Latest news with #DavidVilla
The Sun
15 hours ago
- Business
- The Sun
‘World's greatest stadium' which was left abandoned for 16 years finally gets opening date as club secure £275m funding
A STADIUM dubbed the 'world's greatest' has finally got an opening date after being left abandoned for 16 years. Valencia's Nou Mestalla is no longer a dream after the Spaniards secured £275million of founding the finally complete the construction of their long-awaited arena. 6 6 Boasting over 70,000 seats, the Nou Mestalla has been billed by Valencia as a 'global benchmark for modern stadium developments.' It was meant to open in time for the 2009/10 LaLiga season as the club, then a national powerhouse, looked to take advantage of global stars including David Silva, Juan Mata and David Villa. However, Valencia ran into financial difficulties in 2008 as they racked up staggering debts of £350m. The club also failed to find a buy for their old Mestalla stadium, which holds 50,000 seats and continues to serve as their home to this day. And even a £90m bank loan was denied to Valencia's owners at the time, thwarting their stadium plans altogether. It saw building work on the Nou Mestalla put on ice, with the ground being left to rot for the past 16 years. But now, Valencia have announced they've secured funding worth £275m which will finally see construction completed. The club are aiming to kick things off at the Nou Mestalla in 2027 and are confident it will greatly increase revenue streams, thereby returning Valencia to their rightful place in the LaLiga title race. According to a press release, the arena will also transform the local community by turning the stadium into a 'year-round entertainment venue.' And the Nou Mestalla could now be included as one of the host stadiums when Spain, Portugal and Morocco hold the World Cup in 2030. Work restarts on 'world's greatest football stadium' that had been abandoned for 16 years as £250m revamp is agreed 6 6 Valencia president Kiat Lim beamed: 'This marks a historic milestone for Valencia. Securing this landmark financing gives us the green light to deliver a Nou Mestalla — a world-class stadium that will power the Club's growth for generations. 'It is the clearest expression of our long-term commitment to Valencia, and a reflection of the trust and confidence the Club now commands in global financial markets. 'With this agreement, we are building more than a stadium — we are building the future of Valencia.' 6 6
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Leaders Can Make Fast Moves And Fix Things At The Same Time
David Villa is a best-selling author, speaker and trainer. He is also CEO of IPD, a world-class marketing agency based in Tampa, Florida. Speed often gets a bad reputation in business—and for good reason. Situations like Boeing's quality control failures, the collapse of FTX and Quibi's rapid implosion all share a common thread: a reckless pace that overlooked fundamental flaws in leadership, culture and business models. But speed itself isn't the enemy. The real problem is speed without structure or accountability. The best leaders know that progress and responsibility aren't mutually exclusive. Instead of simply 'moving fast and breaking things,' they move fast and fix things. Some of the most successful corporate turnaround stories feature leaders who embraced both urgency and strategic discipline. Examples include Alan Mulally's transformation of Ford, Indra Nooyi's revitalization of PepsiCo and Satya Nadella's reinvention of Microsoft. These executives all committed to transformation approaches that accelerated progress without creating wreckage. At Ford, Mulally faced an industry in crisis and a company hemorrhaging cash. Instead of knee-jerk cost-cutting, he focused on transparency, accountability and decisive action. The result? The automotive manufacturer not only survived the Great Recession without a bailout but managed to emerge stronger than before. Microsoft under Nadella saw a similar shift. By prioritizing cloud computing, collaboration and cultural change, he turned Microsoft into a $3 trillion powerhouse. He moved fast, but he didn't break the tech giant—he rebuilt it. For business leaders, moving quickly without collateral damage requires a few mission-critical steps. Too often, organizations attack symptoms instead of root causes. Consider Uber's trust crisis in 2017. Leadership initially focused on PR fixes, but the real problem was internal—employees and drivers felt unheard and undervalued. The company needed to rebuild its reputation by fixing the core issue, not just the optics. So new CEO Dara Khosrowshahi addressed this by implementing structural changes like in-app tipping and improved driver support. To do this well, leaders need humility and curiosity. Questioning assumptions and listening to diverse perspectives often reveals deeper truths. Here are some strategies: • Play out the 'what ifs.' Before jumping into action. Ask, 'What could go wrong here—and why?' • Bring in a fresh set of eyes. Loop in someone who's not close to the project, and empower them to challenge dominant thinking in meetings. They may be able to spot gaps in logic or knowledge. • Encourage healthy pushback. Create space in meetings for team members to respectfully challenge the plan. • Flip the script. Have leaders answer the tough questions employees might be asking behind the scenes. Trust in leadership isn't built through rhetoric. It comes from logic, authenticity and empathy. Without it, even the best strategy can meet resistance. Take Brian Niccol's turnaround of Chipotle. When he became CEO in 2018, the brand was still reeling from food safety scandals. Rather than rushing into changes, Niccol listened to employees, revamped food safety protocols and doubled down on digital strategy. His approach was patient and decisive, allow the company as a whole to rebuild trust and achieve significant financial growth. Trust isn't a one-time achievement. It's a continuous effort grounded in consistent, meaningful actions that show people they're truly valued. For example, follow through on feedback to show people their input actually drives change. Acknowledge mistakes, be clear about what's being done to fix them, and be open with the results, even when they're not great. Finally, make leadership accessible through open forums, regular check-ins or casual drop-ins. Leaders who rely solely on familiar voices risk missing the insights that could change everything. In Tesla's early years, the company's executives brought in aerospace and manufacturing experts to rethink traditional car production. This unconventional talent pool helped Tesla streamline operations and scale faster than legacy automakers expected. In contrast, WeWork's leadership ignored outside financial experts who flagged major flaws in its business model. Rather than course-correct, the company pressed forward—leading to a valuation implosion and near bankruptcy. Smart leaders proactively seek out domain experts and fresh perspectives, especially when stakes are high and complexity is growing. Broadening the circle of input leads to smarter, more sustainable decisions. Every major change effort needs a clear, compelling narrative. When Alan Mulally was transforming Ford, he didn't just pass around a strategy memo—he lived and breathed his 'One Ford' vision. By framing the company as a single team with a shared plan and goal, he encouraged employees to break down silos, take accountability and align with the company mission. Then, every meeting, internal email and media interviews reinforced the same message. Eventually, employees could articulate the mission in their own words, making execution faster and more aligned. In contrast, consider the decline of Peloton. At first a consumer darling during the pandemic, the company struggled to maintain momentum as demand waned. Rather than clearly redefining its value and future direction, leadership sent mixed messages. For example, they made abrupt shifts in pricing and equipment production. Even the business's overall identity was in flux—sometimes leaning into hardware, other times pushing subscriptions. The lack of a consistent story created confusion for customers and investors alike, which hurt momentum and trust. The lesson? Leaders must create persuasive, believable narratives—and repeat them often enough for people to truly believe. There's a saying among Navy SEALs: 'Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.' It's a reminder that reducing friction in decision making may take extra effort up front, but it ultimately leads to faster, more effective execution. None of the steps above require months of planning. In most cases, a few weeks are enough to align your strategy, build trust and set a clear course. The best leaders don't fear speed—they harness it. Speed energizes teams and signals that leadership is serious about solving problems. The key isn't to slow down. It's to move fast—and fix things. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Atletico Madrid star breaks La Liga record that stood for 19 years
Atletico Madrid have had a rather unspectacular second half of the season, but they have had a moment of greatness in their La Liga clash against Real Sociedad at the RiyadhAir Metropolitano. A number of disappointing results in 2025 have seen Barcelona and Real Madrid drop Atleti in the La Liga title race, and with four matches to go, the best that Diego Simeone's side can realistically hope for is third in the standings. A victory over La Real would have ensured a big step was taken towards that position being finalised, and they are very much on course for a win – and a big one at that. Advertisement It was total carnage in the first half at the Metropolitano, and it was caused by Alexander Sorloth. The Norwegian striker opened the scoring against his former club after seven minutes, and less than four minutes later, he had added goals two and three. Image via MixCollage As per MD, Sorloth's hat-trick took exactly three minutes and 57 seconds to achieve, and in doing so, he now holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in La Liga history. He has bested David Villa, who took just over four minutes to score three times for Valencia against Athletic Club back in 2006. Sorloth also broke another record, as by scoring his third by the 11th minute, he scored the earliest hat-trick in La Liga history. And he wasn't even done there, and he would find the back of the net on the half hour mark to score his and Atleti's fourth of the evening. Sorloth has had a rather unusual first season at Atleti. He has often been utilised from the bench (which Simeone spoke on recently), but despite this, he now has 17 goals in La Liga – which is the most among his teammates (Julian Alvarez is closest with 15). And he is now fourth in the Pichchi Trophy race behind Robert Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappe and Ante Budimir.
