Villarreal

Villarreal Club de Futbol, founded in 1923, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, a small city in the province of Castellon, Valencian Community, Spain. The club plays its home matches at the Estadio de la Ceramica, a 23,500-capacity stadium named after the local ceramics industry that is central to the region's economy. Remarkably, Villarreal's entire city population of approximately 50,000 is smaller than the capacity of many European stadiums, making the club's achievements extraordinary relative to its size. Villarreal won the UEFA Europa League in the 2020-21 season under coach Unai Emery, defeating Manchester United in the final on penalties, which was the club's first-ever major trophy. The club also reached the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in the 2005-06 season under Manuel Pellegrini, narrowly losing to Arsenal. Villarreal has twice finished as La Liga runners-up, in the 2007-08 and 2021-22 seasons. The club's yellow home kit has earned them the nickname 'El Submarino Amarillo' (The Yellow Submarine), a reference popularized after the Beatles song during the club's 1967 promotion campaign. Villarreal's academy and scouting network have discovered talents including Santi Cazorla, Bruno Soriano, and Pau Torres.