Villarreal bid farewell to a year that will be remembered for great European nights

Villarreal bid farewell to an unforgettable year with unforgettable moments in the history of the club. The Champions League semi-finals against Liverpool, the qualification against FC Bayern in the quarter-finals and Juventus FC in the last 16, the promotion of the B team to Segunda, the tribute to José Manuel Llaneza and the remodelling of the Estadio de la Cerámica in record time were, among others, the great events of the last year for the Submarine.

Conquering Turin

The draw for the round of 16 in the Champions League threw up a tough tie against Juventus FC, a historic club in European football. After the 1-1 draw in the first leg at the Estadio de la Cerámica, the Yellows were determined to take on Juventus Stadium to reach the quarter-finals. On 16 March, in front of more than 40,000 ‘tifosi’ who filled the stands of the Juventus Stadium, Villarreal beat the Italian giants 3-0 with goals from Gerard Moreno, Pau Torres and Arnaut Danjuma to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Historic qualification at the Allianz Arena

The Champions League dream was still alive, but Bayern Munich crossed the path of Villarreal CF in the quarter-finals. The Estadio de la Cerámica was tinged with yellow to cheer on their team in the first leg, where the Submarine, after a superb performance, won 1-0 thanks to a Danjuma goal.

The Yellows fans accompanied the team on a historic trip to Germany. Against the Bavarian side, the Yellows did not give up and, despite going behind after Robert Lewandowski’s goal at the start of the second half, they managed to secure a historic place in the semi-finals of the competition thanks to Samu Chukwueze’s goal, which put the Germans out of sight after a dizzying counter-attack by the Yellows.

Champions League semi-finals for the history books

Villarreal faced Liverpool again in the semi-finals of a European competition. In the first leg at Anfield, Villarreal lost 2-0, but the bad result did not affect the Submarine’s morale, as they looked to the second leg to try to achieve the ultimate comeback.

On 28^th April, the Yellows hosted the English side in front of an impressive atmosphere at the Estadio de la Cerámica. The first half had the 22,000 fans in the yellow coliseum dreaming. Boulaye Dia and Francis Coquelin gave Villarreal the lead and drew the tie level. In the second half, the dream of reaching the final was extinguished with three goals from the English side that swung the tie in their favour. Despite this, Villarreal experienced an unforgettable match.

Villarreal B’s unforgettable promotion to LaLiga SmartBank

2022 has also left us with some great moments for the Yellows Academy. Villarreal B were promoted to LaLiga SmartBank, becoming the only B team in the second highest national league. After a great campaign, Miguel Álvarez’s men finished second and had to go through some challenging play-off games to achieve their objective.

The Mini Submarine had to face UD Logroñes in the play-off for promotion to the Second Division, in the semi-finals (3-1), and Nàstic de Tarragona, in the final (2-0). Nico Jackson’s two goals at Balaídos certified the Yellows’ promotion to LaLiga SmartBank.

Villarreal Women stay in the top flight with an impeccable second half of the season

Villarreal Women achieved their goal of staying up after an impressive second half of the season. After a tough start to the season and an unfair sanction imposed by the RFEF, Sara Monforte’s team turned things around. In the final stretch of the season, the Yellows managed five victories and creditable draws that allowed them to be comfortably safe, quite an achievement for a team that is gradually settling in the Finetwork Liga F.  

Qualifying for the UEFA Conference League

The Submarine achieved their goal of entering European competition for the third consecutive season. The Yellows collected 59 points and achieved a creditable seventh place, certifying qualification for the UEFA Conference League. Villarreal are used to cruising in sealing. Not in vain, they have played in European competition for 18 seasons (16 not counting the Intertoto Cup) and 23 seasons in the top flight. Impressive.

Tribute to Bruno Soriano

Bruno Soriano was honoured at the Estadio de la Cerámica before the match between Villarreal and Sevilla, corresponding to matchday 35 of the 21/22 LaLiga Santander season. The former captain, the player with the second most appearances in the club’s history, received a commemorative plaque and the affection of the fans, who were unable to pay tribute to him on his retirement due to the lack of fans in the stadiums. In addition, Bruno performed the honorary kick-off, receiving the affection of the fans. The legend was also named honorary member of the Villarreal CF Official Supporters’ Group (Agrupació de Penyes del Villarreal CF).

Manu Trigueros becomes the player with the most appearances and Gerard reaches 100 goals

Manu Trigueros, after starting the UEFA Europa Conference League match against Polish side Lech Poznan, became the most-capped player in the club’s history with 426 appearances, surpassing Bruno Soriano. Bruno himself was in charge of presenting him with a plaque with the shirt and the number of matches. The midfielder has now spent 12 seasons with the Yellows.

Gerard Moreno also reached the impressive milestone of 100 goals for Villarreal after scoring a brace in the Copa del Rey in a 9-0 win over CD Santa Amalia in the First Round of the Copa del Rey.

Everlasting José Manuel Llaneza

The Yellows family suffered an irreparable loss in 2022, that of José Manuel Llaneza. The club’s vice-president passed away at the age of 74. The yellow supporters and the whole football world wanted to give him the respect and affection that José Manuel earned throughout his impeccable career and with his charming personality. In the league match against UD Almería, an emotional minute’s silence was held, which moved every supporter. Your legacy is everlasting, José Manuel!

Returning to the remodelled Estadio de La Cerámica

This magnificent year will end in the best possible way, with the inauguration of a remodelled Estadio de la Cerámica. Against Valencia CF, the team will return to their home ground, which will look spectacular. The Yellow fans, after a long time without being in their home ground, will welcome the team at home, where last season they experienced magical nights that they will never forget.