He was the catalyst for New York City FC, the singular on-field constant for a team that has endured numerous major changes over its five years of existence. But in David Villa, a club and a city had an icon upon which to build a franchise.



For NYCFC, there may never be another player like him again.



His departure, made official by the player himself in an announcement on Wednesday, leaves a void. In his four years in sky blue and orange, Villa wasn’t just productive—his 80 goals and 26 assists testament to a player still very much at a high level—he was also the face of the franchise.



At the time Villa signed with MLS and NYCFC ahead of the 2015 season, the Designated Player label carried far more sneers and snide remarks than actual accomplishments. While David Beckham was the reason for the rule implementation, very few of the big names on even bigger contracts lived up to their names on the marquee. Far more of these stars, at the tail...