The Yellows, hosts of the tournament, lead the ‘Compañerismo’ group after wins over UD Ibiza and Granada CF
“We’re going to Bilbao”, the Villarreal EDI (team with intellectual disabilities) players chanted enthusiastically after a dream weekend at the José Manuel Llaneza Training Ground. In which everything went perfectly. From start to finish.
For the third time, Villarreal hosted the third phase of LALIGA Genuine. A tournament that started with its first edition in 2017 and which returned to play the final phase in 2023. A special date for all the participants, but even more so for the Villarreal players, who were fully aware that this time they were going to feel the warmth of their fans more than ever.
After a fantastic start to the competition with three wins and a draw in the first two phases, held in Tarragona and Valencia, it was now time for the Yellows. It was time to make the most of the experience and achieve two victories against UD Ibiza and Granada CF.
Already on Friday, the called-up players gathered at the Intelier Orange hotel in Benicàssim, where they stayed together for the whole weekend, before and after the matches. On arrival at Miralcamp, the atmosphere was fantastic both Saturday and Sunday. Teams and fans alike were bringing colour to the Submarine’s sporting facilities.
Diversity rules
The motivation and desire to play the matches was palpable among the Groguets selected for this great competition. Although each one expressed it in their own way. Miguel Ángel Archela kept a serious, concentrated face, while his teammate Jessica Barquier joked and chatted with all her teammates. Jose Gozalbo, for his part, was looking at his opponents and reasoning about the strengths of other teams in the tournament.
It is precisely this diversity that is the real treasure of this group. A selection of players from four different teams in Villarreal CF’s EDI structure, in which everyone plays, and each one shines with their own light, making the group function at its best on and off the pitch. In the dressing room, everyone pulls on their boots before it’s time for the harangue. At that moment, Eric Villegas takes on the role of leader and motivator, since, as always, with his talks, he inspires his teammates to go out to the games with maximum enthusiasm.
All these emotions are channelled with passion and a lot of left-handedness by the excellent group of coaches who accompany, guide and prepare the Villarreal players. Sonia Alcón, Ana Roig, Antonio Jiménez, Rafael Julián and Marta Cádiz are much more than just coaches for this group of players of extraordinary qualities. They are confidants, friends and references, on whom the 16 called-up players rely. They are all eager to have fun and do well in the tournament.
A party on the pitch and in the stands
The Yellows shone against UD Ibiza, opening with a 3-0 win. On the other hand, they had more doubts before the second match against Granada, who they remembered -from other editions- as a tough and very physical team. That memory sparked the alert in the players, making them come out, if possible, with even more motivation.
With the opening whistle, a devastating start, accompanied by the precision of captain Javi Ruiz, the dribbling of Juan Ramón Lara and the energy of Miguel Ángel Archela, put the victory over the Andalusians on track, which ended in a 3-0 win after a fantastic team performance by all the Yellow players. The hundreds of Villarreal fans who accompanied the team celebrated the victory with them.
With the two home wins, Villarreal take the lead in the LALIGA Genuine ‘Compañerismo’ Group before travelling to Bilbao, where the Submarine will fight to become champions of this exciting tournament, where smiles and the desire to enjoy sport come before everything else.
