Villarreal (also known as Villarreal CF, Villarreal Club de Futbol or El Submarino Amarillo) is a professional Spanish football club founded in 1923 and based in Vila Real. Villarreal plays in the Spanish Primera Divisi?n (La Liga) and its home matches are held at the 25,000-seat Madrigal stadium.

In the 1970/71 season, Villarreal played in the Segunda Division for the first time in its history. After playing in the Segunda Division in the following season, Villarreal was relegated to the Tercera Division and in the following seasons the team was playing in the Segunda Division and the Segunda Division B until being promoted in 1998 to the Primera Division for the first time in its history.

Villarreal's had a difficult first La Liga season and the team performance was not good enough to avoid being relegated to the Segunda Division for the following 1999/00 season. In the 2000/01 season, Villarreal finished at the third place and earn a promotion back to the La Liga where Villarreal remained up to the present day.

During the first seasons in La Liga, Villarreal finished at the bottom half before winning the Intertoto Cup in 2003 and hence qualify for the UEFA Cup tournament. In the 2003/04 season Villarreal reached the UEFA Cup semi finals but lost to Valencia. In that season, Villarreal won the Intertoto Cup for the second time and by that qualified for the next season's UEFA Cup tournament. In the 2004/05 season's UEFA Cup, Villarreal reached the quarter-finals. Villarreal finished that season in the third place of the La Liga table and by that earned the team's first direct qualification to a European tournament; the Champions League.

Thanks to Villarreal's consistent performances and success in the Champions League, the team enjoyed a considerable recognition in the 2005/06 season. In the qualifying round stage and in the group stage, Villarreal remained undefeated; topped their group, progressed to the knock-out stages and quarter-finals where Villarreal was defeated by Inter Milan. Villarreal continued their unbeaten record in the Champions League and beat Inter Milan in the second leg match thus qualified for the semi-final where Villarreal narrowly lost out to Arsenal.

Unlike the previous season, the beginning of the 2006/07 season was pretty bad for Villarreal but eventually the team qualified for the UEFA Cup. Villarreal also qualified for the 2008/09 UEFA Champions League and went ahead through the knock-out stage; on the last group-stage match, Villarreal lost to Celtic. Villareal reached the quarter-finals for the second time in two tries. In the 2009/10 season, Villarreal achieved a UEFA Europa League position._©22/02/2012Spanishlaligatickets.com

La Liga Team of the Week: Round 23 - Messi returns for Barcelona, Alhassane Bangoura makes his debut

Goal.com picks the best from Spain's top flight in the most recent round of action

 La Liga Round 24 Results: Rayo defeat Levante in eight-goal thriller, Mallorca thrash Villarreal

In a day of significant results, Athletic Bilbao edged into the top four, while Atletico Madrid blew the chance to boost their Champions League aspirations

 Villarreal star Borja Valero flattered by Real Madrid interest

The gifted midfielder was recently linked with a move to the Santiago Bernabeu, but he is unsure whether they are willing to meet his current club's demands

 English teams don't run more than everyone else, possession doesn't automatically win the Champions League - and here are the stats to prove it

Goal.com has taken and analysed data from the group stage of Europe's elite tournament, and used it to put many commonly-held beliefs to the test

 Nilmar 'happy' to stay at Villarreal after Sao Paulo deal collapsed

The Brazilian striker is delighted that he is playing once again for the club but admitted that a transfer could happen in the future if a good offer arrives

 'I want AC Milan's Antonio Cassano at Euro 2012, even if he is our 24th man' - Italy's Cesare Prandelli

The Rossoneri striker may not be able to play in Poland and Ukraine, but the Azzurri boss is keen to reward the 29-year-old for his importance during the qualifying campaign

 Word on the Tweet: Trouble on the train for Rio Ferdinand, Rangers set to enter administration, Mick McCarthy is sacked & the Anfield cat is apparently a Mackem

A family in Sunderland are claiming Liverpool's favourite feline belongs to them, whilst the Manchester United defender is forced to endure his offspring's company on the go

 La Liga Team of the Week: Round 22 - Ronaldo returns as Barcelona players miss out after Osasuna shocker

Goal.com picks the best from Spain's top flight in the most recent round of action

 La Liga Round 23 Results: Malaga defeat Mallorca to gain ground on Champions League spots

Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol both suffered devastating defeats at the hands off Betis and Zaragoza respectively, whilst Villarreal overcame Granada to move away from the drop zone

 Real Madrid set sights on Villarreal's Borja Valero - report

The midfielder is believed to have caught the attention of the Primera Division table-toppers, who are eager to bring him back to the Santiago Bernabeu

 Italy coach Cesare Prandelli: Door is open for Antonio Di Natale & Francesco Totti

The veteran duo remain key figures at Udinese and Roma respectively and there have been mounting calls for them to be recalled by the Azzurri boss

 La Liga Team of the Week: Round 21 - Tello debuts while Ozil & Llorente retain their places

Goal.com picks the best from Spain's top flight in the most recent round of action

 Sevilla coach Marcelino refuses to quit after defeat to Villarreal

The 46-year-old feels he can still help the club reach bigger heights but reckons that the decision about his situation lies in the board's hands

 La Liga Round 22 Results: Camunas nets late strike as Jose Molina's Villarreal move out of the drop zone after beating Sevilla

Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol play out a thrilling 3-3 draw, as Levante continue to stutter in their pursuit of a Champions League spot after being held by Racing at home

 Agent: Lazio offered more than €10 million for Nilmar

The player's representative in Italy revealed that his client came very close to joining the Serie A side on the final day of the winter transfer window

 La Liga Preview: Sevilla - Villarreal

Los Rojiblancos will hope to find their first win in six against a visiting side looking to continue their recent upturn in form which has seen them draw against Barcelona

 Villarreal Midfielder David Fuster: Olympiacos Switch A Great Opportunity
Villarreal Midfielder David Fuster: Olympiacos Switch A Great Opportunity

 Villarreal's Bruno Soriano Delighted With New Additions Carlos Marchena And Borja Valero
Villarreal's Bruno Soriano Delighted With New Additions Carlos Marchena And Borja Valero

 Villarreal Coach Juan Carlos Garrido Acknowledges Job Almost Done Against Dnepr
Villarreal Coach Juan Carlos Garrido Acknowledges Job Almost Done Against Dnepr

 Villarreal to sell Fuster to Olympiakos
Villarreal to sell Fuster to Olympiakos

 Villarreal deal close for Spurs defender Dervite
Villarreal deal close for Spurs defender Dervite

 Watch Soccer Villarreal vs Dnepr Mogilev 4:00 p.m. ET 8/19 via Live Stream Online (Free Online Video)
Watch Soccer Villarreal vs Dnepr Mogilev 4:00 p.m. ET 8/19 via Live Stream Online (Free Online Video)

 Dervite leaves Spurs for Villarreal
Dervite leaves Spurs for Villarreal

 Spurs defender to join Villarreal
Spurs defender to join Villarreal

 La Liga - Dervite set for Villarreal switch
La Liga - Dervite set for Villarreal switch

 Villarreal allow midfielder Fuster to leave for Olympiacos
Villarreal allow midfielder Fuster to leave for Olympiacos

 Tottenham to offload misfit Dorian Dervite to Villarreal
Tottenham to offload misfit Dorian Dervite to Villarreal

 Europa League Play-Off Previews: Napoli, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain, Feyenoord And Villarreal All Are In Action
Europa League Play-Off Previews: Napoli, Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain, Feyenoord And Villarreal All Are In Action

 Premier League: Villarreal switch for Spurs defender
Premier League: Villarreal switch for Spurs defender

 Spurs defender set for Villarreal switch
Spurs defender set for Villarreal switch

 Godin completes move from Villarreal to Atleti
Godin completes move from Villarreal to Atleti