David Villa receives 1,000 paper cranes from Barcelona's Japanese supporters

The Catalan club's Japanese fans have put together a gift for the striker as he goes through the final stages of his recovery after suffering a serious injury in December



Barcelona striker David Villa has received 1,000 paper cranes from the club's supporters' group in Japan as a token of support in the player's race for fitness.

The 30-year-old has been out of action since December, when he sustained a fractured tibia in the Club World Cup semi-final against Al Sadd in Japan.

"There are a lot of Villa fans in Japan and the injury affected all of us," Hiroki Nakano, president of the supporters' group, told Barca's website."The day after his injury, the fans wanted to do something for him."

The Japanese fans then put together 1,000 paper cranes, which symbolise good luck and health, each one with messages of support and encouragement for the striker.Villa, who is expected to make a comeback from his injury in April, did not hide his surprise at receiving the gift and noted he has fond memories of his time in Japan.

"All of these things give me strength to keep on going and continue with my recovery," Villa said."I will keep these with a lot of affection. I am sure that they will give me good luck and I will be able to return stronger."Even though I was injured in Japan, I have great memories. We won a very important title for the club and for me, it was the most important title that I had yet to win. "I want to thank them for all the time they spent doing this for me." - http://www.goal.com