Villarreal FC: The Yellow Submarine

Villarreal Club de Fútbol, commonly known as Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, was founded on 10th March 1923. The team from the small town of Vila-real in the Valencian Community was established by a group of football enthusiasts led by José Calduch Almela and Francisco Roig Ballester source. Initially named CAF Villarreal after the local agricultural federation, it changed its name to CD Villarreal five years later.

After spending several decades playing primarily amateur and regional football, they slowly climbed up through Spain's lower divisions throughout the 90s. Their first promotion to La Liga came in 1998 under manager José Antonio Irulegui source. Despite relegation after their debut season, they returned stronger two years later with key players like Marcos Senna leading them into a successful era.

In more recent times, one can arguably state that since late 1990s started their golden era which still continues today. They finished in third place during the 2004-05 season just behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. This finish ensured their qualification for UEFA Champions League for the first time where they reached semifinals next year losing out narrowly to Arsenal due to missed penalty source.

Another iconic moment came when Manager Marcelino led them back into La Liga from Segunda Division during his tenure between 2013-16 his success based around a solid defensive structure and quick counter-attacks. Villarreal reached the semi-finals of 2015–16 UEFA Europa League, their first ever major European final in May 2021 where they beat Manchester United to win UEFA Europa league source.

The Yellow Submarines have several rivals with Valencia CF being one of them due to geographical proximity known as 'Derby de la Comunitat'. Matches between these two teams are always fiercely contested. The rivalry extends back to early years when both clubs were competing for dominance in regional leagues source.

Castellón is also another local rival although they haven't met frequently due to Castellón usually playing in lower divisions.

Villarreal's home ground is Estadio de la Cerámica, formerly known as El Madrigal until it was renamed in 2017. It has a capacity of approximately 23,500 spectators. Despite its smaller size compared to other La Liga stadiums, it is famous for creating an intimate atmosphere that often works to Villarreal's advantage source.

Its distinctive yellow seats create an imposing sea of colour that can be incredibly intimidating for visiting teams, giving Villarreal a significant home advantage.

Villarreal has a passionate fan base primarily from Vila-real but spreading across Spain and internationally too thanks to its international success. The fans are known for their vocal support during matches, with a number of fan groups such as 'El Submarino Amarillo' leading the chants and tifos.

The club is also renowned for its strong focus on youth development, with fans taking great pride in seeing homegrown talent blossom in the first team source.

Top 10 moments in Villarreal's history:

• Foundation in 1923.
• Promotion to La Liga in 1998.
• Qualification for Champions League (2005).
• Reaching UCL semifinals (2006).
• Promotions from Segunda Division under Marcelino (2013).
• Semis finals of UEFA Europa League (2015–16)
• Beating Real Madrid at Santiago Bernabeu first time(2018).
• Undefeated at home season(2018) -Reaching their first major European final - Europa league final against Manchester United.(2021) -Winning their first ever European championship – UEFA Europa Trophy against Manchester United.(2021)