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 | |||
| 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 CF is a professional football club from Villarreal, Spain. They play in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain. The club is often called El Submarino Amarillo, meaning "The Yellow Submarine". This is because of their bright yellow home uniforms.
Villarreal CF was started in 1923. For many years, they played in lower divisions of Spanish football. They first reached La Liga in 1998. In the 2000s, the team became more stable in the top league. They even played in the UEFA Champions League in 2005, reaching the semi-finals in 2006 and 2022. In 2021, Villarreal won their first big trophy, the UEFA Europa League, by beating Manchester United in the final. They play their home games at the Estadio de la Cerámica. Villarreal is known as a smaller club that has achieved great success.
Contents
Club History
Early Years: 1923–1929
The club was first called Club Deportivo Villarreal. It was founded on March 10, 1923. The goal was to promote all sports, especially football. The first stadium was rented for 60 pesetas a month. Tickets cost half a peseta for men and a quarter for children. Women could enter for free.
Villarreal played their very first game against Castellón on October 21, 1923. At the start, their uniform was white shirts and black shorts. This was shown on their first club badge.
Climbing the Divisions: 1929–1998
From 1929, Villarreal began playing in regional football competitions. In the 1934–35 season, they almost got promoted to the national Second Division. 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 again. Club Deportivo Villarreal was later dissolved. In 1942, a new club called CA Foghetecaz was formed. This name was an acronym of its founders' last names. In 1950, the club changed its name to CAF Villarreal. The "F" stood for Foghetecaz.
The club changed its name again to the current Villarreal CF in June 1954. They also got a badge similar to the one they use today. They were promoted to the Tercera Liga (Third Nationwide) in 1956. However, they were relegated in 1961.
In 1966, the club adopted their current badge. They returned to the Tercera division in 1967. In 1970, Villarreal reached the national Segunda division for the first time. They stayed there for two seasons before being relegated.
In 1987, Villarreal was promoted to the Segunda Liga B. In 1990, they went back down to the Tercera. But they quickly earned two promotions in a row. This brought them to Segunda A for the first time. From 1992 to 1997, Villarreal usually finished in the middle or lower part of the table.
In the 1997–98 season, they finished fourth and made it to the play-offs. They played against Compostela. The first game was a 0–0 draw at home. The second game ended 1–1, meaning Villarreal was promoted to La Liga because of the away goals rule.
La Liga and European Adventures: 1998–2012
Villarreal's first game in La Liga was on August 31, 1998. They played against Real Madrid and lost 4-1. After a tough season, Villarreal was relegated back to the Segunda División for the 1999–2000 season. But they finished third and were promoted back to La Liga right away.
After returning to La Liga, Villarreal finished seventh. Then they finished 15th for two seasons in a row. In 2002, they played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup. They won against teams from Iceland, Italy, and France. But they lost in the final to Málaga.
In 2003, Villarreal won the Intertoto Cup. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup. In their first big European tournament, they reached the semi-finals. They lost to their neighbors, Valencia, who went on to win the cup. In the league, Villarreal finished eighth.
In 2004, Villarreal won the Intertoto Cup again. This qualified them for the UEFA Cup once more. They lost in the quarter-finals to AZ. In the same season, Villarreal finished third in La Liga. This was their best league finish ever and earned them a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Their striker, Diego Forlán, was the top scorer in the league with 25 goals.
Villarreal played in the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. They beat Everton to get into the group stages. They did not lose any games in their group. They drew both matches against Manchester United. They also drew and won against Lille and Benfica. Both Villarreal and Benfica moved on to the next round.
In the Last 16, they drew 3–3 against Rangers of Scotland. Villarreal advanced because they scored more away goals. In the quarter-finals, they beat Internazionale on away goals after a 2–2 total score. The club was knocked out in the semi-finals by Arsenal, losing 1–0. Juan Román Riquelme missed a penalty kick in the home game, which ended 0–0.
In 2008, Villarreal achieved their best-ever league position, finishing second in La Liga. They also reached the last 32 in the UEFA Cup that season. They won their group without losing a game.
Villarreal automatically qualified for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League. 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 and Aalborg 6–3. Villarreal made it to the knockout stage. 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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In 2010, Villarreal got a spot in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League qualifying round. They won their group after a tough start. They beat Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen, and Twente in the knockout rounds. This brought them to the semi-finals against Porto. Porto won the first game 5–1. Even though Villarreal won the second game 3–2, Porto advanced to the final. Giuseppe Rossi was the second-highest goalscorer 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 this, many star players left the club.
After just 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 very well, 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 a direct spot in the Europa League group stage. In the 2015–16 season, Villarreal was in first place in La Liga for a short time. They ended the season in fourth place, which meant they would play in the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League playoff round. They reached the semi-finals of the Europa League but lost to Liverpool.
In 2019–20, Villarreal finished fifth, earning a spot in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League. They had an amazing journey, reaching the final after beating Arsenal. In the final, they faced the strong team of Manchester United. The game ended in 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 Champions League the next season.
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. Chelsea won 6–5 in the penalty shootout. That same season, Villarreal made it to the semi-finals of the Champions League. They beat Juventus and Bayern Munich before losing to Liverpool.
Club Rivalries
Villarreal has a long-standing rivalry with Castellón. This is because both clubs are from the same area, the province of Castellón. There is also a big rivalry with Valencia. This match is called the "Derbi de la Comunitat". It has become more intense as Villarreal has become a stronger team.
Club Records
- Villarreal's biggest home league win was by five goals. This happened four times, with 5–0 victories against different teams.
- The most goals Villarreal scored in a league game was six. This was in a 6–3 home win against Racing Santander in 2003–04.
- Their largest away league wins include 5–1 at Las Palmas and 4–0 at Real Sociedad.
- The club's first major trophy was the Europa League in 2021.
Club Colours
The famous yellow uniform of Villarreal dates back to 1947. The son of the club president went to buy new white shirts and black shorts. But the shop only had yellow uniforms. The players liked the yellow shirts. They didn't like the black shorts, so they bought white shorts and dyed them blue.
The yellow shirts and blue shorts were the club's official uniform for a while. But since the 2002–03 season, the club has worn all-yellow kits. Their away uniforms are usually navy blue.
From 2005 to 2011, the shirt sponsor was "Aeroport Castello," an airport. The current shirt sponsor is Pamesa, a company that makes ceramics. Since the 2016–17 season, the uniforms have been made by the Spanish company Joma.
Club Honours
Domestic Trophies
- Tercera División
- Winners: 1969–70
European Trophies
- UEFA Europa League
- Winners: 2020–21
- UEFA Intertoto Cup
- Winners: 2003, 2004
Nickname and Mascot
The team is called El Submarino Amarillo (the Yellow Submarine) because of their yellow uniforms. Their mascot is named Groguet, which means "Little Yellow". Groguet is a cartoon submarine. He first appeared on October 26, 2001. A 12-year-old local boy named Javier Fuster Almela named him after a competition for kids under 15.
Current Players
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Reserve and Loan Players
Villarreal also has a reserve team, Villarreal CF B, and a third team, Villarreal CF C. These teams help younger players develop their skills. Some players from the main squad might also be on loan to other clubs to gain more experience.
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Player Records
Most Appearances
- Manu Trigueros has played the most games for Villarreal, with 477 appearances.
- Bruno Soriano is second with 425 games.
- Mario Gaspar is third with 424 games.
- Gerard Moreno is still playing and is currently eighth on the list with 281 appearances.
Top Goalscorers
- Gerard Moreno is the club's all-time top scorer with 120 goals.
- Adriano García is second with 106 goals.
- Giuseppe Rossi is third with 82 goals.
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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Chart of Villarreal CF league performance 1929–present
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Deportivo de La Coruña vs. Villarreal C. F.
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The team bus
See also
In Spanish: Villarreal Club de Fútbol para niños
