The fan from St Petersburg has been following Villarreal since 2008
Dimitry Mikryukov is a Yellows fan who lives in Zelenogorsk, in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. Mikryukov started to follow Villarreal in 2008, a season of which fans of the Yellow Submarine will have pleasant memories. The team, then managed by Manuel Pellegrini, were runners up in LaLiga, and were knocked out of the UEFA Europa League by the team of Mikryukov’s home town, Zenit. “I became aware of Villarreal for the first time thanks to the match between Zenit and Villarreal in the UEFA Europa League Round of 32. I remember great players from that match, such as Cani and Bruno Soriano,” said the Russian groguet’
Dmitry explained why he became a Villarreal fan: “The way Villarreal play football attracted me, as well as how they run the club, which has allowed them to reach great heights, all while the academy is still important. For me, Villarreal CF is a family. He adds that he identifies with Villarreal, as ‘Vila-real is a small town, just like Zelenorgorsk.”
Despite the distance, Dmitry has watched the team live on two occasions, underlining his passion for the Yellow Submarine. The first of them was the game between Spartak Moscow and Villarreal (3-3) in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League group stage. The second match was in the Round of 16 of the same campaign, where the Yellows faced Zenit once more, winning 5-2 on aggregate.
Currently, Dmitry makes sure he watches all Villarreal games, although he says it isn’t easy: “I watch the LaLiga games on my phone, but I can watch the European games on TV,” he adds, as well as admitting that his favourite players from Villarreal history are Bruno, Jaume Costa and Santi Cazorla.
Through the Yellows Around the World series, Villarreal CF tell you the stories of some of our biggest international fans.
