The defender says farewell to Villarreal after 15 years at the club
Mario Gaspar has left Villarreal. The right-back will depart the Yellow Submarine after 15 seasons representing the Yellows, for both academy sides and the first team. The footballer from Alicante leaves being the player with the third-most matches in the club’s history (424), only one less than Manu Trigueros and Bruno Soriano.
Mario was crowned UEFA Europa League champion in Gdansk, as well as winning promotion to the top flight, and representing the Yellows in competitions such as the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. His time at La Cerámica saw him represent Spain at senior level, scoring a fantastic goal against England on his debut.
The 35,000-minute man
Mario Gaspar didn’t only play 424 games for the Yellows, but his statistics also show that he was a crucial player for the Submarine, starting 385 matches, and playing 34,935 minutes on the pitch, scoring 11 goals and proving 23 assists for the club.
Coaches at the club saw potential in Mario from a young age, and he moved through the youth ranks, before making his debut aged just 18, taking to the pitch on 15th March 2009 against Atlético de Madrid. Just one season later, he made his UEFA Europa League debut against Dinamo Zagreb, and in 2011, he got his first experience of the UEFA Champions League against FC Bayern.
Villarreal CF wishes Mario the best of luck in the next stage of his professional career.
