David Villa is leaving New York City F.C., but he said he was not retiring. Dennis Schneidler/USA Today Sports, via Reuters
David Villa, the Spanish World Cup winner who in 2014 became New York City F.C.’s first player, said on Wednesday that he would leave the club when his contract expired at the end of the year.
Villa, a striker, scored 80 goals in 124 appearances for the team and was honored as Major League Soccer’s most valuable player in 2016. Over four seasons, much of it spent as New York City F.C.’s captain, he provided the steadying hand that allowed the expansion club to establish itself in M.