" goal, helping Barcelona seal a 2-2 tie at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, while on 17 August 2011, Villa was sent off in the dying moments of the second leg (which Barcelona won 3-2) after an altercation with Mesut Özil.

International career

2006 World Cup

An occasional member of the Under 21 team, Villa marked his international début under Luis Aragonés on 9 February 2005 in a 2006 World Cup Qualifier where Spain beat San Marino 5–0 at the Estadio del Mediterráneo while his first international goal came in the form of a late equaliser during a World Cup qualifier against Slovakia.

A successful season with Valencia saw him get called up as part of the 23-man squad to represent Spain at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Spain's first match at the tournament and Villa's World Cup début resulted in a 4–0 win against Ukraine where Villa netted a brace, and also put his nation 1–0 up against France in the Round of 16, although Spain went on to lose the match 3–1. He and Fernando Torres finished as Spain's top scorers with three goals each.

Euro 2008

By the end of 2006, Villa had become an integral part of Luis Aragonés' plans and ousted Raúl from the team. Proving vital in Spain's qualification for Euro 2008, he scored six goals, including a bicycle kick against Liechtenstein. He was subsequently called up for the tournament where he formed a striking relationship with Torres, with whom he would often celebrate his goals. He scored a hat-trick in Spain's 4–1 win over Russia, making him the first player to do so at a UEFA European Championship since Patrick Kluivert in 2000, and only the seventh overall. After the third goal, he went out of his way to meet Torres, who was on the bench at the time, to celebrate with him, "I had just scored a hat-trick and I knew people would be talking about me, but I wanted them to see that I had benefited from Torres's work, just as he sometimes benefits from mine." In the next match, he secured a 2–1 win against Sweden with a goal in the 92nd minute. Rested for the next match against Greece, he started once again in the quarter finals where Spain beat Italy 4–2 on penalties, Villa took the first penalty and scored.

Reaching their first semi-final in 24 years, Spain went on to face Russia for the second time during the tournament, however, during the early stages of the match, Villa sustained a thigh injury after taking a free kick and was replaced by Cesc Fàbregas. The injury meant that he could not participate in the final where Spain beat Germany 1–0 to claim their second win at the European Football Championships. Despite missing the final and the majority of the semi-final, Villa's 4 goals in the 4 games he played were enough for him to be top scorer of the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot. He also made the UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament alongside striking partner Torres.

2009 Confederations Cup and 2010 World Cup qualification

Spain's first match during qualification for the 2010 World Cup was against Bosnia and Herzegovina where Villa scored the only goal of the game. He would go on to score four goals in Spain's next three games, including a last minute winner against Belgium. Another goal during a friendly match against Chile saw him end the year with 12 goals, breaking Raúl's record of 10 goals held since 1999. Villa began 2009 with a goal against England in a 2–0 friendly, with this goal, he broke another record and became the first Spanish international to have scored in 6 consecutive games, seeing off records set by Telmo Zarra and Ladislao Kubala. Speaking of the goal he said, "I am very happy with the goal. Truth is, I really want to see it on TV. The record is very nice. I would never have imagined in years that I would be able to obtain it. I am very proud and I hope I can continue breaking records".

On 1 June 2009, Vicente del Bosque named Villa in his 23 man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. In a friendly match before the tournament, Villa scored his second international hat-trick against Azerbaijan, nearly exactly a year after his hat-trick against Russia at Euro 2008. He débuted at the Confederations Cup with a goal, the last of the five goals in Spain's 5–0 victory over New Zealand, while in the next game he scored the decisive goal against a defensive Iraqi team. Against South Africa, he missed a penalty, but within a minute made up for the miss by putting Spain ahead, helping them equal the records of most consecutive wins and most consecutive matches undefeated before making way for Pablo Hernández. The goal was his last of the tournament but was enough to see him win the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe, he would also go on to make the team of the tournament.

Villa earned his 50th cap during a friendly against the Republic of Macedonia in a match where Spain won 3–2.

On 5 September 2009, Villa added two more goals to his goal tally for Spain, while assisting twice during the World Cup Qualifier against Belgium, in A Coruña. The match ended 5–0 to Spain where Villa also had a first-half penalty saved by the 30 year old A.S. Bari goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet. He finished the year with his sixth international brace against Austria in the Ernst-Happel-Stadion, the setting where Spain were crowned European Champions the previous year. With these two goals, Villa equalled the record he set last year of most goals scored in one calendar year by a Spanish international. Spain's first match in 2010 came on March 3, against France at the Stade de France. Villa scored the opening goal in a game which Spain went on to win 2–0.

2010 World Cup

In 2010, he came 1st in the IFFHS "2010's World Top Goalscorer at International Level" rankings, he was subsequently selected as a part of Vicente del Bosque's 23 man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In a friendly against Saudi Arabia on May 29, 2010, Villa scored the first of Spain's goals as they won 3-2 at the Tivoli Neu - the stadium where he scored his hat-trick against Russia during Euro 2008. Failing to score in Spain's next match against Korea Republic, he opened the score sheet in Spain's next match against Poland, a match where Poland lost 6-0, recording their worst defeat in 50 years.

In Spain's first 2010 World Cup match, Villa was chosen as a lone striker, but could do nothing to prevent their shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland. Five days later, Spain defeated Honduras 2-0, where Villa scored both goals, but wasted his chance to complete a hat-trick when he was awarded a penalty kick - side-footing the ball just wide of the post. It was the first time in fourteen attempts Spain ever missed a penalty in a World Cup during the run of play. In the same game, Villa was shown to slap Emilio Izaguirre in the face after the Honduran player trod on him. Villa said he was "not proud" of the heat of the moment incident, but he escaped a ban. Villa helped secure Spain's place in the round of 16 after scoring the first goal in a 2-1 win over Chile, with a long-range shot into an empty net after Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo ran out of his area to prevent Torres from scoring. The goal would become his 6th goal in FIFA World Cup matches, becoming Spain's all time top scorer at the World Cup finals, ahead of Emilio Butragueño, Fernando Hierro, Fernando Morientes and Raúl González, all of whom have five.

Spain were up against Portugal in the round of 16, and Villa would prove to be vital once again, as Xavi backheeled an Andrés Iniesta pass to the on-rushing Villa who hit the back of the net on the rebound after having his first shot saved by Eduardo, proving enough to give Spain a place in the quarter-finals against Paraguay, where Villa scored a goal from a rebound after Pedro hit the post. Once again, Villa's goal proved to be the difference as the match finished 1-0, while Spain booked a game with Germany in the semi-finals, where Spain recorded yet another 1-0 victory with the only goal coming from Carles Puyol.

Villa started in the final against the Netherlands, where he had an opportunity to score from close range, but was impeded by John Heitinga who managed to block his shot. Villa would eventually make way for Torres after 106 minutes on the pitch. Spain became world champions as they went on to win the match 1-0, while Villa was awarded the Silver Shoe, with the Gold Shoe going to Thomas Müller, both players had five goals, however, Müller had more assists. Villa was subsequently named in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team.

Euro 2012 qualifying

Spain's first match of UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying was against Liechtenstein on 3 September 2010, Villa scored the second goal of the match which eventually ended 4-0. It was believed that this goal meant that he had equalled Raúl's record 44-goal tally, however, after many debates about whether he or Dariusz Dudka scored the first goal in Spain's 6-0 win over Poland, FIFA eventually decided that the goal was indeed an own goal by Dudka, meaning Villa's goal tally would remain at 43. On 12 October 2010, he finally equalled Raúl's record, scoring a penalty against Scotland and helping Spain see off the Scots in a 3-2 victory at Hampden Park.

On 25 March 2011, Villa scored two goals against the Czech Republic in a Euro 2012 qualifier, which ultimately handed Spain a 2-1 victory, while at the same time he managed to eclipse Raúl as Spain's all-time leading goalscorer. Speaking of the achievement, he stated that "The goals are dedicated to all the team-mates, all the coaches, all partners and friends I had during my career... But long ago I promised José, who is a friend of mine, that the goal which overtook Raul would be for him."

Succeeding Raúl as Spain's number 7

The Spanish media has often compared Villa with Raúl, to the point where Villa was accused of taking the #7 jersey away from the then-Real Madrid player. In March 2009, Villa spoke out saying, "I have not taken anything away from anybody, I was simply playing well for my club and the national coach gave me an opportunity. Too much has been said about the number issue. I’m not looking to cause any controversy. In fact, Raúl and I were in the national squad together in the past. I haven’t forced anybody out." When questioned on whether the whole uproar created over Raúl's omission was affecting him personally, he said, "I’ve never liked it because I think it has been damaging for the both of us. We’ve always got on well together whenever we’ve met up for international duty, so I’m not concerned. I just work hard for myself. All I want is to be in the squad for every game, to have the Spain badge on my chest and to score as many goals as I can."

In February 2010, Bernd Schuster was asked if Raúl did not favour Villa moving to Real Madrid, to which he responded with "I have a cough", this caused many to believe that he was implying the rumour to be true. Villa firmly ridiculed that idea by saying "It is impossible that a player with as much class on and off the pitch as Raúl would speak poorly of me. I have always had a good relationship with Raúl, even though we have hardly met on international duty."

Speaking of Raúl's record with the Spanish national team as the nation's leading top scorer, Villa said, "I've got 25 goals but he's got 44 and is still playing. I'd be delighted to reach that tally as I'd help the national team achieve great victories and, in many years' time, I could see my name on a [scorers' list] that another young lad was trying to beat. That would be great." On March 25, 2011, two years after making that remark, Villa passed Raúl as Spain's all-time top scorer.

Personal life

In 2003 Villa married his childhood sweetheart Patricia González (who had also been a footballer in her teenage years). They had a daughter who they named Zaida. Her name is engraved on his personalised Adidas F50's, while one boot bears the Spanish flag, the other has the Asturian flag. In 2009, his second daughter Olaya was born, named after the wife of Fernando Torres, who is a close friend of Patricia. His footballing idols are Luis Enrique and Quini.

Villa frequently attends charity events. He is actively involved with the campaigns of the UNICEF charity.

Beginning in July 2008, a "David Villa Camp" is held annually, where children receive training from professional footballers. Villa also participates in a training session with the children.

Villa featured on the Spanish box art for video game FIFA 07.

Music

In 2010 he sang alongside Grammy Award-nominated Spanish singer Ana Torroja on the song "Insurrection" by El Último de la Fila. The recording was made for the beneficiary project ''Voces X1FIN'', to help raise money to build an art and education school in Mali. Villa commented that footballers "are an example for society and we have to be ready to get involved in these projects, where we can help people who need it."

Career statistics

Club

As of 27 August 2011

12 12 13 13 0 0 18 20 20 20 6 15 8 16 18 28 21 7 0

Club	Season	League	Cup	Europe	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists	!Apps	!Goals	!Assists
rowspan=3	Sporting Gijón B		30	|	0	—			—			30
2000–01 Segunda División B	2000-01	35	|	0	—			—			35
Total	65!!25!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!65!!25!!-
rowspan=4	Sporting Gijón		1	0	|	—			—			1
2001–02 Segunda División	2001-02	40	|	0	4	2	0	—			44
2002–03 Segunda División	2002-03	39	|	0	1	0	0	—			40
Total	80!!38!!0!!5!!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!85!!40!!-
rowspan=3	Real Zaragoza		38	17	|	8	4	1	—			46	21	7
2004–05 La Liga	2004-05	35	|	5	1	2	0	10	3	2	46	20	7
Total	73!!32!!11!!9!!6!!1!!10!!3!!2!!92!!41!!14
rowspan=6	Valencia		35	25	|	4	2	0	1	1	0	40	28	8
2006–07 La Liga	2006-07	36	|	12	2	0	2	11	5	3	49	21	17
2007–08 La Liga	2007-08	30	|	7	6	1	2	7	3	2	41	22	11
2008–09 La Liga	2008-09	33	|	6	2	1	0	5	1	1	40	30	7
2009–10 La Liga	2009-10	32	|	5	2	0	1	11	7	4	42	28	10
Total	166!!108!!38!!16!!4!!5!!35!!17!!10!!212!!129!!53
rowspan=3	Barcelona		34	18	|	4	1	0	12	4	2	50	23	9
2011–12 FC Barcelona season	2011-12	0	|	0	2	1	0	1	0	0	2	1	0
Total	!34!!18!!7!!6!!2!!0!!13!!4!!2!!52!!24!!9
Career total		!418!!221!!56!!36!!14!!6!!58!!24!!14!!507!!259!!76

International

International statistics

''As of 14 August 2011.''

0 1 1 2 5 4 1 14

National team	Club	Year	Friendly	Competitive	Total
!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Apps	!Goals	!Ratio
rowspan="7"	Spain		Real Zaragoza	2004–05	0	|	1	0	1	0
rowspan="5"	Valencia	2005–06	5	|	7	4	12	5
2006–07	4	|	7	6	11	7
2007–08	4	|	8	4	12	6
2008–09	4	|	10	8	14	13
2009–10	6	|	9	7	15	11
	Barcelona	2010–11	6	|	5	4	11	5
Career Total	29	|	47	33	76	47

Note: ''Each season is September - August''

International goals

''As of 25 March 2011.''

Tehelné pole, Bratislava, Slovakia 1 March 2006 13 June 2006 13 June 2006 27 June 2006 2 September 2006 2 September 2006 6 September 2006 11 October 2006 24 March 2007 6 June 2007 6 June 2007 26 March 2008 31 May 2008 10 June 2008 10 June 2008 10 June 2008 14 June 2008 6 September 2008 10 September 2008 10 September 2008 11 October 2008 15 October 2008 19 November 2008 11 February 2009 9 June 2009 9 June 2009 9 June 2009 14 June 2009 17 June 2009 20 June 2009 5 September 2009 5 September 2009 18 November 2009 18 November 2009 3 March 2010 29 May 2010 21 June 2010 21 June 2010 25 June 2010 29 June 2010 3 July 2010 3 September 2010 12 October 2010 25 March 2011 25 March 2011 7 June 2011

'''David Villa international goals
# !! Date !! Venue !! Opponent !! Goal !! Result !! Competition
'''2005–2006
1.	16 November 2005	|		1 – '''1	1 – 1	2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.	|	Estadio José Zorrilla, Valladolid, Spain		1 – 1	3 – 2	Exhibition game>International friendly
3.	|	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany		2 – 0	4 – 0	2006 FIFA World Cup
4.	|	Zentralstadion, Leipzig, Germany	Ukraine	3 – 0	4 – 0	2006 FIFA World Cup
5.	|	AWD-Arena, Hannover, Germany		1 – 0	1 – 3	2006 FIFA World Cup
'''2006–2007
6.	|	Estadio Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain		2 – 0	4 – 0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
7.	|	Estadio Nuevo Vivero, Badajoz, Spain	Liechtenstein	3 – 0	4 – 0	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
8.	|	Windsor Park, Belfast, Northern Ireland		1 – '''2	3 – 2	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
9.	|	Estadio Nueva Condomina>Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain		2 – 1	2 – 1	International friendly
10.	|	Santiago Bernabéu Stadium>Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid, Spain		2 – 0	2 – 1	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
11.	|	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	0 – '''1	0 – 2	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
12.	|	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	0 – '''2	0 – 2	UEFA Euro 2008 Qualifying
'''2007–2008
13.	|	Estadio Manuel Martínez Valero>Manuel Martínez Valero, Elche, Spain		1 – 0	1 – 0	International friendly
14.	|	Nuevo Colombino, Huelva, Spain		1 – 0	2 – 1	International friendly
15.	|	Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria		1 – 0	4 – 1	UEFA Euro 2008
16.	|	Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria	Russia	2 – 0	4 – 1	UEFA Euro 2008
17.	|	Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria	Russia	3 – 0	4 – 1	UEFA Euro 2008
18.	|	Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria		1 – '''2	1 – 2	UEFA Euro 2008
'''2008–2009
19.	|	Nueva Condomina, Murcia, Spain		1 – 0	1 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
20.	|	Estadio Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain		2 – 0	4 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
21.	|	Estadio Carlos Belmonte, Albacete, Spain	Armenia	3 – 0	4 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
22.	|	A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia		0 – '''2	0 – 3	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
23.	|	King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium		1 – '''2	1 – 2	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
24.	|	El Madrigal, Villarreal, Spain		1 – 0	3 – 0	International friendly
25.	|	Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, Sevilla, Spain		1 – 0	2 – 0	International friendly
26.	|	Tofik Bakhramov, Baku, Azerbaijan		1 – 0	6 – 0	International friendly
27.	|	Tofik Bakhramov, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	2 – 0	6 – 0	International friendly
28.	|	Tofik Bakhramov, Baku, Azerbaijan	Azerbaijan	3 – 0	6 – 0	International friendly
29.	|	Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg, South Africa		5 – 0	5 – 0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
30.	|	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa		1 – 0	1 – 0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
31.	|	Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, South Africa		1 – 0	2 – 0	2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
2009–2010
32.	|	Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain	Belgium	2 – 0	5 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
33.	|	Estadio Riazor, A Coruña, Spain	Belgium	5 – 0	5 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
34.	|	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria		1 – '''2	1 – 5	International friendly
35.	|	Ernst-Happel-Stadion, Vienna, Austria	Austria	1 – '''3	1 – 5	International friendly
36.	|	Stade de France, Paris, France	France	0 – '''1	0 – 2	International friendly
37.	|	Tivoli Neu, Innsbruck, Austria		1 – 1	3 – 2	International friendly
38.	|	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa		1 – 0	2 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup
39.	|	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa	Honduras	2 – 0	2 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup
40.	|	Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria, South Africa	Chile	0 – '''1	1 – 2	2010 FIFA World Cup
41.	|	Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa		1 – 0	1 – 0	2010 FIFA World Cup
42.	|	Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa		0 – '''1	0 – 1	2010 FIFA World Cup
'''2010-2011
43.	|	Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein	Liechtenstein	0 – '''2	0 – 4	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
44.	|	Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland		0 – '''1	2 – 3	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
45.	|	Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain		1 – 1	2 – 1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
46.	|	Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes, Granada, Spain		2 – 1	2 – 1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
47.	|	Estadio José Antonio Anzoátegui, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela		0 – 1	0 – 3	International friendly

Note: According to virtually all sources, Villa's apparent 38th goal (against Poland) was actually an own goal by an opponent. Although FIFA credited the goal to Villa at the time, their own website now says his goal against Scotland was his 44th, not 45th.

Honours

Club

;Real Zaragoza

Copa del Rey: 1

:: 2004

Supercopa de España: 1

:: 2004

;Valencia

Copa del Rey: 1

:: 2008

;Barcelona

La Liga: 1

:: 2010–11

UEFA Champions League: 1

:: 2010–11

Supercopa de España: 2

:: 2010, 2011

UEFA Super Cup: 1

:: 2011

Country

;Spain

UEFA European Championship: 1

:: 2008

FIFA World Cup: 1

:: 2010

Individual

;Awards

Don Balón Award (Spanish Player of the Year): 2005-06

Zarra Trophy: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2008-09, 2009-10

UEFA Euro 2008 Golden Boot

UEFA Euro 2008 Team of the Tournament

Man of the Match Spain vs Russia, Spain vs Sweden Euro 2008

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Team of the Tournament.

2010 FIFA World Cup Silver Shoe

2010 FIFA World Cup Bronze Ball

FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2010

Man of the Match Spain vs Honduras World Cup 2010

Male Athlete of the Year: 2010

FIFPro World XI: 2010

UEFA Team of the Year: 2010

Prince of Asturias Awards: 2010

;Achievements

Valencia Top Scorer: 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10

La Liga's Top Assisting Player: 2006-07

Spain all time top scorer: 46 goals

Spain's all time top scorer in FIFA World Cup matches

Most goals scored in one World Cup (by a Spanish international): 5

Most goals scored in one calendar year (by a Spanish international): 12 (2008, 2009) Largest streak of games having scored (by a Spanish international): 6

Notes

References

External links

FC Barcelona profile

BDFutbol profile

Transfermarkt profile

National team data

David Villa career stats at ESPN

Statistics and Analytics of David Villa at Footbalistic

The David Villa Campus official website

2010 FIFA World Cup profile

Official Site

John Aloisi|after= Incumbent|years=2009}} Hernán Crespo|after= Incumbent|years=2010}} Andrea Pirlo|after= Incumbent|years=2010}} Manny Pacquiao|after= Incumbent|years=2010}} }}

Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:People from Langreo Category:Spanish footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:La Liga footballers Category:Sporting de Gijón footballers Category:Real Zaragoza footballers Category:Valencia CF footballers Category:FC Barcelona footballers Category:Spain under-21 international footballers Category:Spain international footballers Category:2006 FIFA World Cup players Category:2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players Category:2010 FIFA World Cup players Category:UEFA Euro 2008 players Category:UEFA European Football Championship-winning players Category:FIFA World Cup-winning players

af:David Villa ar:دافيد فيا an:David Villa ast:David Villa az:David Vilya bn:ডেভিড ভিয়া bg:Давид Вия ca:David Villa Sánchez cs:David Villa da:David Villa de:David Villa et:David Villa el:Νταβίντ Βίγια es:David Villa eo:David Villa eu:David Villa fa:داوید ویا fr:David Villa fy:David Villa gl:David Villa ko:다비드 비야 hr:David Villa hy:Դավիդ Վիլյա id:David Villa it:David Villa he:דויד וייה jv:David Villa ka:დავიდ ვილია la:David Villa lv:Davids Vilja lt:David Villa hu:David Villa mt:David Villa mr:डेव्हिड व्हिया ms:David Villa mn:Давид Вилья nl:David Villa ja:ダビド・ビジャ no:David Villa nn:David Villa uz:David Villa pl:David Villa pt:David Villa ro:David Villa ru:Вилья, Давид sq:David Villa simple:David Villa sk:David Villa sr:Давид Виља fi:David Villa sv:David Villa th:ดาบิด บียา tr:David Villa uk:Давід Вілья vi:David Villa zh:大卫·比利亚

David Dennis (born 1980) is an Australian rower who represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the men's eight.

References

Category:1980 births Category:Olympic rowers of Australia Category:Rowers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Living people

pl:David Dennis