David Villa breaks leg, ends transfer rumors

David Villa has been all over the transfer rumor radar this week, with Chelsea and Liverpool reportedly looking to replace their overpriced duds bolster their squads with the prolific frontman in January. However, any hopes of a big-money move were laid to rest Thursday, when Spain's all-time leading scorer broke his leg during Barca's FIFA Club World Cup semifinal match against Qatari side Al Sadd in Yokohama, Japan.

As the non-squeamish will observe in the video above, the 30-year-old snapped his left tibia a few minutes before halftime. The club confirmed the nature of the injury on its Twitter feed.

Both David Villa and his soul patch are expected to be out of action for six months, which sadly means he is unlikely to play a part in Spain's Euro 2012 victory next summer.

Some might argue that the injury was not in vain, however, as Barcelona triumphed 4-0 in the game to earn a FIFA Club World Cup final against Santos on Sunday. Yet others would argue that it is in vain, as nobody gives a flying Tevez about the FIFA Club World Cup.