Noemí de Miguel interviews David Villa to talk about his beginnings in soccer, the importance of training and the collaboration of DV7 Soccer Academy with University Soccer.

Interviewer: I have very good sources who have told me that when you went to school as a child, there was something that you did not forget, which was the soccer ball.

David Villa: The ball. Yes Yes. I never forgot the ball. The books sometimes. I was quite “clueless” as a child, but even though I was clueless, the ball was always with me before I left the house.

I believe that formative football is vital for any child.

AND: You came to fulfill your dream. You became a footballer, you have had a spectacular career, but many of the boys who played with you fell by the wayside. What feeling does that awaken in you?

DV: Well, I think there are two ways of looking at it or two processes. I believe that formative football is vital for any child. Become a professional footballer or not become a professional footballer. I have many friends who have never played a professional game and have followed the same academy path that I did. Since I was a child, until I was eighteen, nineteen years old. And they have had a fantastic experience. I think that complementing that, by giving the kids more outlets, is fantastic. I think it should be encouraged that kids at five, six years old start playing football until they are eighteen, nineteen, because it is a fantastic process. Not only for achieving the goal of being a footballer, because it is complicated, but for everything it entails in general.

And besides, all these projects that give you other outlets are fantastic because it means that all those kids have the same learning process. And whoever doesn't manage to be a footballer can achieve other things. For example, getting to study through a scholarship and through sports. That really not only has the process served them, but that they also have some other reward that is not just being a professional soccer player or not.

AND: What is the objective for DV7 Academy of incorporating this service, to be able to obtain scholarships for its boys and girls in the United States?

DV: Our idea and our objective is to teach football. With the first objective of providing an important service, both to boys, girls, and their families. So that they carry out a learning process as best as possible, but with that second objective of turning them into footballers. In the end we are here to try to convert them or help them become footballers, right?

Because the boy or girl, they are going to convert with our help, we are not going to convert them ourselves. In this process we are always very honest with them and tell them that it is very complicated. Statistics say that very few percentage manage to be a professional footballer. And a very high percentage does not manage to be a professional footballer. This project, which we were looking forward to and we are joining you now, is very important for us, to give in this sense, another outlet for the boys, so that they not only see that goal as if you manage to be a professional footballer you have everything, and if not You get it, you have nothing. But there are other ways to achieve, do important things in life, such as, for example, it has to be studies, studying and getting a scholarship through football, which in the end is so complicated to get if you don't go through a sport.

AND: And what made you decide for us, for University Soccer?

DV: Well, I think that trust, especially in you, in your partners, the talks we have had. We have known each other for a long time, both my partners and I. See the entire project you have with University Soccer, analyze the things that you could give us and that we could give you, especially complementing together. And in the end, go ahead and hope that in a few years we will be very happy and very proud of having done many important things for all these boys and girls.

I played heads or tails a coin, which turned out well, but it could have turned out worse in this sense

AND: In the United States everything is organized for this dual career, and to be able to continue developing as students and athletes. Not here yet. What vision do you have of it?

DV: I think it is very important. Very important. And this is told to you by a person who has managed to become a professional footballer and who did not do the duality of studying and being a professional footballer. It's not something that I regret, because you don't have to regret things, but if I went back, I would change it. I would change a lot, because I played heads or tails of a coin, which turned out well, but it could have turned out worse in this sense. And I think it's important for kids. We within the academy highly value the boys' grades. If a boy during a semester, a quarter, depending on the school he is in, does not get good grades, we give them these small punishments, because maybe they will not play a game or train at a lower level. Little things like that, so that they see the importance of doing this duality. Study and train at the same time. In this case, in other countries, such as the United States, it is much more developed, and that is what we want to achieve. We are not only in the United States, we are not only in Spain, we are in many countries. And the idea is to try to implement this concept in as many places as we can, knowing that in each place there is a different reality, but that with work we can achieve it.

AND: At the Spanish level, sometimes it seems that it is difficult to take the step or leave. It was also difficult for you as a footballer. You had many offers from abroad. And you had a hard time deciding. Because? What was it that held you back and after having left, having tried and having become a Spanish player abroad, what did you learn and how did your mentality change?

DV: Well, the fact that in the end we live in this sense, in my case. I believe that I live in a country or was born in a country, I was very lucky to be born in a country like Spain, with all the possibilities in the world, which also included, at that time, or right now, the best league in the world, which was what I wanted to do. Then you see a little bit further away, outside. That fear also of saying, well, how am I going to be outside? You are in your zone a little bit of comfort. Being in your country, being with your family, on top of that you are lucky to live in a great country, to be in the best league in the world, in this case talking about football. But then you really make the decision to leave and I've been lucky enough to play in three different countries, live, my family, my children, be in three different countries. And honestly today, David Villa at forty years old, if he had not made the decision to go to those countries, would not be the David Villa that I am right now. In other words, I encourage people to go out, even though they are in an important comfort zone. Because the vision you can have expands much more. In the end here we are with the vision of only one country, one way of doing things. You start moving around the country and you see that you can also learn things from other places, because they do different things, maybe different, and it fills you with a lot of wisdom and know-how for the future. I am much more prepared for all the things we are doing with those three projects, or with those three countries where I lived than if I had not done it. I am convinced that most of the projects we have would not have been able to start if I had not made the decision to go abroad..

AND: You talk about the best men's league in the world, but I think everything we are talking about is magnified. Or is it exponential in the case of girls?

DV: Yes very important. I am truly very happy to see the progress that is being made, not only in Spain, but in Europe also with women's football.

I think it should have been done a long time ago. But hey, as they say, as grandmothers say, better late than never. Right now it is in an important growth process and I hope it does not stop growing and that it grows at a faster speed.

Yes, it is true that I realized when I was in the United States that women's soccer there was much more developed in that sense. Therefore, it becomes more important if possible in this case for girls. Being able to get that scholarship. Being able to go there. Because it is already a developed format. Already in a winning team, they have girls who play fantastic soccer who win world gold balls, the league is very competitive. Well, I think it is important, for both boys and girls, for everything we are talking about, but in this case, the girls have that opportunity because football is much more developed there. Going back to the beginning of the answer, I am very happy that here, right now, finally, women's football is developing in the way it should have been developed a long time ago.

We are very happy that University Soccer is our partner to be able to continue doing all these projects that we are doing and I am sure that we will have many successes together

AND: And David, finally, the legacy. We are very clear about football on your part, but beyond that, what is that legacy, what is that inheritance that you want to leave to the boys and girls who are part of the academies around the world?

DV: Well, I am quite clear about this. And that's what I'm doing. I want to continue helping football in another way. I am very happy with what we are doing. I want to pass on my legacy. And to summarize a little, I have been lucky enough to have people around me during the learning process at the academy and then as a professional, who helped me achieve the dream of being a footballer and making a living from this profession. I don't take credit away, a lot of it was my credit and that of my family, but all those people who were around me were vital for me to become a footballer.

My project is basically based on being the person around me that I had. Give all the boys and girls the tools and support that I had during my thirty years, thirty-odd years of football. Not only professionals, but also academics, and being that external help that I had, which in the end was vital to achieving my dream.

AND: Well David, thank you very much, at University Soccer we are delighted to join and be part of your team.

DV: Well, thank you very much, well, welcome to the world of DV7 in this global sense. We are very happy that University Soccer is our partner to be able to continue doing all these projects that we are doing and I am sure that we will have many successes together.

AND: Thanks, David.

DV: Thank you.