Villarreal Club de Futbol (Villarreal CF) is one of the most renowned Spanish clubs that currently compete in the top flight – La Liga. The club was founded on March 10, 1923, with an aim to promote sports, but mainly football. While they aren’t the most illustrious clubs in Spain, they represent a small yet successful model.
Villarreal CF are nicknamed El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) due to their club colors of yellow. Their home stadium is named El Madrigal, which was previously named Estadio de la Ceramica and was inaugurated in 1923.
Origins of Villarreal CF
Club Deportivo Villarreal was founded in 1923 and played their first match against Castellon. They spent a lot of time in the lowest divisions of Spanish football before the Spanish Civil War.
Villarreal CF then started gaining promotion after the war finished in 1939 and then they changed their named to CF Villarreal, which is their current name. They saw multiple promotions and some demotions before eventually getting promoted to Spanish top-flight La Liga in 1998.
Barring two seasons, they have been in La Liga since and have been competing well across competitions.
History and Top Players
Villarreal have won just one domestic trophy, which was the fourth division of the Spanish footballing tier back in the 1969-70 season.
They have had some incredible players in the ranks over the years, including Raul Arbiol, Pepe Reina, Josico, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Robert Pires, and Juan Roman Riquelme. Villarreal’s most expensive signing is Arnaut Danjuma, who they signed from Bournemouth in 2021 for over €23 million.
Manu Triguerous has made the most appearances for the club with 472 while Gerard Moreno is their all-time top scorer with 117 goals.
Villarreal’s 2023-24 Squad
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Attackers |
| Filip Jorgensen | Jorge Cuena | Ramon Terrats | Goncalo Guedes |
| Pepe Reina | Yerson Mosquera | Etienne Capoue | Yeremy Pino |
| Eric Bailly | Francis Coquelin | Ilias Akhomach | |
| Raul Albiol (C) | Santi Comesana | Bertrand Traore | |
| Aissa Mandi | Dani Parejo | Alexander Sorloth | |
| Alfonso Pedraza | Manu Trigueros | Gerard Moreno | |
| Alberto Moreno | Alex Baena | Jose Luis Morales | |
| Carlos Romero | Denis Suarez | Jorge Pascual | |
| Juan Foyth | |||
| Adria Altimira | |||
| Kiko Femenia |
Villarreal CF Achievements
Villarreal have never won La Liga and their highest finish in the league came in the 2004-05 season when they finished third.
They have won three European trophies, though. They won two UEFA Intertoto Cups in 2003 and 2004. Their first major trophy came in the 2020-21 season when they won the UEFA Europa League, beating Manchester United in the final.
Future Goals of Villarreal CF
Villarreal has been up and down in recent years as they continue to feature in the top half of La Liga. They have also made it to European competitions often and will look to continue to become a regular member in these competitions.
FAQs
Q – How many major trophies have Villarreal won?
A – They have won just one major trophy – UEFA Europa League in the 2020-21 season.
Q – What is the meaning of Villarreal’s nickname?
A – Villarreal’s nickname El Submarino Amarillo comes from their club color of yellow. It also represents them being a lower-profiled team than Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Valencia.
Q – Who is Villarreal’s all-time top scorer?
A – Gerard Moreno is their all-time top scorer with 117 goals in 276 games. He is still active (2023-24) and could add to this tally.
Q – Who is Villarreal’s record signing?
A – Arnaut Danjuma, who arrived from Bournemouth in 2021 for €23.50 million. He is currently on loan at Everton.