Villarreal CF and the defender part ways after 15 years together
Villarreal CF and Alfonso Pedraza will go their separate ways at the end of the current 2025/26 season. The defender will therefore bring to a close a successful 15-year spell linked to the Yellow Submarine.
Having come through the club’s academy, the Andalusian player has made a total of 234 appearances for the first team, becoming one of the most important footballers in Villarreal CF history after lifting the UEFA Europa League title in 2021 and playing in both the UEFA Super Cup and the Champions League semi-finals in 2022. As a final milestone, the Yellows No.24 ends his journey with the team having achieved a second consecutive qualification for Europe’s top competition.
Villarreal CF will pay tribute to him in the final LaLiga match against Atlético de Madrid, which will also serve as a celebration of the Champions League qualification with the fans at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
Half a lifetime linked to Villarreal CF
At just 15 years old, in 2011, Alfonso Pedraza joined the Yellow Academy to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer with Villarreal CF. During his formative years, he won the league title and the Champions Cup with the Juvenil A team in the 2014/15 season. That same campaign, he also made his first-team debut in a derby against Valencia CF at Mestalla at just 18 years old.
He later progressed to Villarreal B, where he played for a season before going on loan to CD Lugo, Deportivo Alavés and Leeds United. After gaining experience in professional football, he played his first full season with Villarreal’s first team in 2018/19.
He then spent another season on loan at Real Betis before returning definitively to Villarreal, where he would reach the pinnacle. Pedraza was a key player in the historic UEFA Europa League triumph in 2021 and an important part of the side that reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2022. His performances also earned him a call-up to the Spanish national team in the 2023/24 season.
For all of this, Villarreal CF thanks him for his commitment, dedication and professionalism during this period and wishes him the very best in his new professional chapter. You will always be a Yellow, Alfonso!
