Villa: People with 'nasty' opinions of MLS have never watched it

David Villa has claimed that people with "nasty" opinions of the quality of MLS have never watched a match in the North American top flight.

The 35-year-old, who remains Spain's all-time top goalscorer, has played for New York City for two seasons and claimed the league's Most Valuable Player award in 2016.

MLS has been branded a retirement home for European stars by many across the Atlantic but Villa says if he would hang up his boots completely if he did not feel competitive.

"People sometimes have opinions that are nasty, no? I mentioned yesterday – if the people coming here are watching one month, three, four games, it’s impossible to have this opinion," Villa told Uproxx.

"The people who have this opinion have never watched a game in MLS. It’s not important for the people who want to build this league because this opinion is not true, if you watch the games or if you watch the construction or building of the league."

He added: "For me, I never thought this [of MLS as a retirement home], I’ve done everything in my career. And if I want to retire I’ll go home and retire, I’d go through life with my family.

"I came here to be competitive, to be strong, to make history, and when I decide it’s the moment for retirement I’ll go home because I did everything in my life, in my career.

"I will continue - my body’s fit, my mind is fit, I will continue to make history. But play always the same when I was 15 years old: 100 percent, competitive. This is my job here."