Villarreal

Villarreal

Villarreal CF, founded on March 10, 1923, in the ceramic-tile-producing city of Vila-real (population ~50,000) in the province of Castellón, play at the intimate 23,500-capacity Estadio de la Cerámica and are one of football's most improbable success stories. After nearly seven decades of obscurity, the arrival of owner Fernando Roig in 1997 transformed the club, with promotion to La Liga in 1998 beginning a remarkable ascent. The club reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2006 and 2022 and in 2021 won their first major trophy — the UEFA Europa League — defeating Manchester United 11-10 on penalties in Gdansk under Unai Emery. Club legends Santi Cazorla, Juan Román Riquelme, and Diego Forlán have graced the yellow shirt, embodying a club nicknamed El Submarino Amarillo (The Yellow Submarine) that consistently punches far above its modest origins.