The team of the Yellow Academy will attend next week’s U11s tournament in Istanbul organised by Fernerbahçe
Villarreal CF’s U11s will travel to Turkey under the guidance of Adrián Cardosa and Leandro Carbonell, accompanied by fitness coach Jaume Rigo and goalkeeping coach Paula Antolí, to take part in a prestigious tournament in Istanbul, organised by Fenerbahçe. For many of these boys, it will be their first football adventure abroad. Great teams such as Juventus and Inter Milan will be, along with the Submarine, in this championship.
First adventure outside Spain
Despite being the first time outside of the country for the team, it is not the first tournament of this level that the U11s will be attending, as one in Gran Canaria was their first test in this type of competition. In the Canary Islands they were able to enjoy “a nice experience of coexistence in which we were able to work on personal aspects and group cohesion,” said Cardosa.
It will undoubtedly be a great experience for the youngsters from the Yellows Academy, as their goalkeeping coach and former Villarreal Women player for eighteen years, Antolí, explains: “They are excited to be able to travel, play and compete abroad against top level teams. The beauty of this type of tournament is to live these experiences and above all to learn how to confront them”. It will be an exciting challenge to enjoy what they like the most, although far from their home and their comfort zone. It will be a time to grow, both on a footballing and personal level.”
A tournament with great teams
The tournament will be full of great teams. From Spain, Atlético de Madrid, alongside the Yellows, will be in charge of representing LaLiga’s youth teams. European giants such as Inter Milan and Juventus will also take part. In addition to the organising team (Fenerbahce), the rest of the big Turkish teams will not miss this tournament, Besiktas, Galatasaray and Istanbul Basaksehir will also be present.
Despite the high level of the tournament, the Yellows are not lagging behind and arrive as one of the big teams of the tournament. The Submarine’s respected image around the world is the result of the spectacular work that has been done over the last few years, especially since the arrival of the late José Manuel Llaneza. Academy coach Cardosa, is grateful for the facilities available to the professionals who work in the youth academy: “We have a large number of training resources to help our players in their personal and footballing development.”
A lot of excitement
In this way, the young players from the Yellows Academy have a golden opportunity to represent the club they love. Antolí explains what it’s like to be the image of Villarreal CF: “Being Villarreal’s representatives also carries a responsibility, as you have to be a faithful example of our methodology and be recognised for it. We try to ensure that the players progress at their own pace, but without neglecting the demands that come with being part of the Yellows Academy.”
The goalkeeping coach knows a lot about this and will be fundamental in guiding the players in Turkey, as she has been through all the youth teams of the Submarine and even had the honour of receiving the traditional ceramic submarine that is given to players who have defended the colours of Villarreal CF for ten years.
The U11s squad
The 12 players who will play in the tournament in Istanbul are: Daniel Adel, Jorge Beltrán, Daniel Serrano, Platón Moskalenko, Adrián Richart, Iker Vicent, Sergi Alcover, Pablo Verchili, Iker Reverté, Alberto Canós, Jaume Arnold, Enrique Blanquer.
The coaching staff will be made up of coaches Adrián Cardosa and Leandro Carbonell, physical trainer Jaume Rigo and goalkeeping coach Paula Antolí.
