Diego Alegre says David Villa sale ensured Sporting Gijón wages | OneFootball

Diego Alegre has recalled that a cash-strapped Sporting Gijón went six months without wages and that David Villa’s sale effectively ensured players were paid, as he reflected on his career.

Speaking to À Punt’s La Banda, the 43-year-old looked back on coming through Valencia’s academy and later spells with Murcia, Albacete alongside Diego Costa, Conquense and Ontinyent, where he retired. He now works as an IT consultant.

He remembered Spain youth duty from age 15, sharing squads with Víctor Valdés, Riera, Reina and Parri, and described those years as spectacular.

At Valencia he experienced a golden period when the club won two league titles and competed in Europe, and he received a call from Rafa Benítez for a first-team friendly, an unforgettable step that left him wishing he had established himself there.

In Valencia’s reserves he rose from Tercera to Segunda B under César Ferrando, highlighting a tight-knit dressing room with David Navarro, Miguel Albiol and Pablo Redondo.

His time at Sporting brought him alongside a young David Villa, already scoring freely and pivotal to the team. With the club in severe financial trouble, he said Villa’s €3 million move to Real Zaragoza proved decisive because the squad had gone unpaid for six months.

Villa’s rise then accelerated, moving from Zaragoza to Valencia for €12 million plus VAT, before a €40 million switch to Barcelona after the 2010 World Cup. Alegre said few imagined such heights, even if the talent was clear.

Source: Superdeporte