The Yellows Academy’s best moments of 2018

Villarreal CF’s youth teams have had an unforgettable year

La #CanteraGrogueta está a punto de finalizar un 2018 repleto de momentos inolvidables. Los diez más destacados son los siguientes:

1. Semi-finals of the Premier League International Cup with Salem Al Dawsari. Villarreal B once more took part in the Premier League International Cup. The Yellows had a perfect group stage and beat Manchester United in the quarter-finals (0-2). They reached the semi-finals, where they fell on penalties after drawing 2-2 with Arsenal. It was Saudi Arabia international Salem Al Dawsari’s debut in a Villarreal CF shirt.
2. Historias de Vida. One of the most emotional moments of 2018 was the Historias de Vida presentation. It was a project within Endavant Igualtat where the U16s A (Cadete A) collaborated with the Virgen de Gracia Retirement Home in Vila-real. It was an emotional initiative that looked back at the older people’s lives with the help of the youngsters. The climax was the video which saw Pepe Serrano tell his story with the help of the academy player Pau. You can watch the video here: Historias de Vida. 
3. The U12 Ladies Side, 2017/18 league champions. The  U12s Ladies Side (Alevín Femenino) were impressive as they won their league title. The Yellows were the only Yellows Academy side who went throughout the whole season unbeaten. They were paraded on the pitch at half-time at the Estadio de la Cerámica during the first-team’s clash with CD Leganés.
4. Villarreal B, the best reserves side in Spain. Despite not winning a title during the season, 2017/18 was Villarreal B’s best season in recent memory. The Yellows Reserves, first under Javi Calleja and then Miguel Álvarez,  were able to shine despite injuries, showing a fantastic level throughout the season, finishing second in the table, and qualifying for the Segunda División promotion play-offs until the third knock-out game. Only Elche CF were able to put an end to the promotion dream. In fact, Villarreal B have been the best reserve side of 2018 in Segunda División B, with 35 points at the start of the 2018/19 season. This is better than the 32 points Real Madrid Castilla have in Group 1. After Villarreal and Real Madrid, Real Oviedo B have 32, Barcelona B and Atlético B have 28, Las Palmas Atlético have 24, Valladolid B have 23 and Celta B have 22.
5. The U12s A, COTIF champions. At the start of August 2018, Villarreal’s U12s A (Alevín A) were named champions of COTIF Promesas ISTOBAL, the prestigious international football tournament in L’Alcúdia, after beating Sevilla CF 2-3. The Yellows’ goals came from Jorge Casañe, Alejandro Pérez and Miguel García. The Mini Submarine finished with five wins, a draw and two losses throughout the whole tournament
6. The explosion of Samu Chukwueze. One of the stars of the moment for Villarreal is Samu Chukwueze. In just a few months, the Nigerian attacker went from featuring with the U19s A (Juvenil A) to being a key player for Villarreal B in the promotion play-offs. His impressive performances led to Calleja giving him an opportunity in the first-team, and he’s one of the most important players for Luis García’s side. He has six goals this season (two for Villarreal B and four with the first team).
7. The great start for the Ladies First Team. Villarreal’s Ladies First Team (Femenino A) started the season showing they mean business. Sara Monforte’s side strengthened this season looking for promotion. Their start to the campaign has been impressive, sitting top of the table for a number of matchdays.
8. The record-breaking team: U14s A. Villarreal’s U14s A (Infantil A) side have started the season in remarkable style. They are top of their league with record-breaking figures, 51 points from 17 matches, scoring 74 goals and letting in just one. Simply spectacular. The only team that managed to score against them was Lacross Babel on Matchday 13. Brilliant.
9. Aixa Salvador’s treble and Marc Vidal, Nacho Días and Carlos Beitia becoming World Cup runners-up. It was an unforgettable 2018 for Aixa Salvador. The Ladies First Team player won the European U17 Championship and U17 World Cup with Spain U17s, as well as being crowned Spanish Champions with the Comunidad Valenciana. Furthermore, academy players Marc Vidal, Nacho Díaz and Carlos Beitia were U17 World Cup runners up with Spain in India.
10. Top Ten 2018/19 goals. The best goal of the season so far came from Naiara Ves from the Ladies First Team. A lethal left-footed strike. To see the top ten goals, click the following link: Top Ten.