The fan is well-known in the Russian capital for his love of the Yellows
Bogdan Bakaleyko, Villarreal fan from Moscow, has been following the Yellows for more than a decade. He says he was inspired after watching a match in the 2007/08 season. “It all started with a game against Barcelona. We won 1-2 and Jon Dahl Tomasson. I remember thinking ‘who are those guys? Why aren’t they stars like Ronaldinho and Henry?’” And from there, I discovered about the club, about Fernando Roig and how he runs the club, about Vila-real, about the player and I fell in love.
Bogdan has seen the Yellows play three times, in Minsk, Moscow and St Petersburg, and dreams of going to the Estadio de la Cerámica one day. He says his best moment as a ‘groguet’ was promotion in 2013. “My favourite moment watching as a fan was when the team returned from Segunda. That year was great, with the game against Barcelona B, where we turned the stadium yellow.”
His favourite player of all time for the Yellows is Cani: “I like Rubén Cani, he was a tough guy, but he was a very technical and smart player at the same time. His crossing and dribbling was magnificent. I also of course love Marcos Senna, Santi Cazorla, Bruno Soriano and Giuseppe Rossi, but for me, Cani was the best!”
The Russian is well-known in his local community as a Villarreal fan: “After the Europa League final, everyone in my favourite bar in Moscow knew about Villarreal, because I shouted a lot and discussed the team and players and told cool stories about Villarreal. Now, the barmen there joke to me when I come in, and call me ‘Bogdan Villarreal’.”
