The Spanish-Brazilian midfielder is one of the most emblematic footballers of Villarreal CF history
Marcos Senna (Sao Paulo, 17/07/1976) is one of the biggest emblems of Villarreal CF history. With No.19 on his back, the Spanish-Brazilian midfielder donned the yellow shirt for 11 seasons, wore the captain’s armband, and represented the Yellows for 363 games.
Physically powerful and with an excellent reading of the game, Marcos Senna became, after his memorable spell with the Yellow Submarine, one of the best footballers LaLiga has seen in recent years. His long-range striking of the ball and his precision when taking free-kicks and penalties set him apart as a midfielder with a goalscoring capacity. Despite playing as a holding midfielder, Senna score 33 goals for the Yellows.
In the summer of 2002, Senna joined Villarreal CF, from Sao Caetano, a Brazilian club that reached the Copa Libertadores final that year. However, his time with the Yellow Submarine didn’t start particularly well. Two serious knee injuries stopped him from being a regular fixture in the team during his first two seasons as a ‘groguet’.
After leaving the physical problems behind him, the Spanish-Brazilian midfielder started to show his best version, and he became the engine for an exciting team, led by Manuel Pellegrini, that was the envy of much of Europe.
His great performances with Villarreal didn’t go unnoticed by Spain manager Luis Aragonés, who made him into an indispensable player for ‘La Roja’. After gaining Spanish nationality in 2005, he made his debut for the national side a year later, before being crowned European champions with them in 2008.
Senna has been there in the majority of the club’s biggest moments throughout its history. He didn’t want to leave the Yellows after their relegation to Segunda. Completely committed to the team, he decided to extend his contract and stay with the team for a season more, to return the club to the top flight of Spanish football. After achieving that, he left Villarreal, to end his career in the US, with New York Cosmos.
Nowadays, as well as being a real Yellows legend, he is still tied to the club, as a member of the Villarreal CF Institutional Relations department.
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