Emanuel Alejandro Villa (born 24 February 1982) is an Argentine former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

. He is a Mexican naturalized citizen. He previously played for Huracán,

Atlético Rafaela Atlético, Spanish for ''athletics'', or Athletico in English, may refer to: Sports Teams Athletico * Athletico SC (Lebanon), a Lebanese football academy * Athletic Bilbao, or Atletico Bilbao, Basque students athletic club (also forming Athletic ...

and

Rosario Central Club Atlético Rosario Central () is a sports club based in Rosario, Argentina, that plays in the Argentine Primera División. The club was officially founded on December 24, 1889, by a group of railway workers, taking its name from the Englis ...

in Argentina;

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 188 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

; and

Atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth. Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geographic ...

, Tecos,

Cruz Azul Club de Futbol Cruz Azul or simply Cruz Azul () is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. It competes in the Liga MX, the top division of Mexican football. Because "azul" means "blue" in Spanish, the club has traditionally ...

Pumas UNAM Club Universidad Nacional, A.C., commonly referred to as UNAM, is a professional football club based in Ciudad Universitaria of Mexico City, Mexico. The club competes in the Liga MX, the top division in the Mexican football league system. Fo ...

Tigres UANL Club de Fútbol Tigres de la Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, simply known as Tigres UANL or Tigres, is a Mexican professional football club based in San Nicolás de los Garza, a city in the Monterrey metropolitan area, Nuevo León. Foun ...

and

Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...

in Mexico.

Career

Early career in Argentina and Mexico

Villa started his career at

Club Atlético Huracán Club Atlético Huracán () is an Argentine sports club from the Parque Patricios neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is notable for its football team, that currently plays in the Primera División, the top level of the Argentine football ...

in the

Primera Division Argentina Primera may refer to * Nissan Primera, a car * Primera Air, a former airline * Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues * Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas * Alí Primera Alí Rafael Primera Rosel ...

in 2001. In 2003, he was transferred to

but the club were relegated at the end of the 2003–2004 season after a losing a playoff with

Huracán de Tres Arroyos Club Atlético Huracán (usually Huracán de Tres Arroyos) is an Argentine football club based in the city of Tres Arroyos, in Buenos Aires Province. The club is the biggest of Tres Arroyos City, and one of the largest in Southern Buenos Aire ...

. After the disappointment of relegation with Rafaela, Villa returned to the Primera the following season by joining

. In 2006, he was signed by Atlas in

Guadalajara Guadalajara ( , ) is a metropolis in western Mexico and the capital of the list of states of Mexico, state of Jalisco. According to the 2020 census, the city has a population of 1,385,629 people, making it the 7th largest city by population in Me ...

. Villa stayed in Guadalajara, after he was transferred to

Tecos UAG Tecos Fútbol Club (often referred to by its nickname "Tecos") is a Mexican professional Association football, football club associated with the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara AC. It plays its home games in the ''Estadio 3 de Marzo'' (March ...

for the Clausura 2007 tournament.

Derby County

Villa signed for

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

side

on 4 January 2008 in a £2million deal. The move proved to be a controversial one as

César Luis Menotti César Luis Menotti (; born 5 November 1938), known as ''El Flaco'' ("Slim"), is an Argentine former football manager and player who won the 1978 FIFA World Cup as the head coach of the Argentina national team. During his playing days, he pl ...

, then coach of Tecos, was not informed of Villa being sold. Villa signed a -year contract with the Rams and made his debut in a 1–0 home defeat against

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

. He scored his first goal on 2 February 2008, with a last minute headed equaliser from a Dean Leacock cross, in a 1–1 draw away at

Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. Since 2011, the first te ...

. His first home goals came with a brace in a 2–2 draw with

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

on 29 March 2008. His first a deflection from a Dean Leacock shot, his second a header after

Mile Sterjovski Mile Sterjovski (born 27 May 1979) is an Australian former football (soccer) player. Sterjovski played mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but also played as a left winger and central midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Ma ...

crossed. However, a draw was not enough to help Derby survive relegation. It was the earliest a team had been relegated from the Premier League. Villa's first goal of the 08/09 season came against

QPR Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football, football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home ...

as a substitute in a 2–0 away victory. On Sunday 2 November 2008, Villa scored an own-goal against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

, but exactly 10 minutes 12 seconds later Villa scored again, this time in the right goal, the game ended 1–1. Two days later Villa scored his first hat-trick for Derby; in a League Cup game against

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, becoming only the third player in 10 years to score three goals in one game for Derby. In the fourth round of the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

he scored again to claim his sixth goal of the season this time against

Leeds United Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire in England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home matches at Elland Road S ...

. Derby won the match 2–1 to book themselves in the quarter finals on the competition. Despite this, Villa could not command a regular position in the Derby County line-up and, after Jewell was replaced by

Nigel Clough Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough was c ...

he was deemed surplus to requirements, and revealed his desire to return to Mexico due to his wife's homesickness. He left Derby for £1.7 million. He made 53 appearances and scored 9 goals for The Rams.

Return to Mexico

On 30 June 2009 he was linked with a move to Mexican club

. and on 1 July it was revealed that a fee rumoured to be of £1.7m had been agreed for Villa, and he signed for the club on 2 July 2009. Villa enjoyed a successful start to his Cruz Azul career, his first goals of the Mexico Apertura season came in a 3–0 win at

and a brace in a 2–0 win over CF Monterrey. His first goal in the 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League came in a 6–2 away victory at Herdiano. On 22 August Villa played his first Mexico City Derby match "Clasico Joven", between

and Club America, the match ended 2–3 in favor of the visitors, but "Tito" scored the partial 1–1, at the 41 minutes, then easily put away the goalkeeper

Guillermo Ochoa Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña (; born 13 July 1985), commonly referred to as Memo, is a Mexican professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Serie A club U.S. Salernitana 191 ...

to score his 5th goal in 5 matches during his first season as a

player. Villa scored four goals on 19 September 2009, in a game Cruz Azul won 4–2, over "Gladiadores" de San Luis. This was the first time he scored more than three goals in a game, the first three being for Derby County in a League Cup match against Brighton & Hove Albion.. After this game he has 10 goals in the tournament, and averages 1.1 goals per match. Villa scored 2 more goals against

Atlante F.C. Atlante Fútbol Club, is a professional football club based in Mexico City, Mexico. Founded in 1916, Atlante were original members of the Mexican Primera División when it began in 1943. Atlante has won three national league championships, t ...

making him the leader of the Apertura 2009 with 13 goals. On 7 November, he scored another couple of goals against

Puebla FC Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...

with a 4–0 score, and in another match against Pachuca he scored once, having now 19 goals, above other players as

Miguel Sabah Miguel Sabah Rodríguez (born 14 November 1979) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as a striker. Throughout his career, he played for Guadalajara, Cruz Azul, Monarcas Morelia, and Club León. Sabah made his debut in the ...

Salvador Cabañas Salvador Cabañas Ortega (born 5 August 1980) is a Paraguayan former professional footballer who played as a striker. Cabañas played for Club 12 de Octubre, Guaraní, Audax Italiano, Chiapas, Club América, General Caballero, Tanabi and ...

Humberto Suazo Humberto Andrés Suazo Pontivo (; born 10 May 1981), nicknamed ''Chupete'' (in English, ''Lollipop''), is a Chilean professional footballer who plays as a striker for Deportes La Serena. In 2006, he was awarded the IFFHS World's Top Goal Sc ...

Héctor Mancilla Héctor Raúl Mancilla Garcés (12 November 1980) is a Chilean former footballer who played as a striker. A true striker, Mancilla is not "the fastest or most skillful striker but his true threat is his ability to finish the play in short spaces ...

and

Javier Hernández Javier Hernández Balcázar (; born 1 June 1988), commonly known by the nickname Chicharito (, Mexican Spanish: ''little pea''), is a Mexican professional footballer who plays as a striker for Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. He is known ...

Villa scored his first goal in el torneo Bicentenario against his former team Atlas in a 3–1 win. He then began his goal streak scoring in the next game against San Luis in a 2–1 win. He then scored his first pair against Toluca in a 3–2 win. As of July 2011, Emanuel Villa has become one of the Top All-Time Scorers for Cruz Azul Team with 50 goals for the team. On 19 May 2012, his contract with Cruz Azul was over and both parties weren't able to end on an agreement, and on 24 May 2012 he was transferred to

Tigres UANL

On 15 November 2012, after a poor season with Pumas he signed with

. On 5 January 2013, Villa made his official league debut with Tigres against

Chiapas Chiapas (; Tzotzil language, Tzotzil and Tzeltal language, Tzeltal: ''Chyapas'' ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas), is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, ...

scoring a

hat trick A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

in the Estadio Universitario. On 19 January 2013, Villa scored the goal for the victory of 1–0 of Tigres over

Atlas de Guadalajara Atlas Fútbol Club () is a Mexican professional football club based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that currently plays in Liga MX. It plays home matches at the Estadio Jalisco. Founded in 1916, Atlas has won three league titles and four domestic cups ...

. Villa scored one goal and gave an assist to Danilinho to the second goal in the victory of 2–0 of Tigres over Queretaro F.C. in the

Estadio Corregidora Estadio Corregidora is a stadium in Querétaro City, Mexico. Named for Mexican War of Independence heroine Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez ("La Corregidora"), it has a capacity of 33,162 and is located on the outskirts of the city of Querétaro, nor ...

on 26 January 2013. On 10 February 2013, Villa scored one goal against

Toluca Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...

for the victory of 4–1, in the

Estadio Nemesio Díez The Estadio Nemesio Díez (Nemesio Diez Stadium), nicknamed "La Bombonera" (The Chocolate Box) due to its shape, is one of the oldest football stadiums in Mexico. Opened on August 8, 1954, with a capacity of 27,273, it is located in the city of T ...

. On 23 February 2013, Villa scored for the first time on his career against his former team

. He scored the two goals of the victory of 2–1, at the

Estadio Azul Estadio Ciudad de los Deportes (English: “Sports City Stadium”; formerly Estadio Azul) is a 33,000-seat stadium located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. This sports facility is used for association football matches and for American foo ...

. On 28 February 2013, while training, Villa suffered from a

strain Strain may refer to: Science and technology * Strain (biology), variants of plants, viruses or bacteria; or an inbred animal used for experimental purposes * Strain (chemistry), a chemical stress of a molecule * Strain (injury), an injury to a mu ...

on his left

calf Calf most often refers to: * Calf (animal), the young of domestic cattle. * Calf (leg), in humans (and other primates), the back portion of the lower leg Calf or calves may also refer to: Biology and animal byproducts * Veal, meat from calves * ...

. He missed five games. On 14 April 2013, he scored once more against a former team, this time to

at the

Estadio Olímpico Universitario Estadio Olímpico Universitario is a multi-purpose stadium located inside Ciudad Universitaria in Mexico City. It was built in 1952 and at that time was the largest stadium in Mexico. This stadium has a capacity of 72,000. The first major event ...

in the defeat of Tigres by 2–1. On 6 July 2013, Villa scored one goal for the victory of 5–1 against

San Antonio Scorpions The San Antonio Scorpions were an American professional soccer team based in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 2010, the team made its debut in the North American Soccer League in 2012. The Scorpions played at Toyota Field, a soccer specific stadiu ...

in a friendly game at the

Toyota Field Toyota Field is a soccer-specific stadium in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Located next to Heroes Stadium, and adjacent to the STAR Soccer Complex and Morgan's Wonderland, the facility opened on April 13, 2013. The stadium is the home ...

. On 18 September 2013, he scored a goal against

Club Santos Laguna Club Santos Laguna S.A. de C.V. (), commonly known as Santos Laguna or Santos, is a Mexican professional football club that competes in the Liga MX. It is located in northern Mexico and represents the urban area of La Comarca Lagunera, made up o ...

in the

Copa MX The Copa MX (formerly called Copa Tower Monterrey, Copa Eliminatoria, Copa México and Copa Corona MX (for sponsorship reasons)) was a Mexican football cup competition that was established in 1907. After a lengthy hiatus that began in 1997, it wa ...

at the Estadio Universitario for the 3–0 victory of Tigres. On 2 October 2013, Villa scored a goal against archrival

C.F. Monterrey Club de Fútbol Monterrey, often known simply as Monterrey or their nickname Rayados, is a Mexican professional football club based in Monterrey, Nuevo León which currently plays in Liga MX, the top tier of Mexican football. Founded on 28 ...

for the 2–2 draw in the Copa MX quarterfinals played at the

Estadio Tecnológico The Estadio Tecnológico was a multi-purpose stadium located in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico, located on the campus of the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM). It hosted football and American football games during ...

. Due to past physical issues and looking for a full recovery, Villa did not play with Tigres the Clausura 2014 tournament. On mid-May, 2014, Villa reported as ready for the Apertura 2014 tournament. He scored a goal against

Club León Club León Fútbol Club, also known as León, is a Mexican professional football club based in León, Guanajuato, that competes in the Liga MX, the top flight of Mexican football. León has won the Primera División de México/Liga MX title ...

on the victory of Tigres by 4–2 at the Estadio Universitario on 26 July 2014, in the second game of the league regular season. Villa participated scoring the third goal of a 5–1 victory over Monarcas Morelia at the

Estadio Morelos Estadio Morelos is a football stadium located along Periférico Independencia, in the Independencia sector, near the base of Cerro del Quinceo in northwest Morelia, Michoacán, México. It was the site of professional football teams, Monarcas M ...

, heading in a cross from Darío Burbano on a league game on 22 August 2014.

Querétaro

On 29 December 2015, Querétaro announced that they reached an agreement with the player to sign him in a two-year contract with an option of one more at the end of the perspective one.

Celaya

On 14 December 2017,

Celaya Celaya (; ) is a city and its surrounding municipalities of Mexico, municipality in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, located in the southeast quadrant of the state. It is the third most populous city in the state, with a 2005 census population of 3 ...

announced the arrival of Villa on loan from

Goals with Cruz Azul

Appearances and goals for Cruz Azul as of 19 April 2012.

Personal life

Villa and his wife Virginia have two children, Alessandro and Stefano.¡Lo presentan ante Dios! 'Tito' Villa y su esposa bautizaron a su hijo
/ref> His nickname "Tito", was given by his grandfather. He is a fan of his former team

Honours

Club

;Querétaro *

: Apertura 2016 *

Supercopa MX The Supercopa MX ( en, Supercup MX) was a Mexican football championship contested by the winners of the Apertura and Clausura Copa MX. History In June 2013 Liga MX president Decio De María announced the winners of Apertura and Clausura Copa MX w ...

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

Individual

Liga MX The Liga MX, officially known as the Liga BBVA MX for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional football division in Mexico, holding 2 tournaments per year. The league is considered the strongest in North America, and among the strongest in a ...

Golden Boot (2): Apertura 2009, Apertura 2015 *

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

Golden Boot: 2015–16

References

External links

* *
Argentine Primera statistics
at Fútbol XXI {{DEFAULTSORT:Villa, Emanuel People from Casilda 1982 births Living people Argentine emigrants to Mexico Naturalized citizens of Mexico Mexican footballers Argentine footballers Association football forwards Club Atlético Huracán footballers Atlético de Rafaela footballers Rosario Central footballers Atlas F.C. footballers Tecos F.C. footballers Cruz Azul footballers Club Universidad Nacional footballers Tigres UANL footballers Querétaro F.C. footballers Derby County F.C. players Premier League players English Football League players Argentine Primera División players Liga MX players Expatriate footballers in Chile Expatriate footballers in England Argentine expatriate sportspeople in England Argentine expatriate footballers Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Chile Sportspeople from Santa Fe Province