Spanish striker David Villa is to retire from football in January. The 37-year-old will finish his career at Vissel Kobe in Japan. The forward scored 59 goals in 98 appearances for Spain, five of them coming at the 2010
World Cup, where
Spain were crowned champions for the first time. Villa made a name for himself at Valencia before moving to
Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. His time at Barcelona saw him become a
Champions League winner, under the leadership of
Pep Guardiola, scoring the opening goal in a 3-1 victory over Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United. After a season in Madrid, Villa headed to MLS, scoring 80 in 124 appearances. After that he headed to
Japan to pair up with former teammate Andrés IniestaDavid Villa to retire: 'It's better to leave football before football leaves me'