Yellows supporters have voted on social networks for their favourite footballers from the club’s 97 years of history
Villarreal CF fans have chosen their ideal XI from Yellows’ history. The votes from supporters on social media have led to a stellar lineup, made up of some of the best footballers to put on the yellow shirt.
Goalkeeper
- Sergio Asenjo. The current Villarreal goalkeeper has broken the 200-game mark for the Yellows. The shotstopper, who has represented Spain at international level, has great reflexes and a great mentality to fight back after setbacks. He arrived in Vila-real in the 2013/14 season, and is currently in his seventh season with the Yellow Submarine.
Defenders
- Mateo Musacchio. Formed in the Yellows Academy and committed to the club, he stayed in Segunda División to return the Submarine to the elite of Spanish football once more. His excellent positioning and ability to start play from the back make him a complete defender. After moving up from Villarreal B, he played for the first team for seven seasons, until the 2016/17 season. He is current at AC Milan.
- Gonzalo Rodríguez. The Argentine defender is one of the players who was featured in the most agmes for Villarreal and is an emblematic captain. His personality and defensive solidity made him the leader of the Yellows’ defence for eight seasons. He arrived in the 2004/05 season, leaving at the end of the 2011/12 campaign.
- Pau Torres. The Villarreal defender is one of the players with the brightest futures around. With a great ability to anticipate and an extremely talented left boot, the player, formed in the Submarine’s youth ranks is the first player from Vila-real to make his debut with the Spanish national team, and he has already scored for his country.
- Rodolfo Arruabarrena. The man behind one of the most important goals in club history, against Inter Milan, the Argentine full-back spent seven seasons wearing yellow, and was a key piece of one of the club’s golden eras. He arrived in the 2000/01 season, leaving after the 2006/07 campaign.
Midfielders
- Santi Cazorla. The midfielder from Asturias is one of the most talented players in Villarreal CF history. Formed at the Yellows Academy, the skilful footballer is high up on the list of the Yellows’ top goalscorers and top assist providers of all time. He is a Spain international and has played eight seasons with Villarreal. Six of them came after coming through the youth system, and the last two have been after returning home, with time at Málaga and Arsenal in between those two spells.
- Marcos Senna. The Spanish-Brazilian footballer is a real Villarreal legend. With great quality and physicality, the ‘eternal captain’ was the man who was in charge of the middle of the pitch for 11 seasons. He represented Spain internationally, and was a key man in the country’s Euro 2008 win. He joined the Yellow Submarine in the 2002/03 season, and ended his career at the club in 2013, after helping the team return to the top flight.
- Bruno Soriano. A Villarreal CF standard bearer. Formed at the Yellows Academy, the midfielder from Artana has become one of the most important players for the club. He has been captain since Senna left, and is the player to have featured in the most games for the Yellow Submarine (418). A Spain international, the No.21 has represented the first team for 13 seasons.
- Juan Román Riquelme. The Argentine midfielder was one of the Yellow Submarine’s stars in its sweetest moment. He was a magician with a ball, constantly providing assists. The Argentina international was the man to best represent his team for an era. He joined Villarreal in the 2002/03 season, leaving midway through the 2006/07 campaign.
Strikers
- Giuseppe Rossi. The Italian-American striker is a forward with a lot of quality and an innate capacity of scoring goals. The top scorer in the club’s history, ‘Il Bambino’ is a footballer loved by the Yellows fans, who celebrated 82 goals scored by ‘Beppe’. He joined the club aged just 20, keen on success. He played for five-and-a-half seasons in yellow, from 2007/08 to the 2012/13 season.
- Diego Forlán. The Uruguayan striker was an unstoppable goalscorer who was one of the best in the world. In his first season in yellow, he won the ‘Golden Boot’ with Villarreal, after scoring 25 goals. The forward is the second highest goalscorer of all time with the Yellow Submarine, after playing for the club for three seasons. He joined Villarreal in the 2004/05 season and left at the end of the 2006/07 campaign.
