David Villa played one game in the new decade, winning Japan’s Emperor’s Cup knockout tournament on New Year’s Day with Vissel Kobe—alongside his old teammate Andrés Iniesta—and raising a trophy in the final match of his remarkable career. The 38-year-old Villa announced in November that he’d soon be retiring from soccer, but he’s already moving forward on his next step: Being an owner and technical-side head of Queensboro FC, a new USL Championship team starting play in New York City in 2021.
“It’s amazing and exciting, and now it’s a reality, and there are a lot of things to do,” Villa told SI.