David Villa Finally Beginning To Justify €40m Barcelona Price-Tag

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On May 19, 2010, Barcelona finally got their man. David Villa successfully completed a €40 million move from Valencia, in what commentators regarded as the ‘logical’ transfer of the summer.

The Blaugrana were reeling from the extensive outlay and relative failure attached to the now-infamous Zlatan Ibrahimovic saga, and responded proactively by securing the prolific Spaniard, on the assumption that their Swedish enigma would not hang around in Catalunya for another season.

It made perfect sense to most, particularly those who questioned Ibra’s individualism versus the team ethic that Villa conveyed as La Roja lifted the World Cup in South Africa. He could fulfil the role of selfless companion to the incomparable Lionel Messi, and simultaneously solve coach Pep Guardiola’s problems on the left flank.

But while the valuation attached to Ibrahimovic was regularly brought to light when critiquing his impact, the exorbitant sum paid to Valencia is often deemed good value in comparison. However, whatever you way you look at it, €40m for a 28-year-old, especially to a club that carries debts in the region of €450m, remained a massive gamble despite his goalscoring pedigree. Let’s not forget, too, that Villa is second only to Ibrahimovic on the list of the Catalan’s giants most expensive signings in their history.