Villarreal CF

Did You Know?

• The club's mascot, Groguet, is an anthropomorphic submarine; he debuted on 26 October 2001 and was named by a 12-year-old local, Javier Fuster Almela, after a province-wide competition.
• Villarreal's rivalry with Castellón stems from both being from the same province, with players reportedly threatened for transferring between the clubs.
• The club's nickname, Yellow Submarine, reflects both its yellow kit and its status as a low-profile team compared to larger clubs.

History

Club Deportivo Villarreal was founded on 10 March 1923 to promote all sports, especially football. The stadium was rented for 60 pesetas a month, with ticket prices set at half a peseta for men and a quarter for children; women entered free. On 21 October 1923, Villarreal played its first game, against Castellón. The club initially wore white shirts and black shorts. From 1929–30, Villarreal entered regional competitions. In 1934–35, a win against Cartagena would have secured promotion to the nationwide Second Division, but the team lost. The following season, Villarreal won the regional First Division before the Spanish Civil War. After the war, the club played in the regional Second Division but was dissolved in the early 1940s. In 1942, CA Foghetecaz was established in its place, named after the founders' initials. On 25 August 1947, this new club joined the Valencian Football Federation, and in 1950 it renamed itself CAF Villarreal. The name changed to Villarreal CF in June 1954, with a badge similar to the current one. The club was promoted to the Tercera Liga as champions in 1956, but was relegated in 1960–61. After adopting its present badge in mid-1966, Villarreal returned to the Tercera as champions in 1966–67. In 1970, the club reached the national Segunda for the first time. After narrowly avoiding relegation in its first season, it was relegated the following season. In 1975–76, Villarreal was relegated from the Tercera to the Regionals, but bounced back the next season. In 1986–87, the club was promoted to the Segunda Liga B, but was relegated back to the Tercera in 1990.

Records

Villarreal's biggest league win at home is by a five-goal margin, achieved six times, including 5–0 victories against Salamanca (1998–99), Celta Vigo (2002–03 and 2016–17), Tenerife (2009–10), Levante UD (2021–22), and Girona FC (2025–26). The most goals scored in a league game is six, in a 6–3 home win over Racing Santander in 2003–04. The largest away league wins are 5–1 at Las Palmas (2000–01), 4–0 at Real Sociedad (2004–05), and 4–0 and 5–1 at Celta Vigo and Levante, respectively, both in 2020–21. The club's first major trophy came in 2021, a penalty shoot-out victory over Manchester United in the Europa League final.

Club colours

The club's yellow kit originated in 1947 when the president's son, sent to Valencia to buy replacements for the white shirts and black shorts, found neither in stock and purchased the only colour available: yellow. The players agreed to the shirts but disliked the black shorts, so the president's son bought white shorts from Castellón, which the players voted to dye blue. The yellow shirts and blue shorts combination remained the official kit until the 2002–03 season; since then, the club has worn all-yellow kits, with navy blue as the away colour. From 2005 to 30 June 2011, the shirt sponsor was Aeroport Castello; the current sponsor is Pamesa, a ceramics company. Since the 2016–17 season, the kit has been made by Joma, having previously been produced by Xtep and Puma.