Footballers Living Abroad

David Villa is spending his final days as a footballer in the Japanese city of Kobe. ‘El Guaje’ leaves behind a career filled with successes and hard work, which he shares with his entire family. There is no shortage of laughter in these emotion-filled days, or tears. Between picking his kids up at school and recovering from his recent injury, they make time to visit a typical Japanese temple.

Xavi Hernández manages the Al Sadd football club in Doha. These are rocky days for him and his family, as he has just rejected an offer from F.C. Barcelona to manage Barça. Xavi and his wife Nuria share their daily life in Doha and why they’ve declined to leave this city reclaimed from the desert.

Javi Martínez has lived in the German city of Munich for the past eight years. This midfielder, for whom Bayern paid Athletic de Bilbao 40 million euros, feels like just another German. Currently, he is at a typical Bavarian restaurant playing host to the French world champion, Lucas Hernández, and the player on loan from Real Madrid, Álvaro Odriozola.

Juan Mata signed with Manchester United six years ago. For him, living in the UK is a privilege ‘because it opens his mind to other cultures’. His friends are very important to him; they help him avoid feeling like he’s in a bubble. Eduardo Rifaterra, is one of those people who help ensure that fame doesn’t separate him from reality, something which has always concerned him.