Editing Villarreal CF (section)

==History==
===1923–29: early years===
'''Club Deportivo Villarreal'''  was founded on 10 March 1923 "to promote all sports especially Football." The stadium was rented for 60 [[Spanishدانیتو کسیتو peseta|pesetas]] a month and ticket prices were set at half a peseta for men and a quarter of a peseta for children. Women were granted free admission.<ref name="autogenerated4">{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=3&idmenu=106&idsubmenu=109|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=10 September 2011|archive-date=4 September 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904093209/http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=3&idmenu=106&idsubmenu=109|url-status=live}}</ref> On 17 June 1923, [[CD Castellón|Castellón]], a modern rival of the club, played the first match against a club named after [[Miguel de Cervantes]]. On 21 October of that year, Villarreal played their first game ever, playing against Castellón.<ref name="autogenerated4" /> Villarreal started off with a kit of white shirts and black shorts, reflected in their first badge.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/historia/escudos|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|date=13 January 2021|access-date=29 May 2021|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526234545/http://www.villarrealcf.es/historia/escudos|url-status=live}}</ref>

===1929–98: time in lower divisions===
Villarreal entered regional competitions within the Spanish football pyramid from 1929 to 1930 onwards. The 1934–35 season saw the team lose to [[Cartagena CF|Cartagena]] when a win would have seen them promoted to the nationwide Second Division.<ref name="autogenerated4" /> The following season saw Villarreal win the First Division of the region before the outbreak of the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref name="autogenerated4" />

When the war finished in 1939, the club played again in the Second Division of the region.<ref name="autogenerated4" /> However, CD Villarreal was dissolved in the early 1940s, and in 1942, CA Foghetecaz, an acronym for the club's founders ('''Fo'''nt, '''G'''il, '''He'''rrero, '''Te'''uler, '''Ca'''talá and '''Z'''aragoza), was one of several clubs established in its place. On 25 August 1947, the new club joined the Valencian Football Federation and in 1950 renamed itself as CAF Villarreal, where the F stood for Foghetecaz.<ref name="autogenerated1" />

The name changed again to the current Villarreal CF in June 1954, with a badge similar to the present one.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> They finished seventh and then fourth twice in the First regional league before being promoted to the Tercera Liga (Third Nationwide) as champions in 1956. They were relegated in 1960–61 after finishing 14th.<ref name="autogenerated4" />

The club adopted their present badge in the middle of 1966.<ref name="autogenerated1" /> In 1966–67, Villarreal returned to the Tercera as champions. In 1970, they reached the national Segunda for the first time.<ref name="autogenerated4" /> After narrowly avoiding relegation in their first season, they were relegated the following season. In 1975–76, they were relegated from the Tercera to the Regionals, but were promoted back again the next season. In 1986–87, Villarreal were promoted to the Segunda Liga B.<ref name="autogenerated4" /> In 1990, they finished 18th and were relegated back to the Tercera.

There were back-to-back promotions as the club returned to Segunda B and finished second, earning promotion to Segunda A for the first time. From 1992 to 1997, Villarreal were often in low or mid-table positions, but reached the play-offs in 1997–98 by finishing fourth.<ref name="autogenerated3">{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=18&idmenu=106&idsubmenu=110|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=4 October 2011|archive-date=24 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024233013/http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=18&idmenu=106&idsubmenu=110|url-status=live}}</ref> The two-legged play-off was against [[SD Compostela|Compostela]]. Villarreal hosted the first leg which was a 0–0 draw, but the second leg at the home of the [[Galicia (Spain)|Galician]] team was a 1–1 draw, thus Villarreal were promoted on the [[away goals rule]].

===1998–2012: La Liga and European debuts===
Villarreal's [[La Liga]] debut started with a match against reigning [[UEFA Champions League|European champions]] [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] at the [[Santiago Bernabéu Stadium]] on 31 August 1998 where they lost 4-1 despite taking the lead after 3 minutes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Real Madrid vs Villarreal - La Liga 1999: all the info, lineups and events |url=https://www.besoccer.com/match/real-madrid/villarreal/199914404 |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=besoccer.com |language=en |archive-date=7 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407215519/https://www.besoccer.com/match/real-madrid/villarreal/199914404 |url-status=live }}</ref> The first home game was against [[RC Celta de Vigo|Celta de Vigo]]<ref name="autogenerated3" /> the week after. Because of a difficult season, Villarreal were relegated to the [[Segunda División]] for the [[1999–2000 Segunda División|1999–2000 season]], but by finishing third, they were then promoted back to the Primera División.

[[File:Van Persie Free Kick cropped.jpg|thumb|320x320px|[[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal FC]] vs Villarreal CF [[2008–09 UEFA Champions League]] quarter-finals]]
After finishing seventh on their return to the Primera, Villarreal finished in 15th place for two-straight seasons.<ref name=autogenerated3 /> Villarreal competed in the [[UEFA Intertoto Cup]] in the middle of 2002, defeating [[Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar|FH]] of Iceland, [[Torino F.C.|Torino]] of Italy, and [[Troyes AC|Troyes]] of France. They lost in the final to compatriots [[Málaga CF|Málaga]], 2–1 on aggregate.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=21&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=113&idsubmenu=164|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=4 October 2011|archive-date=24 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024233021/http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=21&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=113&idsubmenu=164|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the middle of 2003, they defeated the Dutch team [[SC Heerenveen|Heerenveen]] in the final of the Intertoto Cup, thereby qualifying for the [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]. In their major European debut, Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing to neighbours and eventual champions [[Valencia CF|Valencia]]. In the league, Villarreal finished in eighth place. In the middle of 2004, Villarreal retained the Intertoto Cup, beating compatriots [[Atlético Madrid]] on [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalties]] after the final finished 2–2 on aggregate. This qualified them to the UEFA Cup. They lost in the quarter-finals of the [[2004–05 UEFA Cup]] to Dutch side [[AZ Alkmaar|AZ]], losing 3–2 on aggregate. During the same season, Villarreal finished in third place in La Liga, earning the club their first direct qualification to a European tournament, the [[UEFA Champions League|Champions League]]. The club's centre-forward [[Diego Forlán]] won the [[Pichichi Trophy]] for top scorer in the league, with 25 goals.

Villarreal defeated the English Premier League's [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] in a play-off for the [[2005–06 UEFA Champions League|Champions League]] group stages. The group saw Villarreal go undefeated, drawing both games against [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] and achieving a draw and a win each against [[Lille OSC|Lille]] of France and [[S.L. Benfica|Benfica]] of Portugal. The win over Benfica was away and both teams advanced to the last 16.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=25&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=115&idsubmenu=168|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=4 October 2011|archive-date=24 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024233028/http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=25&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=115&idsubmenu=168|url-status=live}}</ref>

The club then drew 3–3 against [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] of Scotland in the Last 16, advancing on away goals due to a 2–2 draw at [[Ibrox Stadium|Ibrox]]. In the quarter-finals, Villarreal beat [[Inter Milan|Internazionale]] on away goals after finishing 2–2 on aggregate. The club bowed out in the semi-finals against [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]], losing 1–0 away at [[Arsenal Stadium|Highbury]]. [[Juan Román Riquelme]] had a [[Penalty kick (association football)|penalty]] saved by [[Jens Lehmann]] in the home game, which finished 0–0. Arsenal went on to lose in the final in [[Paris]] to another Spanish club, [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]. Villarreal finished seventh in La Liga, which only earned an Intertoto Cup position.
[[File:Villarreal Club de Fútbol league performance 1929-present.svg|thumb|317x317px|Chart of Villarreal CF league performance 1929–present]]
Villarreal contested the Intertoto Cup in the middle of 2006 and was knocked out in its first game, to [[NK Maribor|Maribor]] of Slovenia. The first leg was lost 2–1 at home and the away game was a 1–1 draw.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=24&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=113&idsubmenu=167|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=4 October 2011|archive-date=24 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024233208/http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=24&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=113&idsubmenu=167|url-status=live}}</ref> The team finished 5th in La Liga and qualified for the [[UEFA Cup]]. Villarreal gained their best-ever league position in 2008, finishing second to Real Madrid by eight points, and also reached the last 32 in [[2007–08 UEFA Cup|that season's UEFA Cup]]. After defeating [[FC BATE Borisov|BATE Borisov]] of Belarus in a play-off, the team won Group C unbeaten.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=29&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=114&idsubmenu=172|title=Villarreal C.F.&nbsp;– Web Oficial<!-- Bot generated title -->|access-date=5 October 2011|archive-date=24 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024233033/http://www.villarrealcf.es/principal_n.php?nombreModulo=contenido&idcontenido=29&idsubmenu=9&idmenu=114&idsubmenu=172|url-status=live}}</ref> Their group opponents were [[ACF Fiorentina|Fiorentina]] of Italy, [[FK Mladá Boleslav|Mladá Boleslav]] of Czech Republic, [[IF Elfsborg]] of Sweden, and [[AEK Athens F.C.|AEK Athens]] of Greece.

In the last 32, Villarreal were defeated by eventual champions [[FC Zenit Saint Petersburg|Zenit Saint Petersburg]], losing the first leg 1–0 in Russia to a [[Pavel Pogrebnyak]] goal. The second leg was won 2–1 by Villarreal at [[El Madrigal]], but Zenit advanced on away goals.

The club automatically qualified for the [[2008–09 UEFA Champions League]] by finishing second in La Liga the previous season. They drew Manchester United, for the second consecutive campaign, [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], and [[AaB Fodbold|Aalborg BK]]. They made a good start by holding current European champions Manchester United to a goal-less draw at [[Old Trafford]], a third 0–0 draw in a row against the English giants. A first win was sealed on 30 September by beating [[Gordon Strachan]]'s Celtic 1–0 at [[El Madrigal]], courtesy of a [[Marcos Senna]] free-kick. On 21 October, during a Champions League match against Aalborg, they scored six goals to three. The Spaniards went through to the knock-out stage after drawing 2–2 with Aalborg in Denmark and drawing goalless once again against Manchester United. In the last group stage match, they lost to an already-eliminated Celtic.

In the knock-out stage, they faced [[Panathinaikos F.C.|Panathinaikos]], who left Villarreal with a 1–1 away advantage, but lost 1–2 in [[Athens]]. Villarreal reached the quarter-finals for the second time in two attempts, and were once again paired with Arsenal. The first leg saw a 1–1 draw by a [[Marcos Senna]] free kick, equalised by an [[Emmanuel Adebayor]] volley. [[Theo Walcott]], [[Emmanuel Adebayor]], and [[Robin van Persie]] secured a 3–0 win for Arsenal on the return, knocking Villarreal out of the tournament.

[[File:Ozil_-_Flickr_-_Jan_S0L0_(7).jpg|thumb|300px|[[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] vs. Villarreal in 2011]]
Despite finishing outside of a European qualifying spot in the domestic league, Villarreal was given a place in the qualifying round of the [[2010–11 UEFA Europa League]] after UEFA determined that [[RCD Mallorca|Mallorca]]'s financial irregularities precluded them from taking part in the tournament.

A 5–0 home win and a 2–1 away win against [[FC Dnepr Mogilev|Dnepr Mogilev]] qualified them for the group stage. Villarreal suffered an early setback following a shock 2–0 loss in their away fixture against [[GNK Dinamo Zagreb|Dinamo Zagreb]]. Despite this, however, later wins against Dinamo, [[Club Brugge KV|Club Brugge]] and [[PAOK F.C.|PAOK]] saw them top their group.

After beating [[S.S.C. Napoli|Napoli]], [[Bayer 04 Leverkusen|Bayer Leverkusen]] and [[FC Twente|Twente]] in the knockout phases, Villarreal qualified for the semi-finals to face tournament favourites [[FC Porto|Porto]]. After Villarreal took a 0–1 lead at the [[Estádio do Dragão]], Porto made a remarkable turnaround that ended in a 5–1 defeat for Villarreal. Although Villarreal won the second leg 3–2, Porto's first leg goal total saw them advance to the final on aggregate, where they beat [[S.C. Braga|Braga]] to be crowned champions. [[Giuseppe Rossi]] finished as the tournament's second top goalscorer with 11 goals, behind Porto's [[Radamel Falcao]].

===2012–present: relegation and European glory===
[[File:Villarreal CF - UD Almería (2012-13).JPG|thumb|300px|Last match of the 2012–13 season game against [[UD Almería]]. Finally, Villarreal won and were promoted to La Liga.]]

[[File:DeportivoVillarreal.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Deportivo de La Coruña]] vs. Villarreal C. F.]]

On 13 May 2012, Villarreal were relegated from La Liga after defeat to [[Atlético Madrid]]. Following a horrendous season, the club suffered a shattering tragedy when [[Manuel Preciado Rebolledo|Manolo Preciado]], appointed as Villarreal's new manager on 6 June 2012, died of a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] later that day.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/8019954/manuel-preciado-coach-villarreal-dies-one-day-taking-job |title=Manuel Preciado dies suddenly at 54 |agency=Associated Press |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=7 June 2012 |access-date=7 June 2012 |archive-date=8 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120608152821/http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/story/_/id/8019954/manuel-preciado-coach-villarreal-dies-one-day-taking-job |url-status=live }}</ref> Following their relegation, there was a mass exodus of players at the club, with star players such as [[Borja Valero]], [[Diego López Rodríguez|Diego López]], [[Giuseppe Rossi]] and [[Nilmar]] leaving the side.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3985/editorial/2012/07/11/3234197/rossi-nilmar-zapata-the-stars-who-could-leave-in-villarreal-fire-|title=Rossi, Nilmar, Zapata & the Villarreal players who could leave in fire sale at El Madrigal this summer - Goal.com|publisher=Goal|access-date=24 July 2012|archive-date=22 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131222045722/http://www.goal.com/en-sg/news/3985/editorial/2012/07/11/3234197/rossi-nilmar-zapata-the-stars-who-could-leave-in-villarreal-fire-|url-status=live}}</ref>

After one year in the Segunda División, Villarreal were promoted back to La Liga on the [[2012–13 Segunda División|final day of the season]] after finishing the year second after champions [[Elche CF|Elche]]. The team began its new tenure in the top flight by winning its first three games; the winning streak ended with a tie against Real Madrid at El Madrigal, though the team was undefeated until falling to [[Real Betis]] 1–0 on the seventh matchday of the season. The Yellow Submarine finished the [[2013–14 La Liga|2013–14 campaign]] in sixth, thus qualifying them for next season's [[2014–15 UEFA Europa League|Europa League]].

In [[2014–15 La Liga|2014–15]], Villarreal again finished the year in sixth, enough to secure direct qualification to the [[2015–16 UEFA Europa League|Europa League]] group stage. In the [[2015–16 La Liga|2015–16]] season, Villarreal led La Liga for the first time during the sixth and seventh weeks, before falling to fifth place the following week. The club ended the season in 4th place and thus advanced to the [[2016–17 UEFA Champions League]] playoff round. The club progressed to the semi-finals of the 2015–16 Europa League, but were knocked out by [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]. Villarreal won the first leg 1–0, but lost 3–0 in Liverpool and 3–1 on aggregate.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2017226--liverpool-vs-villarreal/ |title=Liverpool v Villarreal |publisher=UEFA |date=5 May 2016 |access-date=26 May 2021 |archive-date=26 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526230650/https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/match/2017226--liverpool-vs-villarreal/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In [[2019–20 La Liga|2019–20]], Villarreal finished fifth, earning a place in the [[2020–21 UEFA Europa League]]. The team went on a memorable run, advancing to the [[2021 UEFA Europa League Final|final]] after knocking out [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] 2–1 on aggregate. Facing favoured [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], Villarreal held them to a 1–1 draw after extra time and then won 11–10 in a penalty shoot-out,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/villarreal-vs-man-united-result-europa-league-final-2021-david-de-gea-b937465.html|title=Manchester United lose Europa League final as Villarreal win penalty shootout after David de Gea miss|accessdate=26 May 2021|date=26 May 2021|website=[[Evening Standard]]|location=London|archive-date=26 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526223700/https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/villarreal-vs-man-united-result-europa-league-final-2021-david-de-gea-b937465.html|url-status=live}}</ref> winning the club's first ever major trophy. Domestically, they finished seventh, supposedly qualifying for the [[2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League|inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League]]. However, courtesy of their triumph, Villarreal switched their next year's participation in the inaugural Conference League to the [[2021–22 UEFA Champions League|2021–22 Champions League]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Champions-League-2021/22/Article-3-Entries-for-the-competition-PublicationState|title=Regulations of the UEFA Champions League|publisher=UEFA|accessdate=27 May 2021|date=19 April 2021|archive-date=27 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210527002018/https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulations-of-the-UEFA-Champions-League-2021/22/Article-3-Entries-for-the-competition-PublicationState|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnson |first=Dale |date=2021-07-06 |title=UEFA Europa Conference League: All you need to know |url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37576934/all-need-know |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003160802/https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37576934/all-need-know |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-05-26 |title=Villarreal make it five Spanish clubs in 2021/22 Champions League |url=https://www.marca.com/en/football/champions-league/2021/05/27/60aecd5cca474171298b46a4.html |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=MARCA |language=en |archive-date=3 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003160802/https://www.marca.com/en/football/champions-league/2021/05/27/60aecd5cca474171298b46a4.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the start of the 2021–22 season, Villarreal competed in the [[2021 UEFA Super Cup]] against [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] in [[Belfast]], which ended a 1–1 draw after extra time, but [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] managed to win 6–5 in the penalty shootout as captain [[Raúl Albiol]] saw his penalty saved by [[Chelsea F.C.|Chelsea]] goalkeeper [[Kepa Arrizabalaga]]. That same season, Villarreal progressed to the semi-finals of the Champions League after knocking out [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] in the round of 16 and [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] in the quarter-finals, before losing 5–2 on aggregate to Liverpool.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61300681 |title=Liverpool survive scare in Spain to reach final |publisher=BBC Sport |access-date=5 May 2022 |archive-date=4 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504115638/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61300681 |url-status=live }}</ref>