The Villarreal fan saw his dream of visiting the Estadio de la Cerámica come true in November 2011
Hiroyuki Kawamura started to follow Villarreal in the 2003/04 season, when his favourite player, Juan Román Riquelme, joined the club. The Yellow Submarine fan lives in Tokyo, Japan, working for a marketing department of a video game company.
After getting to know more about the club, Kawamura fell in love with Villarreal: “I really admire the model of the club, which helps young players grow with a solid philosophy.” He is so passionate for the Yellows, that the loyal fan was one of the creators behind of the Villarreal Japan website, created in 2009, and still in use.
After various years following Villarreal from his country, Kawamura was able to visit the Estadio de la Cerámica in November 2011 and attend two matches: Villarreal v Getafe in LaLiga and Villarreal v Manchester City in the UEFA Champinos League, two matches in which he was able to meet other international fans. The time difference doesn’t stop the fan from missing a game. Every weekend, he follows his team loyally, despite being thousands of kilometres away.
When asked about his best moment as a Villarreal fan, Kawamura has no doubts: the penalty save by Gero Rulli which saw Villarreal become UEFA Europa League champions. He added that his current favourite player is Yermey Pino, although he recognizes that if he has to name a player from Villarreal’s history, he would choose Bruno Soriano. “He’s the pride and joy of the club, a legend who played for Villarreal all of his career. He’s the eternal captain,” emphasised Kawamura.
Here at Villarreal CF, we are telling you the stories of some of the Yellow Submarine’s biggest international fans with the ‘Yellows Around The World’ series.
