Villarreal CF facts for kids
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| Full name | Villarreal Club de Fútbol S.A.D. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) |
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| Founded | 10 March 1923 as Club Deportivo Villarreal | |||
| Ground | Estadio de la Cerámica | |||
| Capacity | 23,008 | |||
| President | Fernando Roig | |||
| Head coach | Marcelino | |||
| League | La Liga | |||
| 2022–23 | La Liga, 5th of 20 | |||
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Villarreal Club de Fútbol, often called Villarreal CF, is a Spanish professional football team. They are based in Villarreal, a city in eastern Spain. The team plays in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain.
The club was started in 1923. For many years, they played in lower football leagues in Spain. They first joined La Liga in 1998. In the 2000s, Villarreal became a more stable team in the top league. Even though they were sent down to a lower league in 2012, they quickly came back up the next year. Since then, they have stayed in the top division.
Villarreal first played in the UEFA Champions League in 2005. Their best results were reaching the semi-finals in 2006 and 2022. They also played in the UEFA Europa League. In 2021, they won this competition! They beat Manchester United in the final, which was their first big trophy.
The team is known as El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine). This is because their home uniform is yellow. They are also seen as a smaller team compared to giants like Real Madrid and Barcelona. Villarreal plays their home games at the Estadio de la Cerámica. They are a great example of how a smaller club can be very successful.
Contents
Club History
How it Started: 1923–1929
Villarreal CF began as Club Deportivo Villarreal on March 10, 1923. The goal was "to promote all sports, especially Football." The team rented their stadium for 60 Spanish pesetas a month. Tickets cost half a peseta for men and a quarter for children. Women could watch for free!
On October 21, 1923, Villarreal played their first game ever against Castellón. This team is still a rival today. Villarreal's first uniform was white shirts and black shorts.
Years in Lower Leagues: 1929–1998
From 1929, Villarreal played in regional Spanish football leagues. In 1934–35, they almost got promoted to the nationwide Second Division but lost. The next season, they won their regional First Division before the Spanish Civil War started.
After the war ended in 1939, the club played in the Second Division of their region. The original club, CD Villarreal, was closed in the early 1940s. In 1942, a new club called CA Foghetecaz was formed. This name was an acronym of its founders' last names. In 1950, it changed its name to CAF Villarreal.
The club finally changed its name to the current Villarreal CF in June 1954. They got a badge similar to the one they use now. In 1956, they were promoted to the Tercera Liga (Third Nationwide league). They were sent back down in 1960–61.
Villarreal got their current badge in 1966. In 1966–67, they returned to the Tercera as champions. In 1970, they reached the national Segunda (Second Division) for the first time. After almost being relegated in their first season, they went down the next year. In 1975–76, they dropped to the Regionals but came back up the next season. In 1986–87, Villarreal was promoted to the Segunda Liga B. In 1990, they were relegated back to the Tercera.
Then came two promotions in a row! The club returned to Segunda B and finished second. This earned them promotion to Segunda A for the first time. From 1992 to 1997, Villarreal usually finished in the middle or lower part of the table. But in 1997–98, they finished fourth and reached the play-offs. They played against Compostela. The first game was a 0–0 draw at home. The second game was a 1–1 draw away. Villarreal was promoted because of the away goals rule. This was a huge step for the club!
Reaching the Top and Europe: 1998–2012
Villarreal's first game in La Liga was on August 31, 1998. They played against Real Madrid, who were European champions at the time. Villarreal lost 4-1, even though they scored first. After a tough season, Villarreal was relegated to the Segunda División for the 1999–2000 season. But they quickly came back up to La Liga by finishing third.
After returning to La Liga, Villarreal finished seventh. Then they finished 15th for two seasons in a row. In 2002, Villarreal played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. They won against teams from Iceland, Italy, and France. But they lost in the final to another Spanish team, Málaga.
In 2003, they won the Intertoto Cup, beating a Dutch team. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup. In their first big European competition, Villarreal reached the semi-finals. They lost to their neighbors and eventual champions, Valencia. In the league, Villarreal finished eighth. In 2004, Villarreal won the Intertoto Cup again. They beat Atlético Madrid on penalties. This qualified them for the UEFA Cup again. They lost in the quarter-finals to a Dutch team. That same season, Villarreal finished third in La Liga. This meant they qualified directly for the UEFA Champions League for the first time! Their striker, Diego Forlán, was the top scorer in the league with 25 goals.
Villarreal beat Everton from England to reach the Champions League group stages. They did not lose any games in their group! They drew twice against Manchester United. They also drew and won against teams from France and Portugal. Both Villarreal and Benfica went to the next round.
In the Last 16, they drew 3–3 against Rangers from Scotland. Villarreal moved on because of the away goals rule. In the quarter-finals, Villarreal beat Internazionale on away goals. They lost in the semi-finals to Arsenal, 1–0. Juan Román Riquelme missed a penalty in the home game, which ended 0–0. Arsenal then lost in the final to Barcelona. Villarreal finished seventh in La Liga, which only got them a spot in the Intertoto Cup.
In 2006, Villarreal played in the Intertoto Cup again but lost in their first game. The team finished 5th in La Liga and qualified for the UEFA Cup. In 2008, Villarreal achieved their best-ever league position, finishing second to Real Madrid. They also reached the last 32 in the UEFA Cup.
The club automatically qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League because they finished second in La Liga. They were in a group with Manchester United, Celtic, and Aalborg BK. They started well by drawing 0–0 with Manchester United. They beat Celtic 1–0. In a Champions League match against Aalborg, they scored six goals! Villarreal made it to the next stage after drawing with Aalborg and Manchester United again. In the quarter-finals, they faced Arsenal again. The first game was a 1–1 draw. Arsenal won the second game 3–0, knocking Villarreal out.
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Even though they didn't qualify for Europe through the league, Villarreal got a spot in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League qualifying round. This was because another team had financial problems. They won their qualifying games and made it to the group stage. Villarreal topped their group after some good wins.
After beating Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen, and Twente, Villarreal reached the semi-finals. They played against Porto, who were favorites to win. Porto won the first game 5–1. Even though Villarreal won the second game 3–2, Porto went to the final. Giuseppe Rossi was the second-highest goal scorer in the tournament with 11 goals.
Relegation and European Glory: 2012–Present
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On May 13, 2012, Villarreal was relegated from La Liga after losing to Atlético Madrid. After a very bad season, the club faced a sad event. Their new manager, Manolo Preciado, died of a heart attack on the day he was appointed. Many star players left the club after they were relegated.
After one year in the Segunda División, Villarreal was promoted back to La Liga. They finished second in the league on the last day of the season. The team started their new time in the top league by winning their first three games. They finished the 2013–14 season in sixth place. This meant they qualified for the Europa League again.
In 2014–15, Villarreal finished sixth again, getting direct entry to the Europa League group stage. In the 2015–16 season, Villarreal was even first in La Liga for a couple of weeks! They ended the season in 4th place. This meant they would play in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League playoff round. They also reached the semi-finals of the 2015–16 Europa League. But they were knocked out by Liverpool. Villarreal won the first game 1–0, but lost 3–0 in Liverpool.
In 2019–20, Villarreal finished fifth, earning a spot in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League. The team had an amazing journey, reaching the final after beating Arsenal. In the final, they played against Manchester United, who were expected to win. The game was a 1–1 draw after extra time. Villarreal then won 11–10 in a penalty shoot-out! This was the club's first ever major trophy. Because they won the Europa League, Villarreal got to play in the 2021–22 Champions League instead of the new Europa Conference League.
At the start of the 2021–22 season, Villarreal played in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea. The game was a 1–1 draw after extra time. But Chelsea won 6–5 in the penalty shootout. That same season, Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the Champions League! They beat Juventus and Bayern Munich. They finally lost to Liverpool.
Team Rivalries
Villarreal has a long rivalry with Castellón. This is because both teams are from the same area in Spain. They also have a rivalry with Valencia. These two teams have been the most competitive in their region, so their games are called the "Derbi de la Comunitat".
Club Records
- Villarreal's biggest home win in the league was by five goals. This happened four times, with 5–0 wins against different teams.
- The most goals Villarreal scored in a league game was six, in a 6–3 home win against Racing Santander in 2003–04.
- The club's biggest away wins were 5–1 and 4–0 victories.
- Villarreal won their first major trophy in 2021. They beat Manchester United in the Europa League final in a penalty shoot-out.
Team Colours
The club's famous yellow uniform started in 1947. The son of the club president went to buy new white shirts and black shorts. But the shop only had yellow shirts! The players liked the yellow shirts. They didn't like the black shorts, so the president's son bought white shorts and had them dyed blue. The yellow shirts and blue shorts were used until the 2002–03 season. Since then, the club has worn all-yellow uniforms. Their away uniforms are usually navy blue.
From 2005 to 2011, the shirt sponsor was "Aeroport Castello," an airport. The current sponsor is Pamesa, a company that makes ceramics. Since the 2016–17 season, the uniforms have been made by the Spanish company Joma.
Trophies Won
In Spain
- Tercera División
- Winners: 1969–70
In Europe
- UEFA Europa League
- Winners: 2020–21
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners: 2003, 2004
Villarreal in Europe
Villarreal has played in many European competitions. Here's a summary of their performance:
| Competition | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UEFA Champions League | 46 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 51 | 56 | −5 | 30.43 |
| UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League | 134 | 77 | 31 | 26 | 237 | 137 | +100 | 57.46 |
| UEFA Europa Conference League | 10 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 21 | 13 | +8 | 60.00 |
| UEFA Intertoto Cup | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 32 | 16 | +16 | 50.00 |
| UEFA Super Cup | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
| Total | 215 | 109 | 57 | 49 | 342 | 223 | +119 | 50.70 |
UEFA Club Ranking
The UEFA club coefficient ranking shows how well European clubs have performed in UEFA competitions over the last five years. Villarreal is often ranked among the top clubs.
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 5 |  Roma |
90.000 |
| 6 |  Paris Saint-Germain |
85.000 |
| 7 |  Villarreal |
82.000 |
| 8 |  Borussia Dortmund |
79.000 |
| 9 |  Chelsea |
79.000 |
Nickname and Mascot
The team's nickname is El Submarino Amarillo (the Yellow Submarine). This is because of their bright yellow uniform. Their mascot is named Groguet, which means "Little Yellow" in a local language. Groguet is a cartoon submarine that acts like a person. He first appeared on October 26, 2001. A 12-year-old boy named Javier Fuster Almela chose his name in a competition.
Players
Villarreal CF has a main team, a reserve team (Villarreal CF B), and a third team (Villarreal CF C). They also have a youth academy where young players learn and train. Some players are also sent to other clubs for a while to gain more experience.
Women's Football
Villarreal CF also has a women's football team. You can find more information about them at Villarreal CF (women).
Images for kids
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Deportivo de La Coruña playing against Villarreal C. F.
See also
- Villarreal CF B – Second team currently in the Primera Federación
- Villarreal CF C – Third team currently in the Tercera Federación
- Category:Villarreal CF players
