On this form, David Villa is in contention to replace Cristiano Ronaldo as Iberia’s biggest soccer star.
While 2008 world player of the year Ronaldo was again subdued as his Portugal side were eliminated from the World Cup, Villa scored his fourth goal of the competition for a 1-0 win that took Spain into the quarter-finals and moved him to the top of the tournament scoring charts with Gonzalo Higuain and Robert Vittek.
“David Villa is on fire, which is really good news for us,” Spain defender Gerard Pique said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Villa showed the sort of lethal finishing against Portugal that Ronaldo has been lacking for his national side.
First shooting with his left foot to force goalkeeper Eduardo into a save, he followed up the rebound with his right foot for a 63rd-minute winner.
Ronaldo was billed as one of the top stars coming into the tournament in South Africa but left much as England’s Wayne Rooney did: with bitter disappointment.
If momentum means anything, Villa has it. Even before coming to South Africa, Villa already had his big club move from Valencia to Barcelona in the bag. It allowed him to fully concentrate what he does best — score goals.
And with seven World Cup goals overall, he is already is Spain’s best ever at the tournament.
There is only one key to Villa’s success.
“To keep scoring,” Villa said. “It was one of my best goals because it got us through to the next round. Keep scoring so we can keep going.”
The strike left Villa with 42 goals in 62 games, just two short of the 44 in 102 racked up by Raul Gonzalez.
On top of scoring, Villa was constant threat on the left, with his surging runs and powerful shots.
Half an hour after the game at Green Point Stadium, hundreds of Spanish fans were still singing Villa’s praises. Again, Villa will be an overwhelming favorite to score when Spain play Paraguay at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Spain’s performance gained all-round approval from the Spanish media yesterday.
“Spain begins to dream” was the headline in El Pais, while ABC said that the “dream stays alive.”
Villa received special praise.
“Villa relaunches Spain’s dream,” was the headline in El Mundo, beside a photograph of the Barcelona striker at the moment of the goal.
“Villa, like few people in front of goal, is a goldmine, or even better, an oilfield on his own,” El Pais said.
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