Yellows Academy: A production line of talent
Villarreal’s training grounds and residence are some of the best youth training centres in Europe. The young talents have everything they need to feel comfortable and to combine their football formation alongside their academic obligations. It is no coincidence that a lot of the players who were educated at the ‘Ciudad Deportiva’ go on to play at a professional level, some of them with the Villarreal first team. Here are the 13 academy graduates who have played for the first team in the 2018/19 season:
Bruno Soriano
Born: 12/06/84 in Artana
The player with the most appearances for the club (417) has spent his entire career with Villarreal CF. He is the current first-team captain.
Mario Gaspar
Born: 26/11/90 in Novelda
The right-back is currently the club’s vice-captain. Like Bruno, he has spent his entire career with Villarreal and has played more than 300 matches for the Yellow since his debut in March 2009.
Santi Cazorla
Born: 13/12/84 in Lugo de Llanera
The central midfielder played for Rec. Huelva, Malaga CF and Arsenal FC where he was very successful. Since the summer of 2018, Santi came home and is currently a key player for the Yellow Submarine.
Jaume Costa
Born: 18/03/88 in Valencia
The left-back has been part of the first team since the 2011/12 season and has played in more than 2000 matches for the club.
Manu Trigueros
Born: 17/10/91 in Talavera de la Reina
Our №14 is a smart football player with incredible playmaking abilities. Manu was promoted to the first team in the 2012/13 season and has played more than 280 games for Villarreal CF.
Gerard Moreno
Born: 07/04/92 in Santa Perpètua de Mogoda
After leaving the Yellows Academy, Gerard played for RCD Mallorca and RCD Espanyol Barcelona. The left-footed striker has a strong mentality and goalscoring instinct.
Alfonso Pedraza
Born: 09/04/96 in Córdoba
The left-sided player joined Villarreal in 2011 aged 15. He made his LaLiga debut in 2015 and has spent time on loan at Alavés, Leeds United and Lugo. He established himself at left wing-back in the second half of the 2018/19 season.
Daniel Raba
Born: 29/10/95 in Santander
The winger joined Villarreal C at the age of 19 and made his first-team debut in October 2017 in the Copa del Rey against SD Ponferradina, going on to be a regular in Javi Calleja’s squad this season.
Samuel Chukwueze
Born: 22/05/99 in Ikwuano, Nigeria
Samu joined Villarreal CF’s U19s in 2017 from Nigerian side Diamond Football Academy. His style of playing has been compared to Arjen Robben and he is a big hope for the future.
Manu Morlanes
Born: 12/01/99 in Zaragoza
The midfielder joined the Yellows Academy in 2012 and made his first-team debut in December 2017 against Maccabi Tel Aviv FC in UEFA Europa League. He has been a regular for the senior side this season.
Miguelón
Born: 18/01/96 in Benidorm
The young right-back is another good example for youngsters at the Yellows Academy. He’s made his first-team debut this season, and his team-mates say he never tires.
Pablo Fornals
Born: 22/02/96 in Castellón de la Plana
Pablo played for Villarreal’s youth teams from 2003 to 2008 before joining CD Castellón and Málaga CF. He returned to the Yellows in 2017 and has gone on to feature for the Spanish national team.
Xavier Quintillà
Born: 23/08/96 in Lleida
The talented left-back made his first-team debut this season and even started out of position at right wing-back against Celta Vigo in March 2019. Expect him to feature more soon.
Comparison to some of the top academies in Europe in the past five years
These players made their first team debuts in these seasons:
