Villareal is not exactly one of the elite teams in La Liga. However, apart from the duo giants, they have been one of the most progressive Spanish clubs since millenium. Their home ground, Estadio La Ceramica, might not be fancy but the atmosphere there with more than 23,000 fans is as excitinf as the one in Camp Nou or Bernabeu for the European games.
The Yellow Submarines have only played in UEFA Champions League for less than five occasions but their progress is notable. Several figures have been the key personel in their European campaign such as Juan Ruqielme, Diego Forlan, Joseba Llorente and Marcos Senna. Yet, when it comes to the man at the helm of the club throughout their golden days in UCL, only Manuel Pellegrini is the one who deserves such recognition so far. He is their only foreign manager who could guide them to the crucial stages of the tournament.
Top Achievements in the competition
Villareal’s
Top Achievements
in UEFA Champions League so far were under Manuel Pellegrini’s command. They managed to advance to the last four in their first entry in 2005/06 season. However, Pellegrini’s men were defeated 0-1 by Arsenal in aggregate. Three years later, it was also the Gunners which ended their campaign at the quarter final. Arsene Wenger’s side trashed them 3-0 in London after sharing spoils at their home turf. Their last campaign in the Champions League was in 2011/12. Villareal could not go through the group stage but lost in all fixtures at the group stage.
Villareal’s Iconic European Moments
For the team which more often plays in the second tier of continental competition, Villareal surely have limited but memorable moments. Their first unforgettable matches were the four games against Manchester United in 2005/06 and 2008/09 seasons. The Yellow Submarines managed to hold the Red Devils in a goalless draw. Such results helped them to go through the next stage in both occasions.
The next notable moment was still in 2006 when Roman Riquelme and Co thumped Inter 1-0 after losing 1-2 in Milan. Rudolfo Araubarraena scored the winning goal. It was the victory which sent them to the semi final.
Nevertheless, some other games in their campaign are more iconic for the negative results. The defeats against Arsenal at the semi final 2006 dan the quarter final 2009 have been the most disappointing one as they failed to score a single away goal while facing off The Gunners.
