David Villa hails Barcelona icon as his ‘most impressive opponent’ | OneFootball

Former Barcelona star David Villa has opened up on his toughest La Liga opponents.

The ex-striker won two La Liga titles and UEFA Champions League crown in three seasons in Catalonia from 2010 to 2013.

He later moved on and clinched another league trophy at Atletico Madrid in 2014 plus a UEFA Euro 2008 and FIFA 2010 World Cup double with Spain.

His 59 goals for Spain keeps him top of the all-time La Roja goal scorers list and he remains one of Spanish football’s greatest ever strikers.

However, despite his personal love for scoring goals, he highlighted another Barcelona icon as his ‘most impressive La Liga opponent’ – with Ronaldinho more famed for his creative wizardry.

“Ronaldinho is the rival who impressed me most. When you play football, you see the stars of other teams, and you want to face them,” as per quotes from Diario AS.

“I would say Ronaldinho or Ronaldo Nazario were the ones. When I was at Zaragoza, I was always ready to play against them, even if later we suffered.”

Villa’s two years at Real Zaragoza saw him win the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Supercup in 2004, as Ronaldinho won a league title in 2005, and Ronaldo clinched the 2004 Pichichi Award.