The club was founded on 10th March 1923 by a group of fans from Vila-real
Today is Villarreal CF’s 93rd birthday. In one of its sweetest moments, the Yellows are healthy, sit in fourth place in LaLiga and are immersed in the fight to win their Round of 16 UEFA Europa League tie to get through to the Quarter-finals of the competition.
Founded on 10th March 1923 by a group of fans from Vila-real, one of its great promoters was José Calduch Almela. Despite not competing in official matches until the next decade, the club, at the time called Club Deportivo Villarreal, started to define the identity that we know so well today. One of its first decisions was, in fact, to purchase the surface for El Madrigal stadium, constructing what today is one of the oldest stadiums in the top flight.
Since then, Villarreal CF have played a total of 16 seasons in the First Division (LaLiga), even managing a second place finish in the 2007/08 season. In Europe, the Yellows reached the UEFA Champions League Semi-finals, after their first time participating in the tournament, and were eliminated by Arsenal (2005/06 season).
The player who has played the most official matches for Villarreal CF is Marcos Senna (363). The Brazilian born Spaniard wore the Yellow uniform in 292 LaLiga matches, 16 in the Copa del Rey, 13 in the Europa League, 11 in the UEFA Cup, and 4 in the Intertoto Cup. Nowadays, Senna is a member of the Club’s Institutional Relations department.
Furthermore, the top goal scorer in Villarreal CF history is Giuseppe Rossi (82, 22 from the penalty spot). The Italian-American (Italian of American origin) scored, wearing the Villarreal CF uniform, 54 goals in LaLiga (13p), 7 in the Copa del Rey (1p), 5 in the Champions League (1p), and 16 goals in the Europa League (7p).
