Kiko Olivas, Marcos Gullón and Juan Carlos lead the list of players with the most appearances for the Mini Submarine in Segunda B and above
Pablo Iñiguez and Sergio Lozano are already living history at Villarreal B, accumulating 113 and 110 appearances for the Yellow Submarine respectively. Now, they are very close to increasing their figure in the Yellows Academy, being able to join the historical podium of most appearances in the Mini Submarine in Segunda B and above. Kiko Olivas (146), Marcos Gullón (127) and Juan Carlos (119) lead this ranking of Villarreal B players. All three of them were able to play with the first team on numerous occasions.
Olivas played a total of 12 games in the yellow jersey in the first team during the 09/10 and 10/11 seasons. His debut could not have been sweeter. The Submarine beat Dutch side NAC Breda 6-1 in the second leg of the play-off for the UEFA Cup and the home-grown player scored the sixth goal to seal the win.
In the case of Gullón, he made a total of six appearances for the first team. His debut came in the Copa del Rey against Puertollano, but he also made his debut in the UEFA Cup against Napoli at the old Madrigal and in the Champions League against Manchester City in England. Juan Carlos, on the other hand, had a more extensive career with the top yellow team, accumulating a total of 57 games, five of them in European competitions, after making his debut against Almería in the 07/08 campaign.
Iñigue, the loyal centre-back
Pablo Iñiguez was and is one of the jewels of the Yellows Academy. The Valencian centre-back broke into the first team in the 12/13 season in the second division, making a total of seven appearances in the silver tier, where he continues to compete at the highest level. His debut in the top flight came at the age of just 19 and took place on the first matchday of the following season. The Submarine beat UD Almeria 2-3 with the Yellows defender starting and playing the full 90 minutes.
Injuries prevented him from establishing himself with the Yellows and he left for several teams across Spain before returning home to continue making history and helping the B team to be promoted to LaLiga SmartBank. Now, Iñiguez continues to enjoy and give his best under Miguel Álvarez, keeping the Mini Submarine in mid-table.
Lozano, from the residence to professional football
Sergio Lozano has been with the Yellows Academy for 12 years since he arrived at the Miralcamp residence as a child. In that residence of dreams, he fulfilled his dream and triumphed on all the pitches of the José Manuel Llaneza Training Ground until he made it to the Mini Estadi and, later, to La Cerámica. Since his arrival, he has only worn the yellow jersey, except for his half season on loan at FC Cartagena.
At just 18 years of age, he was able to play his first game in continental competition against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 17/18 season. Later, he got his chance in the Copa del Rey against Comillas CF. The magician from Alzira has shown glimpses of his quality this year in LaLiga SmartBank, a competition in which he has already scored five goals in yellow.
Other historic members of the B team
Other players in the current Villarreal B squad who are on the verge of reaching 100 appearances for the reserve team and are close to the top 10 are Diego Collado (12th , Migue Leal (13th), Dani Tasende (14th), Carlo Adriano (20th) and Dela (24th).
Gerard Bordas, Aitor Fernández, Matilla, Felipe, Mario González, Ramón Bueno and Mario Gaspar close the top 15 along with the aforementioned players. Undoubtedly, all of them are players remembered from the best-positioned youth academy in the country, having helped its development at different times in the recent history of yellow youth football.
