Video: Roberto Soldado kicks balls towards fans at Villarreal unveiling, misses - twice!
Things are just not going right for Roberto Soldado. The Spanish striker finally ended his nightmare in the English Premier League with North London club Tottenham Hotspur when he made the switch back to La Liga, this time with Villarreal.
The deal is reported to be worth £7m, according to BBC – a huge loss for Spurs who signed him in 2013 for £26m from Valencia. Soldado had only managed to score 16 goals in 76 appearances, a poor return for a striker who averaged 27 goals a season with Los Che. He has even won the Zarra trophy (highest Spanish goalscorer in La Liga) in 2011/12.
"This is a very important step in my career," the 30-year-old said after signing a three-year deal. "When their offer arrived I didn't hesitate as it's a great opportunity to return to Spain and join a big club."
"I've been away for two years in which I haven't been able to give my best, but I'm convinced that I can score lots of goals for Villarreal," he concluded.
But things didn’t go according to plan when he was unveiled as a Villarreal player to the fans at the Estadio El Madrigal. After posing for photographs with the new yellow kit, he was asked to kick a couple of footballs into the crowd – souvenirs for fans lucky enough to catch one if it came their way.
Unfortunately, Soldado never gave them a chance! He kicked a ball into the crowd twice and on both occasions, they were off target. In fact, the second kick actually sailed into the stand above where the fans were gathered.
Here’s hoping Soldado finds his shooting boots when the 2015/16 La Liga season kicks off this weekend. Villarreal play their first game against Real Betis on Sunday night.