David Villa to miss Mestalla visit in Atlético role | OneFootball

David Villa will not be at Mestalla on Saturday representing Atlético Madrid. According to AS, the club advisor will skip the Liga trip.

Villa is not usually on Atlético's domestic trips, and this absence carries a respectful note given his bond with the ground he calls home. He last visited in 2022 to display a commemorative banner on the façade.

He took up an advisor role on 12 March after Apollo Sports acquired 55% of Atlético, joining a group of 11 advisors. He is a regular in the Metropolitano box and is due to accompany Simeone's team in London on Tuesday.

With Valencia he struck 129 goals in 225 games, the fourth highest tally in the club's history.

Mateu Alemany will attend in his post as Atlético's director of men's professional football. He will be among five club representatives in the front row of the authorities' box, alongside team manager Tomás Reñones.

He has already returned to Mestalla twice as Barcelona's director of football.

Little remains of his Valencia era on the pitch or upstairs. From his spell as general director, March 2017 to November 2019, the players still at the club are Gayà, Diakhaby, Thierry and Rivero, and only Diakhaby was his signing.

At that time Kiat Lim was not president or a director, and Ron Gourlay was not CEO of Football. Those he did coincide with and will share the box on Saturday include Javier Solís, Inma Ibáñez, Jorge García, Christian Schneider and Voro González.

Source: AS