NYCFC's Villa to 'fight' retirement

New York City FC goal-machine David Villa is doing everything he can to avoid retirement.

The 35-year-old Spain international admits that seeing former teammate Andrea Pirlo call an end to an illustrious career has motivated him to keep going.

"(Seeing Pirlo retire showed me) that I have to train harder every day if I want to continue extending my career. Someday I will leave, as will everyone, it's a fact of life. But I'm going to fight to make it as late as possible," Villa told Marca, courtesy of ESPN FC.

Villa, who joined the MLS side in 2014 from Atletico Madrid, hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. Spain's all-time leading scorer topped the MLS goal charts this season with 22 tallies after being named league MVP, and despite leaving Europe while still in form, he believes that he made the right decision to join the North American top flight.

"On the contrary, it was more than three years ago when I made the decision to come here and every day I am more convinced that it was the right decision," the 2010 World Cup winner added.

Once a final stop for some of football's biggest stars, the MLS has improved in quality in recent years, and Villa admits that he's fielded inquiries from other players intrigued by a move to North America.

"Really, quite a few (have reached out)," he said. "The MLS is growing a lot and is having more and more global impact. Many have called me and are interested in what's going on here."