The owners of Melbourne Heart on Thursday confirmed the A-League club will now be known as Melbourne City FC as Spain star David Villa was announced as the club's first guest player for a 10-match stint.
Villa, 32, who was unveiled by the Major League Soccer club as its inaugural player on Monday, will play, train and contribute to Melbourne City FC's A-League campaign between October and December 2014 prior to the commencement of the Major League Soccer season.
His signing is a massive coup for the A-League and comes off the back of the departure of Italian great Alessandro Del Piero - who spent two seasons as Sydney FC's marquee star - Emile Heskey and Shinji Ono.
Villa NY
"We are very proud to have David Villa as part of the City family and are thrilled to announce he will play for Melbourne City FC in the Hyundai A-League this season," Ferran Soriano, CEO of the City Football Group, said.
"The sports fans of Melbourne can look forward to seeing one of the best players in world football representing their city when David brings his rare talents to AAMI Park later this year."
Melbourne City has been linked with a host of star players in recent months, including Chelsea legend Frank Lampard - who Mark Schwarzer revealed to TWG had asked him about life in the Victorian capital, off contract Fulham attacker Damian Duff, and Socceroos veterans Mark Bresciano and Josh Kennedy since coming under the ownership of a consortium led by English Premier League giant Manchester City, in partnership with a group of owners of National Rugby League side Melbourne Storm, in January.
And players don't come much bigger than ex-Valencia and Barcelona star Villa, who won the La Liga title with Atletico Madrid just last month.
"It's very good for me in every sense," Villa said. "From a football point of view it's the opportunity to play in a new league in a different country, and of course it will be ideal for me to get some competitive football in the period before the MLS season gets under way.
"I'm sure that playing for Melbourne City FC will be a marvellous experience.
"What I've always done throughout my career is do the best I possibly can.
"That is what I will do for Melbourne City FC in every game that I play for them. I'll be giving everything for the team, just like I have with every club I've played for."
Villa, Spain's all-time leading scorer with 56 goals in 94 games, was a key part of the all-conquering La Roja teams that won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships and 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Last season he helped guide Atletico Madrid to the Primera Division title and runner-up in the UEFA Champions League, having previously enjoyed a key role in Pep Guardiola's all-conquering Barcelona team.
He has been included in Spain's 23-man 2014 World Cup squad, giving some of his new A-League rivals the chance to see him close up, when he and his team-mates take on Australia on 24 June (AEST).
News of Villa's arrival comes hot on the heels of confirmation of a name change exclusively revealed by The World Game in January.
The name change was announced in a letter to the club’s members from Ferran Soriano, CEO of the City Football Group (CFG), that also unveiled a new club badge inspired by the heritage of Melbourne and approved kit designs for the upcoming season.
“Following a lengthy consultation with the club’s members, partners, the FFA and a range of other stakeholders, we believe the changes announced today will strengthen the club’s ties with the community to which it belongs while expanding its ability to grow commercially and harness the many benefits of belonging to the City family,” Ferriano said.
Melbourne City's new logo
Melbourne City moved to address the concerns of Heart fans, by including red in its logo as an homage to the A-League teams existing colours.
“The club has worked hard to create an identity for Melbourne City FC that reflects the traditions of its existing fan base and embraces the many sporting, operational and commercial benefits that are provided by our association with Manchester City FC and New York City FC,” Melbourne City Chief Executive Scott Munn said.
The club confirmed the team will play in light blue and white, reflecting the colours of Manchester City and New York FC, despite reports Football Federation Australia knocked back a request for City to play in Sky Blue.
The club confirmed its away strip will reflect Heart's red and white combination.
David Villa Career Highlights
• David became the first player to score 50 goals for his national team Spain
• All-time leading goal scorer for the Spanish National Team
• Won the World Cup with Spain in 2010 scoring five goals and was top goal scorer with four goals as Spain won the European Championship in 2008
• He has been named in the Spain squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil
• Won two La Liga titles with Barcelona in 2010-2011 and 2012-2013 and again with Atlético Madrid in 2013-2014
• Won the UEFA Champions league with Barcelona in 2011
About Melbourne City Football Club
Melbourne City Football Club is a professional football club that competes in the major Australian domestic competition, the A-League. The Club was formerly known as Melbourne Heart FC.
Melbourne City FC is owned by a consortium involving the City Football Group (80%), which also owns English Premier League club Manchester City FC and Major League Soccer club New York City FC, and the ownership group of Australian National Rugby League side the Melbourne Storm (20%).
Based at La Trobe University, Melbourne City FC’s home ground is AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia.
