The Villa Medici in Fiesole with early terraced hillside landscape: by Leon Battista Alberti

A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity, sometimes transferred to the Church for reuse as a monastery. Then they gradually re-evolved through the Middle Ages, into elegant upper-class country homes. In modern parlance 'villa' can refer to a various types and sizes of residences, ranging from the suburban "semi-detached" double villa to residences in the wildland-urban interface.

Roman[link]

The Getty Villa, an adaptation of the Villa of the Papyri, in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California

In ancient Roman architecture a villa was originally a country house built for the elite. According to Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century CE, there were several kinds of villas: the villa urbana, which was a country seat that could easily be reached from Rome or another city for a night or two, and the Villa rustica, the farm-house estate that was permanently occupied by the servants who had charge generally of the estate, which would centre on the villa itself, perhaps only seasonally occupied. The Roman villae rusticae at the heart of latifundia were the earliest versions of what later and elsewhere became called plantations. Not included as villae were the domus, a city house for the elite and privileged classes; and insulae, blocks of apartment buildings for the rest of the population. In Satyricon Petronius described the wide range of Roman dwellings. Another type of villae is the "villa marittima", a seaside villa, located on the coast.

There were a concentration of Imperial villas on the Gulf of Naples, on the Isle of Capri, at Monte Circeo and at Antium (Anzio). Examples are the Villa of the Papyri in Herculaneum; and the "Villa of the Mysteries" and "Villa of the Vettii" in Pompeii.

Wealthy Romans also escaped the summer heat in the hills round Rome, especially around Tibur (Tivoli) and Frascati, such as at Hadrian's Villa. Cicero is said to have possessed no fewer than seven villas, the oldest of which was near Arpinum, which he inherited. Pliny the Younger had three or four, of which the example near Laurentium is the best known from his descriptions.

Roman writers refer with satisfaction to the self-sufficiency of their latifundium villas, where they drank their own wine and pressed their own oil. This was an affectation of urban aristocrats playing at being old-fashioned virtuous Roman farmers, but the economic independence of later rural villas was a symptom of the increasing economic fragmentation of the Roman Empire.

In Roman Britannia[link]

Numerous Roman villas have been meticulously examined in England.^[1] Like their Italian counterparts, they were complete working agrarian societies of fields and vineyards, perhaps even tileworks or quarries, ranged round a high-status power centre with its baths and gardens. The grand villa at Woodchester preserved its mosaic floors when the Anglo-Saxon parish church was built (not by chance) upon its site. Burials in the churchyard as late as the 18th century had to be punched through the intact mosaic floors. The even more palatial villa rustica at Fishbourne near Winchester was built uncharacteristically as a large open rectangle with porticos enclosing gardens that was entered through a portico. Towards the end of the 3rd century, Roman towns in Britain ceased to expand: like patricians near the centre of the empire, Roman Britons withdrew from the cities to their villas, which entered on a palatial building phase, a "golden age" of villa life. Villae rusticae are essential in the Empire's economy.

Model of Fishbourne Roman Palace, a governor's villa on the grandest scale

Two kinds of villa plan in Roman Britain may be characteristic of Roman villas in general. The more usual plan extended wings of rooms all opening onto a linking portico, which might be extended at right angles, even to enclose a courtyard. The other kind featured an aisled central hall like a basilica, suggesting the villa owner's magisterial role. The villa buildings were often independent structures linked by their enclosed courtyards. Timber-framed construction, carefully fitted with mortises and tenons and dowelled together, set on stone footings, were the rule, replaced by stone buildings for the important ceremonial rooms. Traces of window glass have been found as well as ironwork window grilles.

Monastery villas of Late Antiquity[link]

With the decline and collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries, the villas were more and more isolated and came to be protected by walls. In England the villas were abandoned, looted, and burned by Anglo-Saxon invaders in the fifth century. But the concept of an isolated, self-sufficient agrarian working community, housed close together, survived into Anglo-Saxon culture as the vill, with its inhabitants, if formally bound to the land, as villeins.

In regions on the Continent, large working villas and overgrown abandoned ones were donated by aristocrats and territorial magnates to individual monks, becoming the nuclei of monasteries. In this way, the Italian villa system of late Antiquity was preserved into the early Medieval period, in the form of monasteries that survived the disruptions of the Gothic War (535–552) and the Lombards. Benedict of Nursia established his influential monastery of Monte Cassino in the ruins of a villa at Subiaco that had belonged to Nero.

From the sixth to the eighth century, Gallo-Roman villas in the Merovingian royal fisc were repeatedly donated as sites for monasteries under royal patronage in Gaul, where Saint-Maur-des-Fossés and Fleury Abbey provide examples. In Germany a famous example is Echternach; as late as 698, Willibrord established an abbey at a Roman villa of Echternach near Trier, which was presented to him by Irmina, daughter of Dagobert II, king of the Franks. Kintzheim was Villa Regis, the "villa of the king". Around 590, Saint Eligius was born in a highly-placed Gallo-Roman family at the 'villa' of Chaptelat near Limoges, in Aquitaine (now France). The abbey at Stavelot was founded ca 650 on the domain of a former villa near Liège and the abbey of Vézelay had a similar founding.

Post-Roman era[link]

In post-Roman times a villa referred to a self-sufficient, usually fortified Italian or Gallo-Roman farmstead. It was economically as self-sufficient as a village and its inhabitants, who might be legally tied to it as serfs were villeins. The Merovingian Franks inherited the concept, followed by the Carolingian French but the later French term was basti or bastide.

Villa/Vila (or its cognates) is part of many Spanish and Portuguese placenames, like Vila Real and Villadiego: a villa/vila is a town with a charter (fuero or foral) of lesser importance than a ciudad/cidade ("city"). When it is associated with a personal name, villa was probably used in the original sense of a country estate rather than a chartered town. Later evolution has made the Hispanic distinction between villas and ciudades a purely honorific one. Madrid is the Villa y Corte, the villa considered to be separate from the formerly mobile royal court, but the much smaller Ciudad Real was declared ciudad by the Spanish crown.

Italian Renaissance[link]

Tuscany[link]

The Villa di Medici by Giuliano da Sangallo-1470: Poggio a Caiano, Tuscany

In 14th and 15th century Italy, a villa once more connoted a country house, like the first Medici villas, the Villa del Trebbio and that at Cafaggiolo, both strong fortified houses built in the 14th century in the Mugello region near Florence. In 1450 Giovanni de' Medici commenced on a hillside the Villa Medici in Fiesole, Tuscany, probably the first villa created under the instructions of Leon Battista Alberti, who theorized the features of the new idea of villa in his De re aedificatoria.

Villa di Pratolino with lower half of the gardens: by Giusto Utens-1599. Museo Topografico, Florence.

These first examples of Renaissance villa predate the age of Lorenzo de' Medici, who added the Villa di Poggio a Caiano by Giuliano da Sangallo, begun in 1470, in Poggio a Caiano, Province of Prato, Tuscany.

From Tuscany the idea of villa was spread again through Renaissance Italy and Europe.

Tuscan villa gardens[link]

The Quattrocento villa gardens were treated as a fundamental and aesthetic link between a residential building and the outdoors, with views over a humanized agricultural landscape, at that time the only desirable aspect of nature. Later villas and gardens include the Palazzo Pitti and Boboli Gardens, Florence; the Villa di Pratolino, Province of Siena.

Rome[link]

Rome had more than its share of villas with easy reach of the small sixteenth-century city: the progenitor, the first villa suburbana built since Antiquity, was the Belvedere or palazzetto, designed by Antonio Pollaiuolo and built on the slope above the Vatican Palace.

The Villa Madama, the design of which, attributed to Raphael and carried out by Giulio Romano in 1520, was one of the most influential private houses ever built; elements derived from Villa Madama appeared in villas through the 19th century. Villa Albani was built near the Porta Salaria. Other are the Villa Borghese; the Villa Doria Pamphili (1650); the Villa Giulia of Pope Julius III (1550), designed by Vignola. The Roman villas Villa Ludovisi and Villa Montalto, were destroyed during the late nineteenth century in the wake of the real estate bubble that took place in Rome after the seat of government of a united Italy was established at Rome.

The cool hills of Frascati gained the Villa Aldobrandini (1592); the Villa Falconieri and the Villa Mondragone. The Villa d'Este near Tivoli is famous for the water play in its terraced gardens. The Villa Medici was on the edge of Rome, on the Pincian Hill, when it was built in 1540. Besides these designed for seasonal pleasure, usually located within easy distance of a city, other Italian villas were remade from a rocca or castello, as the family seat of power, such as Villa Caprarola for the Farnese.

Near Siena in Tuscany, the Villa Cetinale was built by Cardinal Flavio Chigi. He employed Carlo Fontana, pupil of Gian Lorenzo Bernini to transform the villa and dramatic gardens in a Roman Baroque style by 1680. The Villa Lante garden is one of the most sublime creations of the Italian villa in the landscape, completed in the 17th century.

The Veneto and Palladio[link]

Main articles: Palladian Villas and Palladian Villas of the Veneto

In the later 16th century in the northeastern Italian Peninsula the Palladian Villas of the Veneto, designed by Andrea Palladio (1508–1580), were built in Vicenza in the Republic of Venice (Serenissima Repubblica di Venezia). Palladio always designed his villas with reference to their setting. He often unified all the farm buildings into the architecture of his extended villas. Examples are the Villa Emo, the Villa Godi, the Villa Forni Cerato, the Villa Capra "La Rotonda", and Villa Foscari

Villas abroad[link]

17th century[link]

Soon after in Greenwich England, following his 1613–1615 grand tour, Inigo Jones designed and built the Queen's House between 1615–1617 in an early Palladian architecture style adaptation in another country. The Palladian villa style renewed its influence in different countries and eras and remained influential for over four hundred years, with the Neo-Palladian a part of the late 17th century and on Renaissance Revival architecture period.

The 18th and 19th centuries[link]

In the early 18th century the English took up the term, and applied it to English country houses. Thanks to the revival of interest in Palladio and Inigo Jones, soon Neo-Palladian villas dotted the valley of the River Thames and English countryside: such as Stourhead by Colen Campbell-1720, Holkham Hall - 1730; Woburn Abbey by Henry Flitcroft and Henry Holland-1744; and Chiswick House by William Kent-1788. The Marble Hill House in England was conceived originally as a "villa" in the 18th-century sense. Irish Neo-Palladian style was used for the villas Castletown House and Russborough House in Ireland.

In many ways the late 18th century Monticello, by Thomas Jefferson in Virginia, United States is a Palladian Revival villa. Other examples of the period and style are Hammond-Harwood House in Annapolis, Maryland; and many pre-American Civil War or Antebellum Plantations, such as Westover Plantation and many other James River plantations as well dozens of Antebellum era plantations in the rest of the Old South functioned as the Roman Latifundium villas had. A later revival, in the Gilded Age and early 20th century, produced The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island, Filoli in Woodside, California, and Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.; by architects-landscape architects such as Richard Morris Hunt, Willis Polk, and Beatrix Farrand.

In the nineteenth century, villa was extended to describe any large suburban house that was free-standing in a landscaped plot of ground. By the time 'semi-detached villas' were being erected at the turn of the twentieth century, the term collapsed under its extension and overuse. The second half of the nineteenth century saw the creation of large "Villenkolonien" in the German speaking countries, wealthy residential areas that were completely made up of large mansion houses and often built to an artfully created masterplan. The Villenkolonie of Lichterfelde West in Berlin was conceived after an extended trip by the architect through the South of England. In France the Château de Ferrières is an example of the Italian Neo-Renaissance style villa and in Britain the Mentmore Towers by John Ruskin.

The 20th - 21st centuries[link]

Europe[link]

With the changes of social values in post-colonial Britain after World War I the suburban "villa" became a "bungalow" and by extension the term is used for suburban bungalows in both Australia and New Zealand, especially those dating from the period of rapid suburban development between 1920 and 1950. German speaking countries; Britain; southern Europe; and the Baltics

The Americas[link]

The villa concept lived and lives on in the Haciendas of Latin America and the Estancias of Brazil and Argentina. The oldest are original Portuguese and Spanish Colonial architecture; followed after independences in the Americas from Spain and Portugal, by the Spanish Colonial Revival style with regional variations. In the 20th century International style villas were designed by Roberto Burle Marx, Oscar Niemeyer, Luis Barragán, and other architects developing a unique Euro-Latin synthesized aesthetic.

Villas are particularly well represented in California and the West Coast of the United States, where they were originally commissioned by well travelled "upper-class" patrons moving on from the Queen Anne style Victorian architecture and Beaux-Arts architecture. Italian Renaissance style Villas fit with the regional Spanish Alta California ranchos history, the Mediterranean climate, "Neapolitan" sunlight intensity, and native plant community palette similarities. Communities such as Montecito, Bradbury, Bel Air, and San Marino in Southern California, and Atherton and Piedmont in the San Francisco Bay Area are a few examples of villa density.

The popularity of Mediterranean Revival architecture in its various iterations over the last century has been consistently used in that region and in Florida. Just a few of the notable early architects were Wallace Neff, Addison Mizner, Stanford White, and George Washington Smith. A few examples are the Harold Lloyd Estate in Beverly Hills, California, Medici scale Hearst Castle on the Central Coast of California, and Villa Montalvo in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Saratoga, California, Villa Vizcaya in Coconut Grove, Miami, American Craftsman architecture versions are the Gamble House and the villas by Green and Green in Pasadena, California

Modern villas[link]

Example of Modern Architecture Villa in Sicily, Italy.

• Modern architecture has produced some important examples of buildings called villas:
  • Villa Noailles by Robert Mallet-Stevens in Hyères, France
  • Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier in Poissy, France
  • Villa Mairea by Alvar Aalto in Noormarkku, Finland
  • Villa Tugendhat by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe in Brno, Czech Republic
  • Villa Lewaro by Vertner Tandy in Irvington, New York

• Country-villa examples:
  • Hollyhock House (1919) by Frank Lloyd Wright in Hollywood, California
  • Gropius House by Walter Gropius (1937) in Lincoln, Massachusetts
  • Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright (1939) in Pennsylvania, U.S.
  • Farnsworth House by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in Plano, Illinois
  • Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra (1946) in Palm Springs, California
  • Auldbrass Plantation by Frank Lloyd Wright (1940–1951) in Beaufort County, South Carolina
  • Palácio da Alvorada by Oscar Niemeyer (1958) in Brasília, Brazil
  • Getty Villa, in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California.

Other[link]

Today the term "villa" is often applied to vacation rental properties. In the United Kingdom the term is used of high quality detached homes in warm destinations, particularly Florida and the Mediterranean. The term is also used in Pakistan and in some of the Caribbean Islands such as Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique, the United States Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, and others. It is similar for the coastal resort areas of Baja California Sur and mainland Mexico, and for hospitality industry destination resort "luxury bungalows" in various worldwide locations.

Heritage villas: late 19th century, Auckland, New Zealand.

In Sydney, Australia "villas" is a term used to describe a type of townhouse complex which contains, possibly smaller attached or detached houses of up to 3-4 bedrooms that were built since the early 1980s.^{[citation needed]}

In New Zealand the term "villa" is commonly used to describe a style of wooden weatherboard house constructed before WW1 characterised by high ceilings (often 12ft), sash windows, and a long entrance hall.

See also[link]

References[link]

Notes

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2009)

Ron Vlaar

Personal information
Full name	Ron Peter Vlaar
Date of birth	(1985-02-16) February 16, 1985 (age 27)
Place of birth	Hensbroek, Netherlands
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Feyenoord
Number	4
Youth career
1991–1995	Apollo '68
1995–1996	SVW '27
1996–2004	AZ
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2006	AZ	10	(0)
2006–	Feyenoord	132	(8)
National team‡
2006–2007	Netherlands U21	8	(0)
2005–	Netherlands	5	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 May 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 1 December 2010

Ron Peter Vlaar (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrɔn ˈvlaːr]; born 16 February 1985 in Hensbroek, North Holland) is a Dutch footballer who plays for Feyenoord as a central defender.

Vlaar made his professional debut at the age of 20 for the club AZ. After a successful 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with Netherlands U20, Vlaar received his first call-up for the Netherlands national team by the Netherlands coach Marco van Basten. Despite the few but promising matches Vlaar played, the youngster was transferred to Feyenoord. Main reason for his move was his personal relationship with AZ coach Louis van Gaal. Vlaar was often compared to Jaap Stam, but due to various injuries the centre back couldn't live up to the expectations as of yet.^[1]

Vlaar was an important player in the two Netherlands U21 squads winning the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 2006 and 2007.

Early life[link]

Vlaar was born in Hensbroek, North Holland, the Netherlands. His mother, Margaret, was a handball player, while his father was an amateur football player. Vlaar has two younger sisters, Ellen and Lisan, who are both active in sports as well. Ellen is a gymnast and Lisan is playing volleyball.^[2]

Club career[link]

Youth[link]

In Hensbroek, Vlaar joined local club Apollo '68 at the age of six. Apollo '68 youth coach Kees Wijte was quickly convinced: "But when he was five, he was already allowed to train with us. You could already see how good he was. He had a powerful kick with both his left and right leg, and a very good one as well. Besides, he had a fantastic mentality. Ron always wanted to win and become better." ^[3]

When he went to his final year in elementary school, Vlaar left Apollo '68. The youngster wanted to play on a higher level and joined SVW '27 from Heerhugowaard. At his new club, Vlaar's development went well above expectation. After playing for SVW '27 for one season, Vlaar got invited to join the AZ youth academy, a professional side playing in the Eerste Divisie.^[2] In 2002, Vlaar signed his first youth contract. The contract would keep him in Alkmaar until summer 2007.

AZ[link]

In the season 2004–05, Vlaar made his unexpected Eredivisie debut at the age of 20. Due to injuries and suspensions within the first team squad at the end of the season, Vlaar was paired up with the experienced centre back Barry Opdam on April 23, 2005 in the away match against RKC Waalwijk (2–1).^[4] Five days later, on April 28, 2005, Vlaar made his European debut. The youngster was part of the starting line-up in the UEFA Cup semi final away match against Sporting Clube de Portugal (2–1).^[5] Vlaar played three Eredivisie matches and two UEFA Cup matches in his debut season.

While Vlaar thought the season 2005–06 would be his breakthrough year, AZ coach Louis van Gaal kept choosing for more experienced players. Vlaar was part of the starting line-up thrice, while he came in as a substitute in four matches, having a total of seven Eredivisie appearances in his first half year. Despite Vlaar's substitute status at AZ, the youngster impressed the Netherlands coach Marco van Basten enough to invite him for his first international matches. As Vlaar was only playing at AZ for a youth contract, various sides were interested to offer Vlaar more playing time. AZ were keen to offer Vlaar a new and improved contract, however Vlaar had no interest in staying at AZ as he felt blackmailed by AZ coach Louis van Gaal: "He told me I would only play at emergencies if I wouldn't sign the new contract".^[6] The young centre back was close to a deal with Ajax ^[7] and was spotted in London, as he was visiting Martin Jol's Tottenham Hotspur with his father and agent.^[8] However, on December 28, 2005, Vlaar signed a three-and-a half-year deal with Feyenoord.^[8]

Feyenoord[link]

At Feyenoord, Vlaar quickly became a first team starter. Vlaar made his official Feyenoord debut on January 15, 2006, in the away match against Vitesse (0–1).^[9] Vlaar played 16 Eredivisie matches after his winter break transfer, without scoring any goals.

Vlaar had a bad start of the season 2006–07, as he got foot injury in the pre-season match against Reading (2–1) in August. At first it seemed to be a minor injury, but Vlaar had to drop out in the 33rd minute of the season opening away match against FC Groningen (3–0).^[10] The doctors found a crack in a bone in his foot, causing Vlaar to be out for almost the entire first half of the league.^[11] After his recovery, Vlaar regained his place in the first team and played 20 Eredivisie matches in the remaining season. On December 16, 2006, Vlaar scored his first Feyenoord goal in the away match against FC Utrecht (2–1).^[12]

With the arrival of the new Feyenoord coach Bert van Marwijk and new centre back partner Kevin Hofland in the season 2007–08, Vlaar was ready to make the next step in his development. However, on September 16, 2007, Vlaar got injured in the Eredivisie away match against Roda JC (1–3).^[13] Vlaar needed a surgery on the cruciate ligament and was out for the rest of the season.^[14] After the surgery, Vlaar was confronted with an additional setback, as he had a bacterial infection. Vlaar was recovered from his injury at the beginning of the 2008–09 season. However, during pre-season, Vlaar got another injury at a medial collateral ligament of his knee. After being sidelined for over a month, Vlaar returned to the training field. After an innocent duel with Kevin Hofland, Vlaar damaged his cruciate ligament again. It was the same injury he had in the previous season, causing Vlaar to miss a complete season again.^[15]

After being sidelined for two seasons, Vlaar made a strong comeback in the 2009–10 season. Absolute highlight was the 60 meter distance goal in the KNVB Cup away match against Harkemase Boys (0–5) on September 24, 2009.^[16] Since his return, he has formed a strong partnership with Brazilian centre back André Bahia. Earning praise with his imposing body and impressive displays.

International career[link]

Vlaar with the Netherlands.

Youth[link]

Vlaar represented the Netherlands at various youth levels. However, he had most success with the Netherlands U20 on the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and with Netherlands U21 on the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship in 2006 and 2007

The 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in the Netherlands between June 10 and July 2, 2005. Vlaar, reserve captain behind Hedwiges Maduro, was an important player in the Dutch team and was active in every match the team played on the tournament. Netherlands U20 had a smooth run through the group stage, winning their three matches respectively easy against Japan U20 (2–1), Australia U20 (3–0) and Benin U20 (1–0). After beating Chile U20 (3–0) in the next round, the Netherlands U20 reached the quarter finals against later finalist Nigeria U20 (1–1 aet 9–10 pso). Despite Vlaar's equalizing goal and successful penalty kick, the Netherlands U20 didn't advance to the next stage.^[17]

Netherlands U21[link]

Vlaar was part of the Netherlands U21 on the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, where the Dutch side claimed the trophy for the first time in history. Besides the group match against Denmark U21 (1–1), Vlaar played in every match on the tournament. Jong Oranje started and finished their campaign against Ukraine U21, going out on a high with a 3–0 win in the final, after surprisingly losing their opening game to the Ukrainian team.^[18]

Twelve months after winning the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship for the first time, Vlaar was the captain of the team that retained the trophy in style with a 4–1 win against Serbia U21 in the final. Vlaar played in every match in the group stage, but had to leave the pitch injured in the semi final match against England U21 (1–1 aet 13–12 pso). Vlaar had to watch the final from the sideline, but was able to lift the trophy together with reserve captain Hedwiges Maduro.^[19]

Netherlands[link]

In the few matches the promising defender played, he made enough of an impression to be noticed by Marco van Basten, the coach of the Dutch national side. He was selected for the qualifier against Romania in June 2005, but did not play. The first international match in which he played was the clash against the Czechs on 8 October 2005.

Since his comeback for Feyenoord, he has grown into a strongholder of the team. Impressing many experts with strong, commanding and tough displays, evolving into a leader of Feyenoord's backline. It seems he's finally delivering on his promise, playing to his full potential. His strong appearances haven't gone unnoticed by national coach Bert van Marwijk, who officially stated to be following him in the run-up to the 2010 World Cup. However, not yet calling Vlaar to the national team, due to the severity of his previous injuries, allowing him to gradually come to full fitness and preventing overuse of muscles since Vlaar only came back to first team football in the summer of 2009. However, V.Marwijk stated he would seriously consider calling Vlaar up in the second half of the season. That has led many fans as well as teammates to believe Vlaar would be getting a place in the Dutch World Cup squad.

Vlaar was included in the preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.^[20] However, on 27 May 2010, Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk announced that the player not would be part of the final squad of 23 participating in the competition.^[21] On 7 May 2012, he was named in the provisional list of 36 players for the Euro 2012 tournament by Netherlands manager Bert van Marwijk.

Statistics[link]

Club[link]

Statistics accurate as of January 26th 2012.

International[link]

National team Club Season Apps Goals Netherlands AZ 2005–06 2 0 Netherlands Feyenoord 2009-10 1 0 Netherlands Feyenoord 2010-10 1 0 Total 4 0

International appearances and goals # Date Venue Opponent Result Goals Competition 2005–06 1. 8 October 2005 Toyota Arena, Prague  Czech Republic 0–2 0 2006 World Cup qualification 2. 12 November 2005 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam  Italy 1–3 0 Friendly 3. 3 March 2010 Amsterdam Arena, Amsterdam  United States 2-1 0 Friendly 4. August 11 2010 Donbass Arena, Donetsk  Ukraine 1-1 0 Friendly

Statistics accurate as of 12 November 2005.

Honours[link]

• Feyenoord:
  • KNVB Cup: 2007–08

• Netherlands U21:
  • UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 2006, 2007

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ron Vlaar

• Feyenoord official profile (Dutch)
• Stats at Voetbal International (Dutch)
• Ron Vlaar profile and stats at Wereld van Oranje (Dutch)
• Ron Vlaar at National-Football-Teams.com
• Ron Vlaar – FIFA competition record
• Ron Vlaar on Playerhistory.com

Netherlands squads v t e Netherlands squad – 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (1st Title) 1 Vermeer 2 Verhaegh 3 Luirink 4 Zomer 5 Emanuelson 6 Schaars (c) 7 Castelen 8 Hofs 9 Huntelaar 10 Aissati 11 De Ridder 12 Medunjanin 13 Gerritsen 14 John 15 Benson 16 Tiendalli 17 Vlaar 18 Kruiswijk 19 Braafheid 20 De Zeeuw 21 Vorm 22 Pasveer Coach: De Haan v t e Netherlands squad – 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Winners (2nd Title) 1 Waterman 2 Zuiverloon 3 Vlaar (c) 4 Kruiswijk 5 Pieters 6 Maduro 7 Jenner 8 Drenthe 9 Babel 10 Aissati 11 De Ridder 12 Bruins 13 Rigters 14 Beerens 15 Schilder 16 Vermeer 17 Medunjanin 18 Donk 19 Jong-a-Pin 20 Janssen 21 van der Struijk 22 Bakkal 23 Krul Coach: De Haan v t e Netherlands squad – UEFA Euro 2012 1 Stekelenburg 2 Van der Wiel 3 Heitinga 4 Mathijsen 5 Bouma 6 Van Bommel (c) 7 Kuyt 8 N. de Jong 9 Huntelaar 10 Sneijder 11 Robben 12 Vorm 13 Vlaar 14 Schaars 15 Willems 16 Van Persie 17 Strootman 18 L. de Jong 19 Narsingh 20 Afellay 21 Boulahrouz 22 Krul 23 Van der Vaart Coach: Van Marwijk

David Villa

Personal information
Full name	David Villa Sánchez[1]
Date of birth	(1981-12-03) 3 December 1981 (age 30)[1]
Place of birth	Langreo, Spain
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Barcelona
Number	7
Youth career
1991–1999	Langreo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1999–2001	Sporting Gijón B	65	(25)
2001–2003	Sporting Gijón	80	(38)
2003–2005	Zaragoza	73	(32)
2005–2010	Valencia	166	(108)
2010–	Barcelona	49	(23)
National team‡
2000–2003	Spain U21	7	(0)
2005–	Spain	82	(51)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2011

David Villa Sánchez (Spanish pronunciation: [daˈβið ˈβiʎa]; born 3 December 1981), nicknamed El Guaje (Asturian: The Kid),^[3][4] is a Spanish footballer who currently plays as a striker for FC Barcelona^[5][6] and the Spanish national football team. He can also operate as a 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. He is the first Spanish player to ever reach 50 international goals and is Spain's all-time top goalscorer, having has also scored more World Cup goals than any other player in Spain's history in the process.^[7] The goals-to-games ratio he has achieved for the national team has not been matched by any player since Alfredo Di Stéfano.^[7][8]

Childhood and early career[link]

Villa was born in Tuilla, a small village in Langreo, Asturias, a region in northern Spain, the son of José Manuel Villa, a miner.^[9][10] 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.^[11] Due to the injury, he and his father worked on strengthening his left leg and Villa ultimately became ambidextrous.^[12] 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.^[9] "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."^[9][13] He went on to begin his footballing career at UP Langreo and when he turned 17 he joined the Mareo football school.^[12]

Club career[link]

Sporting de Gijón and Real Zaragoza[link]

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.^[14][15] He subsequently got his professional breakthrough at his local club Sporting de Gijón, following in the footsteps of his childhood idol Quini.^[12] 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.^[15] 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".^[14]

With his goal tally nearly reaching 40 goals after spending two full seasons in Gijón's main team,^[16] 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.^[13][15] The striker had no trouble adapting to playing at the higher level, netting 17 times in his first season at Zaragoza.^[17] 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^[18] 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.^[19] 4 December 2003 saw him net his first brace (2 goals) in a 2–2 draw against Athletic Bilbao^[20] 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.^[21]

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.^[12] 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.^[22]

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.^[23] 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.^[24] On 17 April 2005, Villa scored a brace which helped see off Sevilla in a 3–0 victory.^[25]

Valencia[link]

2005–06 season[link]

After his success at Zaragoza, the team was in need of money,^[13] 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.^[16] 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.^[26] He made his league début for Valencia coming on as a substitute against Real Betis in a 1–0 win on 27 August 2005.^[27] 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.^[28]

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.^[29][30] On 23 October, Villa scored the winning goal against another Spanish giant, this time Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium^[31] 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.^[32] 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".^[14] Hitting the ball from the half way line (50 yards out) it sailed over the keepers head and into the net.^[33]

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.^[9] That season saw him score 25 goals in 35 league matches for Valencia,^[17][34] 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.^{[35][dead link]}