David Villa has kicked off his 10-game A-League career with a goal on debut for Melbourne City FC in Round 1 of the 2014/15 season.
The 32-year old Spanish striker entered the fray early in the second half against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium before opening his account in Australia's top flight 15 minutes later to give City a share of the points in the 1-1 draw with the Sky Blues.
Former Fulham forward Corey Gameiro gave Sydney the lead in the 54th minute with a superb effort from the edge of the area which gave City goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne no chance but former Valencia and Barcelona star Villa denied the home side maximum points nine minutes later.
Ex-Chelsea, Newcastle United and Fulham winger Damien Duff picked out the World Cup winner with a neat pass from the right side of the area before Villa took a touch and advanced to the top of the box prior to finishing with precision beyond the outstretched left hand of Sky Blues keeper Vedran Janjetovic.
It was a dream start for Villa, who is on a guest loan from MLS expansion franchise New York City FC, but the result was not quite what Melbourne City, now owned by Premier League champions Manchester City, would have wanted with Spain's all-time leading scorer and a 100-cap Republic of Ireland international in their ranks.
John van 't Schip's City will now prepare for their second fixture of the season which takes place at AAMI Park against Newcastle Jets next Sunday while Graham Arnold's Sydney meet local rivals Western Sydney Wanderers at Allianz on Saturday.
