Villarreal Football Club

The Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S. A. D. is a Spanish football club from the city of Villarreal, in the province of Castellón (Valencian Community), which plays in the First Division. They play their matches at the Estadio de la Cerámica, with a capacity for 23,000 spectators.

Since the 1940s, the club's clothing has been characterized by the yellow color of its shirt, and the team is popularly known under the nickname "Submarino Amarillo" or "Submarí Groguet" (in Valencian). In 2002, the Villarreal Sports City facilities were inaugurated, the place where the first team and lower categories train.

At the national level, its best result has been the league runner-up in the 2007-08 season. Internationally, they have won 3 titles, the UEFA Intertoto Cup twice (2003 and 2004) and the UEFA Europa League in 2021 after beating Manchester United in the final. In addition, they reached the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League on two occasions (2005-06 and 2021-22), proclaiming themselves the best rookie team in the competition on the first. In December 2004, the IFFHS proclaimed Villarreal C.F. as the best team of the month worldwide.

History

Background 1923-1942

On March 10, 1923, the Club Deportivo Villarreal was founded "to promote all sports, especially soccer". The stadium was rented for 60 pesetas a month and the price of tickets was set at half a peseta for men and a quarter of a peseta for children. Women had free admission. On June 17, 1923, Castellón, a modern rival of the club, played the first match against the club named after Miguel de Cervantes. On October 21 of that year, Villarreal played the first game in its history, playing against Castellón. Villarreal began with a kit of white shirts and black pants, which is reflected in their first shield.

The current club

After the disappearance of C.D. Villarreal, in 1942 a new team was formed, the Club Atlético Foghetecaz and federated on August 25, 1947, when it began to compete in regional categories, and Lorenzo Cardá Corbató was elected as the first president of company and José Ramos Nebot as secretary. The club began its career from the lowest categories of the regional championship and debuted in official competition wearing a yellow shirt and black shorts (although previously, as a "non-federated" team, they always wore a white shirt). In 1950 it changed its name to Club Atlético Foghetecaz Villarreal (C.A.F. Villarreal) and in June 1954 to Villarreal Club de Fútbol.

In 1956, it was promoted to the Third Division for the first time, staying in the category for five consecutive seasons, until 1961, when it was relegated to the First Regional. In 1967, he returned to the Third Division, proclaiming himself -three years later- champion of the same, for which he was promoted to the Second Division of Spanish football.

Villarreal C.F. debuted in the Second Division in the 1970-71 season, saving the category by qualifying in 16th place, but relegated the following season by finishing 17th. During the subsequent 25 years, the team always remained in the national category (except the 1976-77 campaign), managing to ascend to 2nd B in the 1986-87 season. After a brief stint in the Third Division in 1990-91, the team achieved two consecutive promotions that allowed it –20 years later– to return to the Second Division of Spanish football.

For six continuous campaigns, Villarreal C. F. has achieved lower-middle rankings in the Second Division table, until in the 1997-98 season they finished fourth and qualified for promotion to the First Division: in the tie they played against S. D. Compostela, where they tied both games (0-0 in the first leg played at El Madrigal and 1-1 in the second leg as a visitor) and, by the tiebreaker by goals in the opposite field, Villarreal C. F. rose to the First Division for the first time in its history.

First Division debut and relegation (1998-99)

He made his first Division debut on August 31, 1998 against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, losing 4-1. Even so, Villarreal (led by José Antonio Irulegui) had a good first round of the championship, highlighting the 5-0 wins over UD Salamanca at El Madrigal and over Louis Van Gaal's F.C. Barcelona (1-3 in the Camp Nou). However, the second round of the championship was disappointing for the club, because after beating Valencia CF (1-0) in the Valencian derby, the team did not win a game in 15 days, which complicated their chances of continuing in the First Division; on the penultimate matchday they managed to win against Racing de Santander (3-0) and in the last match they drew 2-2 with C.F. Extremadura, finally occupying 18th place in the 1998-99 season. The Romanian Gica Craioveanu and the goalkeeper Andrés Palop stood out in this team.

The club had to play the relegation promotion against Sevilla F. C., losing 0-2 at El Madrigal and 1-0 in Sevilla, thus saying goodbye to the First Division.

Return to Primera and consolidation (1999-2004)

In the 1999-2000 season, the club finished in third position in the Second Division, after C. A. Osasuna and U. D. Las Palmas, thus managing to return to the highest category of Spanish football; This was the first season in which the three best ranked in Second ranked directly promoted to the detriment of the three worst ranked in First.

2000-2004

Benito Floro, coach of Villarreal between 2002 and 2004.

Juliano Belletti, judge of the Villarreal between 2002 and 2004.

In the four seasons following the last promotion, the team combined various positions around the middle of the table. On his return to the First Division, he had a good campaign and finished 7th in the league. In the following season, they finished 15th and Villarreal played their first international competition: the Intertoto Cup, which gave them a place in the UEFA Cup, losing in one of the finals against Málaga C.F.. In the 2002-03 season, The team once again finished 15th in the league, but the Intertoto dispute at the end of the season made them champions of the same (after beating Dutch Sportclub Heerenveen in the final by 1-2 in the first leg and 0-0 in the final). El Madrigal), for which Villarreal achieved their first classification to play the UEFA Cup.

The following year, the player Juan Román Riquelme joined the club, beginning to set a new course in the team's history. In that season Villarreal finished 8th in the league and reached the UEFA semifinals, losing the tie against their neighbor and ultimately champion Valencia C.F.. However, in the summer of 2004 Villarreal won the Intertoto Cup again, qualifying for the second year for the UEFA Cup.

Together with Riquelme in these seasons, historical names are incorporated into the club: the Argentine Rodolfo Arruabarrena, the Spanish José Manuel Reina and Santi Cazorla or the Brazilian Marcos Senna (who would later obtain Spanish nationality).

Rise of the Pellegrini era (2004-2009)

Third place in the 2004-05 League

Riquelme training for the Villareal together with Diego Forlán.

Diego Forlán won the Pichichichi Trophy and the Gold Boot in the 2004-05 season.

In April 2004, Villarreal signed the Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini, from the Argentine River Plate. Pellegrini took over the team in June of that year for the 2004-05 season. Names such as the Argentine defender Gonzalo Rodríguez and the Uruguayan striker Diego Forlán are incorporated. Under the command of Pellegrini and after a great second round of the championship, the Yellow Submarine achieved third place in the league in the 2004-05 season, only behind FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and with Diego Forlán as Pichichi de la season and Juan Román Riquelme as the best player on the team. Thanks to these achievements, Villarreal was named the best team in the world in December 2004 by the IFFHS. In this way, Villarreal qualified for the previous the UEFA Champions League 2005-06.

Semifinalist of the Champions League 2005-06

In the preliminary phase of the 2005-06 Champions League, Villarreal eliminated English Everton F.C. and entered the group phase of the highest European club competition for the first time in its history. In the group stage they finished undefeated and ranked first (against all odds) ahead of S. L. Benfica, Lille OSC and Manchester United, beating the subsequent qualifiers against Scottish Glasgow Rangers and Italian Inter Milan. The dream of the final was frustrated by Arsenal F. C. who eliminated the "submarine" in the semifinals after Arsenal's victory in the first leg, (1-0 at Highbury) and a goalless tie in the second leg at El Madrigal (a match that went down in history due to the agonizing penalty that Juan Román Riquelme missed at discount time).

However, in the domestic competition, the club ends up being relegated to seventh place in the championship, so it finally only manages to qualify for the Intertoto Cup.

Fifth place in the 2006-07 League

In the summer of 2006, the club played its fourth Intertoto Cup final, losing to Slovenian NK Maribor by a 2-3 aggregate, which excluded it from playing in European competitions in the 2006-07 season. In that same season, the serious injuries to some players and the mid-season departure of Juan Román Riquelme led to a discreet first round for the team, but –among other factors– the recovery of Pirès and the 19 goals scored by Forlán (fifth top scorer in the League) allowed them to meet the objective of playing in European competition without going through the Intertoto. What's more, Villarreal achieved the milestone of their best league run and made a spectacular comeback in the final stretch of the championship after winning the last eight league games consecutively, finishing in fifth place and directly accessing the Copa de la Uefa. Another important fact in the 2006-07 League was that Villarreal managed, after 8 seasons, to defeat the only great team in Spain that resisted them: on matchday 20, they beat Real Madrid 1-0 at El Madrigal with a goal from Marcos García, after assistance from the Chilean player Matías Fernández.

2007-08 League Runner-up

Marcos Senna, Villarreal player between 2002 and 2013.

Cani, player of Villarreal between 2006 and 2015.

Before the 2007-08 season began, the departure of Diego Forlán to Atlético de Madrid was announced and two important signings were incorporated into the club's scheme: the Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi and the Spanish goalkeeper Diego López. The 2007-08 season began with a balance of 17 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses in 29 games, signing the best league start in history, with 56 points, only 6 points behind Real Madrid. In that same season, Villarreal was runner-up in the Spanish League, for the first time in its history, with two games to go, after defeating Recreativo de Huelva, then adding 77 points, remaining 8 behind the champion, Real Madrid, and with 10 over the third, FC Barcelona, thus qualifying for the 2008-09 Champions League, without going through the preliminary qualifying phase.

At the same time, Villarreal played in the UEFA Cup and was eliminated in the round of 32 by Zenit Saint Petersburg, the surprise team of the tournament and ultimately champion, while in the Copa del Rey they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by F.C. Barcelona, in the best historical participation of Villarreal in said tournament.

Fifth in the League and quarterfinalist in the Champions League 2008-09

During the first 10 days of the 2008-2009 season, Villarreal remained in the top two places, until an unstoppable Barça overtook them. At the end of the season, the team finished in 5th position, with Joseba Llorente (who joined the club for this season), as the team's top scorer with 17 goals. In addition, in the Champions League, Villarreal advanced to the quarterfinals, where their executioner was again the English Arsenal F.C., while in the Copa del Rey they were prematurely eliminated by the Ejido Sports Center, a rival in Second Division B, after suffering a scandalous 5-0 win in the first leg and a 1-1 in the second leg at El Madrigal.

After the 2008-2009 league, the departure of Manuel Pellegrini to manage Real Madrid was announced, leaving specifically a runner-up in the League and a historic international participation, with a semifinal and two quarterfinals led by the Chilean coach.

From the Champions League to relegation (2009-2013)

The club is going through a stage of restructuring and proof of this is that its budget fell in three years from one hundred million euros to seventy, changing its philosophy centered on the arrival of South American footballers (Forlán, Riquelme, Diego Cagna, Arruabarrena, Palermo, Sorín, Godín or Ibagaza), for preferential attention to the youth academy. During these three years, the club went from competing in the Champions League until finally relegating to the Second Division.

On May 13, 2012, after losing 0-1 to Atlético de Madrid at the last moments with a goal by Falcao at El Madrigal, Villarreal was relegated to the Second Division, after finishing in 18th place in the 2011-2012 season, after 12 consecutive years in the highest competition. It was a campaign with up to three coaches where the departure of Santi Cazorla, the injuries of more than 10 players, and having lost up to 16 points in the last 5 minutes of games, ended up condemning the yellow team.

Between international participation and relegation to the Second Division

Meeting disputed between Real Madrid and Villarreal C. F..

For the start of the 2009-10 season, Pellegrini is signed by Real Madrid, so Villarreal has to sign a new coach, Ernesto Valverde, who could not maintain the sporting level of previous seasons (the team became bottom in the qualifying table) and for that reason, Valverde ended up being dismissed and replaced by Juan Carlos Garrido, coach of Villarreal B. The new coach climbed positions in the table, until he managed to occupy seventh place in the League. At the end of the season, the club filed a complaint against R. C. D. Mallorca with the intention of occupying the Europa League place that corresponded to the latter, since the Balearic team had entered bankruptcy, for which Villarreal finally managed to participate in said competition (despite the fact that the UEFA regulations did not reflect any measure against a team covered by the Bankruptcy Law at the time that UEFA vetoed the participation of the vermillions). This situation led to a break between the fans of the two clubs.

In the following season, the club finished fourth in the league, which allowed it to access the preliminary phase of the 2011-12 Champions League, while in the Europa League the team reached the semifinals of the tournament, being eliminated for F. C. Porto (eventually champion of that edition).

For the 2011-12 season, Villarreal passed the previous round of the UEFA Champions League, beating Danish Odense BK 3-1 on aggregate and thus reaching the final phase of the tournament; but in the group stage it is framed within the "Group of Death" and they finish last, with 0 points, after competing against rivals such as Manchester City, Napoli and Bayern Munich. On December 21, 2011, his coach, Juan Carlos Garrido, was dismissed from his position after losing 0-2 at home against a 2nd B team, C.D. Mirandés and thus be eliminated from the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey. To this was added the complicated situation in the League, bordering on relegation. His replacement was José Francisco Molina, who would later also be fired and replaced by Miguel Ángel Lotina, who could not take flight either.

Second Division (2012-13)

Party disputed between Villarreal C. F. and Xerez C. D. during the Second Division 2012-13.

The new coach was initially going to be Manuel Preciado, but the Cantabrian coach died the same day he was to be presented, on June 7, 2012. The club opted to hire Julio Velázquez, and to return to the First Division on club has the return of Uche and the signings of Mellberg, Cavenaghi and "el rifle" Pandiani. The season started well, but the first round ended up being irregular, so the club dismissed the coach when the team was in seventh place in the standings. Marcelino García Toral takes the reins and falls in his first match against Real Madrid Castilla 5-0. The directive reinforces the team with Chechu Dorado, Jonathan Pereira, Juanma, Perbet and Aquino in the winter market. In Marcelino's second game, he beat CE Sabadell 3-0, chaining an important improvement in the second round, until on June 8, 2013, he was promoted directly to the First Division after finishing in second place in the Second Division 2012-13.

In this campaign, a new era is dawning with a financially healthy club that renounces public subsidies because it understands that there are other tasks that are more important than football.

Return to the First Division and international cups (2013-2020)

On their return to the elite, the yellow team was one of the revelations at the beginning of the League, winning the first three games. After 16 games, Villarreal has 28 points, establishing a new record for the best recently promoted team after 16 games. The team from Castellón finished the first round beating Real Sociedad 5-1, placing them in fifth place with 34 points. In the second round, the train to fight for the Champions League was lost, coinciding with the injuries of important players in the yellow eleven, but qualification for the Europa League was never in jeopardy, finally remaining in sixth position, snatched from Real Sociedad in the last league game in Anoeta and thus avoiding playing one of the previous rounds of the European League.

Return to European competition (2014-2015)

Chart of the performance of Villarreal CF in the league 1929-2023

In the preview of the UEFA Europa League, the team beat the Kazakh team of Astana Futbol Kluby 7-0 on aggregate. Villarreal won at Astana Arena by (0-3) and at El Madrigal by (4-0), getting a pass to the group stage of the UEFA Europa League. With this victory Marcelino García Toral needed new players to face three competitions and they obtained the loan of Denís Chéryshev from Real Madrid C. F., they signed Luciano Vietto and Jonathan Dos Santos among other signings such as Antonio Rukavina.

This 2014-15 season in the Spanish First Division started well for the Castellón team that beat Levante UD (0-2) on the first matchday at the Ciutat de Valencia Stadium, however, on the second matchday they fell defeated against F. C. Barcelona by (0-1) with a goal from youth player Sandro Ramírez who was rejected by the ball after a shot by Lionel Messi. On matchday 3 they tied against Granada C. F. (0-0), on matchday 4, they would beat Rayo Vallecano (4-2).

On matchday 5, they drew against Eibar (1-1), on matchday 6 they would lose to Real Madrid (0-2), goals scored by Modrić and Cristiano Ronaldo. After this, two victories would come against Celta and Almería, a streak that would end with a defeat (2-1) against Sevilla F. C.. On the tenth day there would be another defeat, this time against Valencia C. F. by (1-3), with a sensational performance from Mustafi who scored a double.

On the eleventh day they would tie (1-1) against Espanyol. From this moment the best moment of the Villarreal team would arrive, achieving five consecutive victories in the league, one of them at the Vicente Calderón Stadium against Atlético de Madrid with a goal by Luciano Vietto, also in this month of December he would close his participation in the Europa League with a victory (0-2) against Apollon Limassol, going to the round of 32 as second in the group behind Borussia Mönchengladbach, facing Salzburg in that round. This December, Villarreal also reached the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey after defeating Cádiz C.F. by a total of (5-1) on aggregate, with a (1-2) win in Cádiz and a (3-0) at Villarreal. Their rival in the round of 16 was Real Sociedad. Villarreal was also chosen by the LFP as the best club of the month of December, in which the team counted all its games by victories.

On matchday 17, the first of 2015, Villarreal would draw against Elche C. F. with a (2-2), in a match that began by winning 0-2 with the goals scored by Luciano Vietto and Uche.

Villarreal managed to get through the tie against Red Bull Salzburg with a (5-2) overall tie and in the round of 16 of the Europa League they had to face Sevilla F.C.. Around matchday 27 Villarreal was sixth, just three points behind Sevilla F.C., while in UEFA Villarreal lost in the first leg (1-3) at El Madrigal against Sevilla. Sevilla F.C. ended up passing the tie. In the Copa del Rey, Villarreal was eliminated by FC Barcelona in the semifinals, while in the league the club maintained sixth place, which gives the team the passport to play in the UEFA Europa League. It should be noted that the team arrived with injuries to important players at the end of the season. Players like Bruno Soriano, Denís Chéryshev, Luciano Vietto, Mateo Musacchio or Sergio Asenjo were injured.

Return to the Champions League and the dream of Basel (2015-2016)

Party disputed between the Deportivo de La Coruña and the Villarreal C. F...

Facing the new season, Villarreal is reshaping the squad, selling players like Ikechukwu Uche, Gerard Moreno, Chechu Dorado or Luciano Vietto, and loaning out young talents like Moi Gómez or Sergio Marcos González. Roberto Soldado, Denis Suárez, Samu Castillejo, Samuel García Sánchez, Cédric Bakambu, Mariano Barbosa, Alphonse Aréola (on loan from PSG), Daniele Bonera, Leo Baptistao (on loan from Atlético) and Adrián López Álvarez (on loan from Porto) are signed). On the first day of the League, Villarreal tied at the Benito Villamarín (1-1) against Real Betis, with a goal from Soldado. Later, they went on to win five consecutive victories, the last against Atlético de Madrid at El Madrigal (1-0, to lead the championship for the first time in its history.

Manu Trigueros, club player since 2012 and with more matches played in the history of the club.

Then, they went through a bad spell that began with the defeat at the Ciutat de Valencia against Levante UD (1-0) and continued with results such as the draw at the Estadio de Gran Canaria (0-0), the defeat at home against Celta de Vigo (1-2) or the disaster at El Alcoraz (3-2) against SD Huesca in the round of 32 of the Copa del Rey. The yellows defeated the Huesca team at El Madrigal (2-0) and advanced to the round of 16, facing Athletic Club and being eliminated after losing at the San Mamés Stadium (3-2) and at El Madrigal (0 -1). However, the league campaign could not have gone better and Villarreal went on to win six in a row, against Rayo Vallecano (2-1), Real Madrid (1-0), Real Sociedad (0-2), Valencia C. F. (1-0), Deportivo de La Coruña (1-2) and Real Sporting de Gijón (2-0), finishing the first round in fourth position.

In the second round of the League, Villarreal suffered a slump due to the effort of playing in the UEFA Europa League. Marcelino's men beat Granada C.F. (1-0), Málaga C.F. (1-0) and Levante UD (3-0) at El Madrigal, while they drew against RCD Espanyol in Cornellá (2-2), Athletic Club in San Mamés Stadium (0-0) and Atlético de Madrid at the Vicente Calderón Stadium (0-0). In the round of 32 of the Europa League, they eliminated SSC Nápoles, one of the bogeymen of the competition, after defeating them at El Madrigal (1-0) and drawing at San Paolo (1-1). Bayer Leverkusen was their rival in the round of 16, which they also eliminated after 2-0 in Spain and 0-0 in Germany.

In the league, the yellows went three games without winning, against U. D. Las Palmas (0-1), Sevilla F. C. (4-2) and F. C. Barcelona (2-2), until they beat SD Eibar in Ipurúa (1-2). In the quarterfinals, the draw was finally generous with the Yellow Submarine. The people of Castellón beat Sparta Prague with suffering (2-1) at El Madrigal, despite the fact that, at first, it might seem like an affordable rival. In the second leg, they thrashed 4-2 and reached the UEFA semifinals for the third time in their history. In the domestic championship, the victory against Getafe at El Madrigal (2-0) was a mirage, as they would later lose to Rayo Vallecano (2-1) and Real Madrid (3-0). The city of Villarreal lived with passion the match of his team against Liverpool, a game that ended with a score of 1-0, after the goal of the Asturian Adrián López Álvarez in the 92nd minute.

That same week, Villarreal returned to victory by defeating Valencia at Mestalla (0-2), in what was a derby conditioned by the tie against the reds, for which the yellow lineup was made up mainly of substitutes. The victory certified the fourth position mathematically, and therefore, the Castellón club would play the previous phase of the UEFA Champions League/UEFA Champions League, with the possibility of reaching four participations in the highest European club competition. With fourth place in their pocket and the distant elimination in the Cup, the yellows wanted to reach the Europa League final in Basel, but Liverpool woke them up from their dream. Anfield Road was a caldera and Bruno's own goals, Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana made up the final 3-0, which lifted the English to the final. His rival would be Sevilla, who beat Shakhtar Donetsk after 2-2 in Ukraine and 3-1 at Sánchez Pizjuán.

After the defeat at Liverpool, Villarreal saw their 2015-2016 season come to an end and the two remaining league games resulted in two defeats. The first, at El Madrigal against Deportivo de La Coruña (0-2) who needed to win to avoid relegation. The second, in El Molinón against Real Sporting de Gijón, who was risking his life. The yellows lost 2-0 and the controversy involved Marcelino García Toral, Villarreal's coach, after his statements during the week prior to the match. Finally, Villarreal C.F. finished the 2015-2016 Liga BBVA in fourth position, with 64 points, while they reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League and the Cup round of 16. Without a doubt, a sensational campaign.

On the night of August 10, 2016, the club issued a statement announcing the dismissal of Marcelino García Toral as coach of the first team. A day later, it made official the appointment of Fran Escribá as his successor in the bench.

In the first season, direct qualification was achieved to play in the 2017-18 Europa League, and in European competitions, a premature elimination in the Champions League play-off against AS Monaco (which would be the revelation of the tournament), earned the team from Castellón to participate in the Europa League, where they would be eliminated by AS Roma in the round of 32. The beginning of the following campaign was doubtful. Due to the remodeling works at the Estadio de la Cerámica, the club played four of the first six games away from home, reaping two wins, one draw and three losses in those games, which led to the replacement of the coach, bringing on Javi Calleja. After three consecutive victories, the team rose to sixth position and would not abandon the access places to the Europa League throughout the campaign.

The 2018-19 campaign was one of continuous suffering for the yellow entity. After fifteen days and only three victories, they had the same points as Athletic Club in the relegation place. Javi Calleja was replaced by Luis García Plaza in search of a reaction, but it did not occur. The new coach did not win any of the six games in which he was in charge and the Submarine sank in the standings at a distance of five points from safety. Javi Calleja was reinstated in office and the club improved its results, rejoining the fight for permanence. With seven days to go, they were still in relegation places and it was then that three consecutive wins against Girona F.C., CD Leganés and Real Sociedad allowed them to reach the minimum score to continue for another year in the First Division.

Return to Europe (2019-2020)

They started the league with a 4-4 draw against Granada C. F. and after a bad run they reaped several consecutive victories until the defeat against S. D. Eibar at the Estadio Municipal de Ipurúa after finishing the first round in excellent form with away victories against Real Sociedad and Sevilla F.C. signed Paco Alcácer, the most expensive signing in the club's history. After the post-coronavirus break, the team started the League in 12th position but an excellent run took them to European positions, positions that they confirmed on the penultimate matchday against Real Madrid. The team finished the league in fifth position and was marked by the goodbye of Bruno Soriano and Santi Cazorla, two symbols of the club.

Success in UEFA Cups and tenure in La Liga (2021-present)

UEFA Europa League Champion (2021)

Mario Gaspar participated in the final against Manchester United.

On May 26, 2021, they reached their first Europa League final, the first final if Intertoto Cup finals are not taken into account. They beat Arsenal F.C. in the semifinal with a 2-1 aggregate. He would play the final in Gdansk against Manchester United, a final that he would end up winning on penalties 11-10, being the first title obtained in 98 years of history by the yellow entity. In that batch all the players who finished the game threw. Gerónimo Rulli became the hero, scoring his shot and saving David de Gea's decisive penalty.

Victory in the UEFA Europa League final led Villarreal to play the European Super Cup at Windsor Park, in Ireland, on August 11, 2021 against Chelsea. The match ended 1-1 with goals from Hakim Ziyech and Gerard Moreno. So it gave rise to penalties, Chelsea winning 6-5.

After his victory in the Europa League final, he got a place to play in the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League where Spanish football will have five teams in said continental competition (Atlético, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Villarreal). Facing the new season they signed players like Serge Aurier, Aissa Mandi, Arnaut Danjuma, Boulaye Dia and Juan Foyth.

In the group stage, Villarreal shared a group with Manchester United, Young Boys and Atalanta B.C.. They advanced second in the group with 10 points, highlighting the victory on the last day against Atalanta B.C. (3-2) that gave them a ticket for the round of 16 where they faced Juventus from Turin.

UEFA Champions League dispute (2021-present)

After having been proclaimed UEFA champion in the 20-21 season, Villarreal disputes the UEFA Champions League, managing to overcome the group stage, finishing in second position, below Manchester United and above Atalanta BC and Young Boys for later overcome the round of 16 tie against Juventus in a historic tie that ended with a 4-1 aggregate in favor of the Castellón team.

In the quarterfinals they face Bayern Munich. The first leg at the Estadio de la Cerámica surprised with a score of 1-0. In the second leg at the Allianz Arena, the German team scores a goal putting the tables on the overall score, but Villarreal manages to beat Bayern scoring in the 88th minute, placing the overall score at 1-2 in favor of the submarine yellow and sneaking into the semifinals of the Champions League for the second time in its history.

On April 27, 2022, they faced Liverpool at Anfield, losing 2-0. A week later, on May 3, they receive the reds at home in the second leg of the semifinals, the yellow submarine surprised by leaving at halftime having equalized the series 2-0, however in the plugin it failed to maintain the same rhythm which he demonstrated in the first half and the English team came back from behind in 10 minutes and won 2-3, leaving Villarreal in the semifinals crowning a great performance in the Champions League.

Historical trajectory

Uniform

• Uniform holder: T-shirt, trousers and yellow stockings.
• Alternative uniform: T-shirt, trousers and blue stockings.

Evolution

2014−2015

2015−2016

2016−2017

2017-2018

2018-2019

2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

Sponsors

Period Supplier 1987 - 1988 Ressy 1988 - 1992 Rasán 1992-1993 Lotto 1993 - 1994 Jugui 1994-1997 Rasán 1997-1999 Luanvi 1999 - 2005 Kelme 2005 - 2011 Puma 2011 - 2016 Xtep 2016 - Presente Joma

Period Sponsor Additional sponsor 1987 - 1990 Villarreal Ceramics None 1990 - 1991 Napkin Charities 1991-1993 Caja Rural Villarreal 1993 Mediterranean 1994 Ceramics Ascer 1994 - 1995 Villarreal Ceramics 1995 - 1998 Costa Azahar 1998 - 2004 Terra Mítica 2004 - 2011 Aeroport Castelló Canal Nou (2005-2014) 2013 - Presente Pamesa Cerámica

Yellow Submarine

Villarreal C. F. is known as the Yellow Submarine . Villarreal C.F. began to be known by this nickname in 1967, after being promoted to the Third Division of Spain, celebrated with the music of the song "El yellow submarine" by Los Mustang, a version of "Yellow Submarine" by the British quartet The Beatles. In Spain there is another team, the Cádiz Football Club, which receives the same nickname, which caused some controversy between the fans of both teams for being the "true Submarine".

In 2006 a sector of the Villarreal CF fans, supported by the local socialist group, tried to get a submarine that the Spanish Navy had withdrawn, the S-63 Marsopa, 58 meters long and over of 1000 tons, was ceded to the city of Villarreal to install it in the town and even locate a museum inside. The second lieutenant of the Navy described the initiative as "absurd", and it did not prosper.

Origin and evolution of the name

Villarreal C.F. was born as Club Atlético Foghetecaz. The name of 'Foghetecaz' It was taken from the initials of its founding partners, more specifically from the first surname of each one: Font, Gil, Herrero, Teulet, Catalá, Zaragozá. In 1950 it changed its name to Club Atlético Foghetecaz Villarreal (C.A.F. Villarreal) and in June 1954 to Villarreal Club de Fútbol.

Stadium

Entrance to the field of El Madrigal.

The Estadio de la Cerámica (until January 2017 called El Madrigal) is the sports venue where Villarreal C.F. Labrador in the town of Villarreal, the stadium is municipal property and has a capacity for 23,000 spectators.

On June 17, 1923, El Madrigal was inaugurated under the name Campo del Villarreal. In 1925 it was renamed El Madrigal, because the field was located in the municipal district of the same name. The opening match was a clash between two teams from the neighboring city and capital of the province, Castellón, C.D. Castellón and the Cervantes. On January 8, 2017, the stadium was renamed Estadio de la Cerámica for reasons of sponsorship, and in reference to the predominant industry in the province.

Sports City

Villarreal Sports City.

Ciudad Deportiva del Villarreal is the sports complex where the Villarreal C.F. first team trains and also the club's lower categories. It has nine soccer fields, some with artificial turf and an area of 70,000 m². The sports city has a residence for the young promises of the quarry who come from anywhere in the world, but especially from the surrounding area and nearby regions. It is also a place where many tournaments are organized throughout the year, AMN local, provincial, university, veteran and school soccer tournaments.

Academy

Villarreal's youth academy has been a benchmark in Europe in recent years, being a key element in the team's recent successes. The arrival on the bench of Javi Calleja in September 2017 led to the debut of numerous academy players, breaking the record that Juan Carlos Garrido had in the 2010-11 season.

On the eve of Euro 2016, Villarreal, together with F. C. Barcelona, were the only two clubs with representation in all categories of the Spanish soccer team (under-17, under-19, under-21 and absolute).

Hobby

With a social mass that exceeds 20,000 members in a town of around 50,000 inhabitants, Villarreal ranks number one in percentage of subscriber population.

Rivalries

Villarreal maintains a rivalry with Valencia C. F., in what is known as the Autonomous derby, a rivalry for mainly regional reasons. Geographically, it also maintains a rivalry with Club Deportivo Castellón. In ancient times, Villarreal maintained a rivalry with Club Deportivo Burriana, since in addition to being neighboring cities, they used to play in the same category. In addition, Levante UD is another of the rivals.

Honours of Prizes

Note: in bold current competitions. Indicated the tournament record

National Tournaments (1)

National competition		Titles	Subcamponatos
First Division of Spain	-		2008.
Second Division of Spain	-		2013.
Second Division B of Spain	-		1992.
Third Division of Spain	1	1970.

International Tournaments (3)

International competition		Titles	Subcamponatos
League of Europe	1	2021.
European Super Cup	-		2021.
Interto Cup	2	2003, 2004.	2002.

Other achievements

• Semifinal of Champions League: (2) 2006 and 2022.
• Semifinal of Copa del Rey: (1) 2015.

Friendly Trophies

• Ceramic Trophy: (16) 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022.
• Trophy City of Villarreal: (2) 1995, 1996.
• Trophy Festa d'Elx: (2) 2001, 2011.
• Trophy City of Teruel: (2) 2007, 2008.
• Trophy City of Gandy: (1) 1993.
• Trophy City of Alcoy: (1) 2000.
• Trophy City of Cartagena: (1) 1999.
• Trofeo Gaspar Matas (Palamós): (1) 2001.
• Trophy City of Tarragona: (1) 2009.
• Trofeo Villa de Gijón: (1) 2013.
• Trofeo Ciudad de Zaragoza: (1) 2014.
• Iberian Trophy: (1) 2016.

Statistics in international competitions

Note: In bold active competitions.

Sports organization chart

Squad 2022-23

Villarreal Club Soccer Plant for the season 2022-23

Players	Technical body		More used tactical scheme
N.o Nac. Pass. Pos. Name Age Eq. provenance Cont. INT. Porteros 1 ESP! 0BY Pepe Reina 40 years S. S. Lazio 2023 Absolute 35 DEN! 0BY Filip Jörgensen 21 years Formed in the quarry 2025 Sub-21 Defense 2 ESP! 1DEF Kiko Femenía 32 years Watford F. C. 2025 Sub-21 3 ESP! 1DEF Raúl Albiol 37 years S. S. C. Napoli 2024 Absolute 4 ESP! 1DEF Pau Torres 26 years Formed in the quarry 2024 Absolute 5 ESP! 1DEF Jorge Cuenca 23 years F. C. Barcelona 2025 Sub-21 8 ARG! 1DEF Juan Foyth 25 years Tottenham Hotspur F. C. 2026 Absolute 12 COL! 1DEF Johan Mojica 30 years Elche C. F. 2026 Absolute 18 ESP! 1DEF Alberto Moreno 30 years Liverpool F. C. 2024 Absolute 23 DZA! 1DEF Aïssa Mandi 31 years Real Betis 2025 Absolute 24 ESP! 1DEF Alfonso Pedraza 27 years Formed in the quarry 2026 Sub-21 Campers 6 FRA! 2MED Étienne Capoue 34 years Watford F. C. 2024 Absolute 10 ESP! 2MED Dani Parejo 34 years Valencia C. F. 2024 Absolute 14 ESP! 2MED Manu Trigueros 31 years Formed in the quarry 2025 16 ESP! 2MED Alex Baena 21 years Formed in the quarry 2025 Sub-21 17 ARG! 2MED Giovani Lo Celso 27 years Tottenham Hotspur F. C. 2023 Absolute 19 FRA! 2MED Francis Coquelin 32 years Valencia C. F. 2024 Sub-21 39 ESP! 2MED Ramón Terrats 22 years Girona F. C. 2023 Delanteros 7 ESP! 3OF THE Gerard Moreno 31 years R. C. D. Espanyol 2027 Absolute 11 NGR! 3OF THE Samu Chukwueze 24 years Formed in the quarry 2024 Absolute 15 SEN! 3OF THE Nicolas Jackson 22 years Formed in the quarry 2026 Absolute 21 ESP! 3OF THE Yeremy Pino 20 years Formed in the quarry 2027 Absolute 22 ESP! 3OF THE A. J. Morales 35 years Levante U. D. 2024 Cessions N.o Nac. Pass. Pos. Name N. Age Eq. provenance Lost to ESP! 2MED Ivan Martin 24 years Formed in the quarry Girona F. C. ESP! 2MED Manu Morlanes 24 years Formed in the quarry R.C.D. Mallorca ESP! 2MED Vicente Iborra 35 years Leicester City F. C. Levante U. D. SEN! 3OF THE Boulaye Dia 26 years Stade Reims Salernitana NED! 3OF THE Arnaut Danjuma 26 years A.F.C. Bournemouth Tottenham Hotspur	Coach(s) Quique Setién Deputy(s) Ramiro Amarelle Physical Preparer(s) Fran Soto Coach(s) of porters "Javi" Garcia Assistant(s) / Analyst(s) Pablo Rodríguez Delegate(s) "Xisco" Nadal Luis Jiménez Physical therapist(s) Rodrigo Herrero Josep Rochera Javier Pérez Jaume Cases Doctor(s) Adolfo Muñoz Simon. Legend Captain Mission quarry (club-trained) Training (association-trained) European passport Aliens Extracommunity without restriction Lost to the club Granted to another club Discarded / No chip Updated on 13 August 2022 Official web template		4-3-3 ESP! BY 1 DEF 8 DEF 3 DEF 4 DEF 24 MED 6 MED 10 MED 16 OF THE 11 OF THE 21 OF THE 15 Incorporation 2022-23 Jorge Cuenca ( Getafe C. F.) José Luis Morales ( Levante U. D.) Pepe Reina ( S.S. Lazio) Kiko Femenía ( Watford F. C.) Giovani Lo Celso ( Tottenham Hotspur F. C.) Alex Baena ( Girona F. C.) Nicolas Jackson ( Villarreal Club Football "B") Johan Mojica ( Elche C. F.) Filials with participation Filip Jörgensen (Villarreal B) Ramón Terrats (Villarreal B) UEFA Cupslocally-trained)

• Players with dorsals above 25 are, for all purposes, players at the Villarreal Club of Football "B" and as such, will be able to match matches with the first and second team. As LFP standards require, the first-staff players will have to carry the dorsals from 1 to 25. From the 26th they will be players of the subsidiary team.
• The Spanish teams are limited to having in the template a maximum of three players without a European Union passport. The list includes only the main nationality of each player, some of the non-European players have dual nationality from some EU country:

Non-placed foreign players
Player	Nationality	2.o nationality
Juan Foyth	Argentina	Spain
Aïssa Mandi	Algeria	France
Giovani Lo Celso	Argentina	Italy
Johan Mojica	Colombia	Spain

Ups and downs 2022-23

Expenditure: 6,000,000€

Altas

Player	Position	Proceedings	Status	Cost
Jorge Cuenca	Defence	Getafe C. F.	Return	0€
Alex Baena	Camper center	Girona F. C.	Return	0€
Manu Morlanes	Camper center	R. C. D. Espanyol	Return	0€
A. J. Morales	Delantero	Levante U. D.	Free	0€
Pepe Reina	Porter	S. S. Lazio	Free	0€
Kiko Femenía	Defence	Watford F. C.	Transfer	1,000,000€
Giovani Lo Celso	Camper center	Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	Cession	0€
Johan Mojica	Defence	Elche C. F.	Transfer	5,000.000€

Income: €45,000.000

Low

Player	Position	Destination	Status	Collection
Giovani Lo Celso	Camper center	Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	Return	0€
Ruben Peña	Defence	C. A. Osasuna	Free	0€
Sergio Asenjo	Porter	Real Valladolid C. F.	Free	0€
Serge Aurier	Defence	Nottingham Forest	Free	0€
Xavi Quintillà	Defence	C. D. Santa Clara	Free	0€
Ivan Martin	Camper center	Girona F. C.	Cession	0€
Mario Gaspar	Defence	Watford F. C.	Free	0€
Moi Gómez	Camper center	C. A. Osasuna	Transfer	2,000.000€
Vicente Iborra	Camper center	Levante U. D.	Cession	0€
Pervis Estupiñán	Defence	Brighton & Hove Albion	Transfer	23,000.000€
Boulaye Dia	Delantero	Salernitana	Cession	1,000,000€
Paco Alcácer	Delantero	Sharjah F. C.	Free	0€
Unai Emery	Coach	Aston Villa F. C.	Termination	6,000.000€
Geronimo Rulli	Porter	Ajax de Amsterdam	Transfer	10,000.000€
Arnaut Danjuma	Delantero	Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	Cession	3,000.000€
Manu Morlanes	Camper center	R. C. D. Mallorca	Cession	0€

International players

Note: in bold players part of the last call in the corresponding category.

Selection	Category	#	Player(s)
SpainSpain	Absolute	7	Pepe Reina, Raúl Albiol, Pau Torres, Alberto Moreno, Dani Parejo, Gerard Moreno, Yéremi Pino
ArgentinaArgentina	Absolute	2	Juan FoythGiovani Lo Celso
AlgeriaAlgeria	Absolute	1	Aïssa Mandi
ColombiaColombia	Absolute	1	Johan Mojica
FranceFrance	Absolute	1	Étienne Capoue
NigeriaNigeria	Absolute	1	Samu Chukwueze
SenegalSenegal	Absolute	1	Nicolas Jackson

Historical signings

Most expensive transfers in the club's history.

Player	Proceedings	Euros	Temp.
Arnaut Danjuma	A.F.C. Bournemouth	24,000.000	2021-22
Paco Alcácer	Borussia Dortmund	23,000.000	2019-20
Gerard Moreno	R. C. D. Spanish	20,000.	2018-19
Karl Toko Ekambi	Angers S. C. O.	18.000.000	2018-19
Nilmar	S. C. International	17,000.000	2009-10
Pervis Estupiñán	Watford F. C.	16,000.000	2020-21
Roberto Soldier	Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	16,000.000	2015-16
Juan Foyth	Tottenham Hotspur F. C.	15,000.000	2021-22
Roger Martínez	Jiangsu F. C.	15,000.000	2018-19

Most expensive sales in club history

Highest sales in the club's history.

Player	Destination	Euros	Temp.
Cédric Bakambu	Beijing Guoan F. C.	40,000.	2017-18
Eric Bailly	Manchester United F. C.	38,000.000	2016-17
Rodri	Atletico de Madrid	32,000.000	2018-19
Pablo Fornals	West Ham United F. C.	28,000.000	2019-20
Santi Cazorla	Málaga C. F.	24,000.000	2011-12
Pervis Estupiñán	Brighton & Hove Albion F. C.	23,000.000	2022-23
Samu Castillejo	A. C. Milan	22,000.000	2018-19
Diego Forlán	Atletico de Madrid	21,000.000	2007-08
Luciano Vietto	Atletico de Madrid	20,000.	2015-16

Players

Joan Capdevila proclaimed himself world champion in 2010 as a Villarreal player.

At the 2006 World Cup, a Villarreal player was selected for the Spanish national team: Brazilian-born midfielder Marcos Senna. For the Mexican team, striker of Argentine origin Guillermo Franco was called up. The Argentine team included Villarreal players Juan Pablo Sorín and Juan Román Riquelme.

For Euro 2008, Villarreal contributed three players to the tournament-winning Spain team: Marcos Senna was joined by winger Santi Cazorla and defender Joan Capdevila. The other Villarreal player in that competition was Nihat Kahveci, a striker from Turkey, who managed to reach the semifinals.

In the 2010 World Cup (which represented another triumph for Spain), only Capdevila kept his place in the squad from two years earlier. Central defender Diego Godín played for Uruguay, which ultimately finished in fourth position. Forward Nilmar was called up by the Brazilian team, which reached the quarterfinals. The tournament's best player and Best Goal scorer was Diego Forlán, another Uruguayan, who played for Villarreal between 2004 and 2007 before joining Atlético Madrid, where he was employed at the time of the tournament.

In the 2014 World Cup, the only Villarreal players to represent their national team were Mexicans Giovani dos Santos and Javier Aquino.

For Euro 2016, captain Bruno Soriano was called up to the Spain team.

In the 2018 World Cup, Villarreal had four players: Denis Cheryshev (Russia), Antonio Rukavina (Serbia), Carlos Bacca (Colombia) and Salem Al-Dawsari (Saudi Arabia). Another club player who participated in this tournament was the Senegalese Alfred N'Diaye, who that year played on loan with Wolverhampton.

More appearances at the club

Updated as of 05/02/2023

#	Name	Parties
1.°	Manu Trigueros	450
2.°	Bruno Soriano	425
3.°	Mario Gaspar	423
4.°	Marcos Senna	360
5.°	Santi Cazorla	330
6.°	Cani	326
7.	Rodolfo Arruabarrena	274
8.°	Jaume Costa	268
9.°	Sergio Asenjo	258
10.°	Javi Sale	255

Top scorers

Updated as of 05/02/2023

#	Name	Goles
1.°	Gerard Moreno	105
2.°	Giuseppe Rossi	82
3.°	Diego Forlán	59
4.°	Santi Cazorla	57
5.°	Cédric Bakambu	47
6.°	Juan Román Riquelme	45
7.	Carlos Bacca	43
8.°	Víctor Fernández	42
9.°	Samu Chukwueze	37
10.°	Manu Trigueros	35

Maximum attendees

Updated as of 05/02/2023

#	Name	Assistance
1.°	Santi Cazorla	57
2.°	Juan Román Riquelme	52
3.°	Cani	40
4.°	Manu Trigueros	38
5.°	Gerard Moreno	38
6.°	Samu Chukwueze	31
7.	Dani Parejo	27
8.°	Mario Gaspar	26
9.°	Bruno Soriano	25
10.°	Giuseppe Rossi	25

Champion players with their national team

• World Cup Soccer (3):

Joan Capdevila — 2010

Geronimo Rulli — 2022

Juan Foyth — 2022

• Euro Cup (3):

Joan Capdevila — 2008

Marcos Senna — 2008

Santi Cazorla — 2008

• EUFA League (1):

Yeremi Pino — 2023

• African Cup of Nations (2):

Ikechukwu Uche — 2013

Boulaye Dia — 2021

• Conmebol-UEFA Champions Cup (3):

Geronimo Rulli — 2022

Juan Foyth — 2022

Giovani Lo Celso — 2022