Royal Excel Mouscron (Belgium)

Royal Excel Mouscron

Ground: Stade Le Canonnier

Capacity: 10,800

Club Founded: 1922

Club Dissolved: 2022

A combination of dubious ownership, mergers, bankruptcies, and investigations by the Belgian federal judiciary over alleged financial offences is all part of the sad story of a former Belgian football club.

A Potted History of the Club

The lineage of the club goes back to 1922, before Stade Mouscron and ARA Mouscron merged in 1964 to become Royal Excelsior Mouscron. The club was placed in Division Three, where they remained for many seasons. Successive promotions at the beginning of the 1990s propelled Mouscron to the second tier. 

A play-off victory in 1995-96 saw the club reach the top flight for the first time, where the team finished in third place in their debut season. Fourth-place finishes ensued, adding to further UEFA Cup appearances. Home games were moved to Le Stadium Nord over the French border at Villeneuve-d'Ascq until Stade Le Canonnier was upgraded.

Financial Concerns

Manager Lorenzo Staelens led his team to the 2001-02 final of the Coupe de Belgique, where Club Brugge came out victors, 3-1. In 2005, the club hit serious financial troubles as star players Marcin Żewłakow, Franky Vandendriessche and Geoffrey Claeys were among those to leave the club.

The club returned to the Belgian cup final, where SV Zulte-Waregem ran out 2-1 winners against ‘Les Hurlus’. Manchester City offered to invest in return for Mouscron to become a feeder club. By then, the club defaulted financially for a third time, with the Belgian FA excluding them from the league competition.

A New Beginning

On December 28th 2009, the club was liquidated. A few months later, replacement club Royal Mouscron-Péruwelz was formed after the new management agreed to a merger with Royal Racing Club Péruwelz, a club based thirty miles away. The new club moved to Mouscron to play in the fourth-tier Promotion Division. 

A runners-up spot sent Mouscron up to Division Three under manager Philippe Saint-Jean.

The third-tier title was won, before a runners-up spot, then saw the team just miss out on promotion to the top-flight on goal difference to Cercle Brugge.

However, it was the following season with Rachid Chihab in charge as Mouscron reached the top level of Belgian football to start the 2014-15 campaign after winning the final play-off rounds. The French club, OSC Lille, bought major shares in REM.

In June 2015, the club was bought by a group of foreign investors represented by the Israeli agent and businessman Pini Zahavi as the team diced with relegation. In the summer of 2016,  Royal Excel Mouscron was adopted as the club title.

The team evaded demotion by just one place in 2016-17 under the direction of Romanian manager Mircea Rednic. Frank Defays and then Bern Storck succeeded him in the role. Bernd Hollerbach was appointed for the 2019-20 season, with Fernando Da Cruz following him.

Jorge Simão was in charge of the team relegated to First Division B. Former favourite Schifo returned for a short-lived spell before José Jeunechamps replaced him. The club was investigated by the Belgian federal judiciary over alleged financial offences relating to former owner Zahavi. They successfully filed for bankruptcy after the 2021-22 season.

My visit

Royal Excel Mouscron 3 KAA Gent 2

Belgian First Division A  - Sunday 20th August 2017 (att: 4,000)

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 4,000 🎟️ €12

Journey to the Match

My Belgian adventure was continuing in fine style. I’d met up with Anthony Vargas and the man known as Antonio, the Anderlecht fan from the Facebook European Football Weekends Group and seen a good game in the capital before Anthony and I had to make tracks.

We caught the metro to Central Station in time for the 5.45 train south. The fixture had only appeared a few days earlier on Soccerway; no doubt it had been rearranged at a late stage for TV coverage.

We were required to change trains in Gent, where the Sint-Pieters station was undergoing a huge refurbishment. The connection went to plan, and we pulled into Mouscron at 7.20pm, ready for the walk to the stadium. An English and Dutch lad, both living in Brussels, joined us for the twenty-minute walk along the side of the railway. 

Both had been to matches that afternoon; one also at Anderlecht, while the other had opted for Belgian Cup action at Aalst. Anthony and I had to buy tickets, as the online sales required the use of a Belgian bank card. 

Matchday Atmosphere in Mouscron

There was a fair queue, but the ladies in the hut were going great guns. We bought standing tickets on Le Kop for €12, getting a decent place in readiness for the arrival of the sides. Le Stade Le Canonnier had two decent seated stands on either side. 

The Kop was covered standing with several supporting pillars, while the away end was a few steps of terracing with advertising boards and a scoreboard above. Gent had arrived with a decent travelling support.

They took up plenty of seats on the right-hand side, as well as filling more or less their standing section. Their team had started the season badly with just one point from a possible nine. Mouscron came into the game occupying sixth place in the table. 

Pre-match, I predicted an away win despite the form table. Gent had really impressed me at Wembley the previous season when they ended Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League campaign. Les Hurlus started the game well without making any real chances. Anthony went to buy his scarf and returned with a Hoegaarden beer for me. 

The Match

Gent took the ascendancy out on the park. My pal happened to mention that it could be a long night for the hosts. He appeared to be spot on as Brecht Dejaegere received a pass before lashing in a shot that entered the net off the underside of the crossbar. 

Just three minutes later, the visitors doubled their lead as Mamadou Sylla sent a beautiful low curling shot past Logan Bailly in the Mouscron net. Bailly had to make a fine stop, while Gent wasted a fine one-on-one opportunity before the game turned with a controversial decision from referee Nicolas Laforge a couple of minutes before the break.

The visitors' defender, Samuel Gigot, flew into a challenge out on the touchline, which sent Mouscron’s Fabrice Olinga sprawling. The crowd went berserk, which probably led to the issuing of a red card, which I thought was a knee-jerk and harsh call.

Gent’s coach Hein Vanhaezebrouck was going spare on the side of the pitch, while the away fans in the seats above the tunnel offered some extremely angry feedback towards the official as they headed off at the break.

We enjoyed another drink at the break while the other two lads joined us for a chat. They said that mates had texted that the defender had taken the ball, and the red card had been a poor call. I was also given some invaluable information regarding late bars in Brussels!

Our general thoughts were that an early goal against the ten men would give Mouscron half a chance. Indeed, Excel did have lots of possession as was expected, but it looked like De Buffalo's had seen off the main pressure.

Halfway through the second period, a seemingly overhit pass saw Gent keeper Lovre Kalinić go just outside his area, and he was forced to head the ball away. Unfortunately for him, it landed at the feet of Dimitri Mohamed, who managed to lob into an empty net.

The pressure continued, while Gent still looked dangerous on the break. It really was turning into a fantastic game. Anthony and I had one eye on the clock, and if the gate nearer the station was open, as we wanted to catch the 10.13 train.

With just six minutes remaining, Omar Govea fired a shot from the edge of the box, which curled towards the corner of the goal from the outside of his boot.  Kalinić was unsighted as the ball went in to create bedlam on the terracing.

Excel continued to pour forward. The Gent defence was creaking and making some poor decisions. In eighty-seven minutes the a Mouscron forward was adjudged to have been fouled, so the referee went further down in the visiting fans' thoughts as he pointed to the spot.

Jonathan Bolingi stepped up and sent Kalinić the wrong way with the penalty. Gent threw what they had left into a desperate attempt at an equaliser. Kalinić went up for one last corner, but the ball was cleared as Monsieur Laforge blew his whistle for full time.

We didn’t hand around to hear the abuse he was surely to receive from the away fans. Our pace was most impressive back along Avenue de Rheinfelden to the station, which we thought was never going to come into view.

Journey Back to Brussels

Our journey required a change at Tournai, which was no issue. However, we were getting rather concerned when the second train stalled at Leuze-en-Hainaut. Announcements followed, and while we didn’t understand what was said, we got the gist of things.

The excellent guard explained in English to us that there was some kind of communications fault that the driver was trying to resolve. All the power was turned off for a short while before we eventually went on our way. It seemed apt that we stopped at a town called Silly!

It was just gone midnight when we alighted at Brussels Central. I said goodbye to Anthony, who had been great company over the past couple of days. We’d got on really well and enjoyed plenty of chat and laughs.

It had been a long day. I couldn’t be bothered to go for a nightcap in town. Instead, I caught the bus back to Hotel Sabina, bought some chocolate from the vending machine and enjoyed watching the match highlights from the two games I’d been to.

RSC Anderlecht (Belgium)

RSC Anderlecht

Ground: Constant Vanden Stock – Lotto Park

Capacity: 22,500

Club Founded: 1908

League: Belgian Pro League (current level)

Anderlecht is the most successful Belgian football team in European competitions, with five trophies, as well as in the Belgian domestic league, with thirty-four championship wins.

Early History

Royal Sporting Club Anderlecht from the Belgian capital of Brussels, which was formed on May 27th 1908, as SC Anderlechtois. Initially, the team played in the third level of provincial football at a ground where the current Rue du Serment now stands, in the Scheut district near where the club now resides. 

Promotion was quickly won, with forward playing for the side, Théo Verbeeck becoming club chairman at the age of twenty-three, as Anderlecht reached national football in 1913. The team performed well until the competition was abandoned during World War I.

New Stadium

The club grew in popularity, so a new stadium was built in Parc Astrid. The ground was named Stade Emile Versé after the first major patron of the club. Sylva Brébart was appointed as the first manager of the team. 

The Royal Belgian Football Association extended the top tier. SC Anderlechtois defeated FC Liégeois in a play-off to win promotion to the top flight as Ferdinand Adams ended the campaign with thirty goals. Brébart was replaced by Charles Bunyan Sr in August 1922. 

Unfortunately, the new team boss died just ten years later, when his son Cyrille took over. The team went down a division but won promotion just twelve months later. The pattern was repeated later in the decade.

A First League Title

‘Les Mauves et Blancs’ continued their cycle of being somewhat of a yo-yo club, before the club changed their title to Royal Sporting Club Anderlechtois in 1933. The latest manager, Claude Leclercq, was sacked, with a committee taking charge of the team as the team won promotion back to the top-flight Division of Honour.

Anderlecht signed forward Jef Mermans upon resumption for a record transfer fee once peace was restored after World War II. ‘The Bomber’ would score the goals to help the club to its first Belgian championship in 1946-47 after coming close in the previous two seasons.

Domestic Dominance

Another title soon followed in 1948-49, as Anderlecht began to dominate the domestic game through the following decade, as the former Blackburn Rovers and Northampton Town goalkeeper Bill Gormlie replaced Ernest Churchill Smith as team manager. More league titles followed at the beginning of the 1950s. 

The road outside Stade Emile Versé was renamed Avenue Théo Verbeeck in honour of the club chairman of forty years. Gormlie’s Anderlecht side went on to be crowned as First Division champions three more times before the end of the decade, as the club embarked on their early experiences in the European Cup.

This included a defeat to the ‘Busby Babes’ of Manchester United during the 1956-57 campaign. After Gormlie’s resignation, the Frenchman Pierre Sinibaldi took over in the summer of 1960 as Anderlecht began another ten years at the top of Belgian football. 

New players Jean Trappeniers, Laurent Verbiest, Jean Plaskie, Georges Heylens, Paul Van Himst and Wilfried Puis came into the side. The 1960s saw the team win the Belgian title six times, with five of them being consecutive from 1964 to 1968, with Hungarian Andreas Beres being in charge from the summer of 1966.

The Coupe de Belgique, the national cup competition, was also added for the first time in 1964-65 as Standard Liège were defeated 3-2 after extra time. The star player of the time was undoubtedly Van Himst, who finished as league top scorer on four occasions.

European Final

Such was the club's dominance that in 1964, the Belgium national team manager, Raymond Goethals, fielded a team full of Anderlecht players in the friendly game against the Netherlands. In 1969-70, Anderlecht reached the final of the European Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Arsenal were defeated 3-1 in the home leg, before RSCA defeated 3-0 at Highbury.

Former Anderlecht and Belgium player Constant Vanden Stock became the new Anderlecht chairman in 1971, quickly authorising the signing of Dutch stars Jan Ruiter and Rob Rensenbrink. In his first season at the helm, the team completed the league and cup double, with Standard Liège defeated in the knockout final at Heysel. 

European Success

Anderlecht retained the cup the following season against the same opponents.

A sixteenth league title arrived at Parc Astrid in 1973-74 before the team lifted the domestic cup a year later with a 1-0 victory against Royal Antwerp. The win set Anderlecht up for glory in European competition.

In 1975-76, Anderlecht lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup. 51,296 fans turned out to watch the team defeat West Ham United at Heysel. Rob Rensenbrink and François Van der Elst both scored twice in an exhilarating display led by manager Hans Croon before being replaced by former Belgium boss Goethals.

This was despite Lierse S.K. being beaten in the final of the Coupe de Belgique. Anderlecht lifted the European Super Cup by defeating Bayern München before the team reached the final of the Cup Winners' Cup, where Hamburger SV proved too strong as they won the match 2-0 in Amsterdam’s Olympisch Stadion, as Arie Haan starred. 

However, Anderlecht returned in 1978-78, as two goals each from Rensenbrink and Gilbert Van Binst set up a 4-0 win against Austria Vienna at Parc des Princes in Paris to lift the Cup Winners Cup once again.

Van Himst Returns

Liverpool were beaten in the Super Cup with the help of new arrival Franky Vercauteren. Urbain Braems replaced Goethals, as new signings such as Morten Olsen arrived at the club. Anderlecht won another league title in 1980-81. The following season, Aston Villa defeated the team in the semi-finals of the European Cup.

Club legend Paul Van Himst was appointed as manager for the 1982-83 season as the club rebuilt their home stadium and renamed it Stade Constant Vanden Stock. A third European title arrived for the trophy cabinet as Anderlecht lifted the UEFA Cup, with SL Benfica the beaten finalists, as Kenneth Brylle and Juan Lozano netted the vital goals.

Bribery Controversy

The club returned to the UEFA Cup final of 1983-84 against Tottenham Hotspur. Morten Olsen scored in the 1-1 draw in the home leg. Alexandre Czerniatynski scored for RSCA as the second leg also ended 1-1. The game was decided in favour of the Londoners on penalty kicks. 

There was still more to come, as it was discovered that in the semi-final victory against Nottingham Forest at Stade Constant Vanden Stock, the referee was paid a bribe totalling £27,000 by the Anderlecht chairman.

Van Himst led the team to the First Division title in 1985-86 before he was replaced by former player Haan the following season as Anderlecht retained their title after falling in the semi-final of the European Cup against Steaua București.

A twentieth top-flight league title arrived before the end of the decade. Star player Enzo Scifo departed, and Haan was replaced by Georges Leekens, who was quickly replaced by a returning Goethals. RSCA lifted their sixth Belgian Cup in 1987-88 with a 2-0 win against Standard Liège as Luc Nilis scored.

Aad de Mos was appointed as the new manager, with a team containing youngsters such as Marc Degryse, Luís Oliveira, Philippe Albert and Johnny Bosman. Another Coupe de Belgique was won against Standard Liège. The 1990s were to be a highly successful decade for the club, kicking off by winning the league title in its first season.

Johan Boskamp arrived to take charge of the team to aid them to the championship in 1992-93. The club merged with the women's team Brussels Dames '71 to become RSC Anderlecht rather than the old Anderlechtois. Boskamp’s team went on to complete three consecutive league titles.

Despite the domestic success, which also included a cup triumph against Club Brugge, Boskamp was replaced by Herbert Neumann. The club had just taken part in their thirtieth consecutive season of European football, but the directors wanted more success. Boskamp was quickly brought back. 

Tougher Times

Success was proving harder to come by. After defeat to Germinal Ekeren in the 1997 cup final, Boskamp was sacked and replaced by René Vandereycken coming in to replace him. The new man didn’t last until the winter break before former boss Haan was brought back. 

The Dutchman didn’t last much longer before Jean Dockx and Franky Vercauteren were put in charge of the team. New manager Aimé Anthuenis led the club to its twenty-fifth league title. The team went on to retain the title to start the new millennium in fine style as the strike partnership of Tomasz Radzinski and Jan Koller created mayhem for opposing defences.

Both strikers were sold for big fees as the club continued to go no further than the group stages in the Champions League or the early rounds of the UEFA Cup. Anthuenis was replaced by Hugo Broos in the summer of 2002.

Back to the Top

Vincent Kompany starred as Anderlecht won the Belgian League twice before he was sold on, with the latter title win coming under manager Franky Vercauteren. The side retained the title in 2006-07. Vercauteren’s assistant, Ariel Jacobs, succeeded his boss in the manager’s role the following year.

Anderlecht went on to lift their eighth Coupe de Belgique with a 3-2 success against KAA Gent. Romelu Lukaku made his debut as his team won the Belgian title, which was the first in domestic football with a regular title play-off league. 

The domestic top flight was retitled the Belgian Pro League, with Anderlecht winning their thirty-first title in 2011-12. The Argentinian defensive midfielder Lucas Biglia led the team with Dieumerci Mbokani, Guillaume Gillet and Matías Suárez adding the goals. John van den Brom replaced Jacobs as manager at the end of the season.

The league title was retained, with Tom De Sutter adding to the goals column. Van den Brom was sacked and replaced by Besnik Hasi in March 2014. The Albanian and his side kept their nerve to complete a title-winning season thanks to goals from Aleksandar Mitrović. 

A runners-up spot followed before the appointment of new manager Karim Belhocine. Goals from Łukasz Teodorczyk and Youri Tielemans led Anderlecht to another league triumph; their thirty-fourth in total, in 2016-17.

Recent Years

Hein Vanhaezebrouck was soon appointed to lead the team. A shocking 2018-19 campaign saw several changes in manager after the dismissal of Vanhaezebrouck. Fred Rutten and then Karim Belhocine had two spells before the appointment of club legend Kompany as manager and fellow favourite Franky Vercauteren as coach. 

'Paars-Wit' failed to challenge for honours, leading to the appointment of another new manager, Felice Mazzù. His spell was short-lived, with his successor being Brian Riemer. The club continued to change its team boss without finding a solution.

Caretaker manager, Jérémy Taravel, who had replaced Will Still, took Anderlecht to the final of the Coupe de Belgique in 2025-26, which ended in a 3-1 defeat to Union SG after extra time.

My visits

Stadium Visit - Thursday 20th October 2016

My brief visit to Brussels only had an hour or so to go before I headed across country to the Europa League tie between Genk and Athletic Club. I’d already visited Stade Roi Baudouin, Heysel II and Stade Edmond Machtens before jumping on the 49 bus to the Meir stop.

I took a nice walk through Parc Astrid, which brought me out on Avenue Théo Verbeeck, from where I walked through the gates to the stadium complex to look for an open entrance to take a look inside the arena.

My stroll took me right round the far side with absolutely no opportunity of seeing inside. It was only when I walked along behind the side with the main facilities that I grasped a chance. I noted that a gate through and past an office was open. I needed no further invitation.

My view was excellent after climbing a set of steps to the upper tier in the southwest corner of Stade RSCA Constant Vanden Stock, as the stadium was officially titled. It was virtually a continuous two-tiered bowl with corporate boxes between the levels, apart from the north west corner, where the road outside made expansion prohibitive. A scoreboard filled in where the seating may have been.

Delighted with access, I didn’t hang around and push my luck. I headed back by bus from behind the north stand from the Anderlecht De Linde Plein stop to Aumale Metro station before heading to Stade Joseph Marien by tram to take a look at the home of Royale Union St Gilloise.

RSC Anderlecht 2 Sint-Truiden VV 3

Belgian First Division A - Sunday 20th August 2017

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 18,000 🎟️ Season Ticket

Match Planning

I’d always wanted to attend an Anderlecht home game. When I fell in love with the game, the Belgian giants were one of Europe’s great sides as Rob Rensenbrink and François Van der Elst tore teams apart. The club were still an iconic name.

I’d heard that tickets should be possible for a run-of-the-mill home game, but the task was to be made easier. I posted on the Facebook group ‘European Football Weekends’, setting out my itinerary and asking for advice.

Fellow member Anthony Vargas had got in touch and asked if I fancied meeting up as he had similar plans. This seemed like a good idea. Another member, Antonio Monterino, got in touch to offer assistance with the tickets. All was looking good.

Pre Match

We were to meet Antonio, who could provide us with two season tickets from fellow RSCA fans who couldn’t make the game. To make things even better, we were to meet in a traditional fans' bar.

Before heading to the bar, I called in at three local venues to take photos and grabbed a bite to eat in the city centre. I took the Metro to Saint-Guidon and found Taverne Le Pavilion around the corner opposite some other fans' bars. I settled outside on the decking, enjoying the Jupiler beer at €2. It was nice to be close to the ground but still have a proper glass. 

The location was perfect in the shadow of the beautiful church with plenty of trees. Before long, I was joined by the other two gents, as well as Antonio’s pals from Ostend. We got the low down on the home club, the bars and general football chat. It was definitely better with knowledgeable hosts.

The chat and beer were so good that we were a couple of minutes late into the ground. The fella doing the searches wasn’t holding anyone back for long, and we were soon upstairs and into our seats just three rows back in the upper section in the north east corner. We’d paid €25 for the use of the ticket. I was most happy.

We were in an area with plenty of passionate characters who were excellent in their support for the team. The atmosphere was excellent with lots of singing and plenty of fans standing, getting the noise going.

In the bar, we’d been told that a seventy-year-old Peter Crouch in a wheelchair would be of more use and mobility than RSCA’s Swedish centre forward, Isaac Thelin, who was on loan from Bordeaux. I was keen to take a look for myself!

The Match

Both sides tested out each other's defence in the opening exchanges before Anderlecht went ahead in the eighteenth minute as Massimo Bruno scored with a fantastic curling shot into the far corner.

Sint-Truiden were level just three minutes later when a cross went right across the six-yard box, where Yohan Boli headed home at the far post. Newcastle United loanee goalkeeper   Matz Sels seemed a bit static to me. Henry Onyekuru, on loan from Everton, impressed me for Les Mauves et Blancs. 

He could have easily won a penalty for his side, but referee Wim Smet waved away the appeals. However, he pointed to the spot soon after when Onyekuru was fouled by Stylianos Kitsiou. The penalty from Sofiane Hanni wasn’t near enough the corner and at the perfect height for the visitors' keeper, Lucas Pirard, to push away. 

The home supporters were not amused. They had plenty more reasons to vent their ire on the restart. Former Anderlecht player Jonathan Legear came on at the start of the second half for STVV. He was hugely unpopular as he’d left Stade Constant van Stock to join bitter rivals Standard Liège. He was given plenty of abuse when he touched the ball.

Inevitably, he got into the thick of the action. Eight minutes after the restart, Jordan Botaka crossed from the left. Sels didn’t claim the low ball, and Legear swooped to fire past the custodian. It didn’t go down very well.

Young Anderlecht midfielder Leander Dendoncker was doing his best for the home side, but he and Onyekuru were fighting a losing cause. Thelin was indeed atrocious and eventually replaced.

Boli made it 3-1 after sixty-six minutes, but RSCA had lots of opportunities of their own. Substitute Łukasz Teodorczyk and Bruno somehow transpired to miss a simple opportunity after being set up by Onyekuru, who himself should have probably scored a little earlier.

Sint-Truiden still looked extremely dangerous, with Lingear having a particularly fine game. The home crowd supported their team vocally, but were extremely upset by some of the stuff being served up.

Eventually, their team got a goal back when Teodorczyk finished from close range. RSCA pressed forward for the final three minutes plus stoppage time, but it was not to be. Too many errors, plus the penalty miss, proved too much to rescue anything from the game. STVV looked like a decent enough outfit.

We’d been tipped off about the food stands outside the ground, and once again our hosts were bang on. I got a large black pudding sausage with fried onions in a bun for €4. It was as good a football food as I’d had in ages and perfect for getting a thirst up.

Post Match

We returned to Le Pavilion, a bar with proper Anderlecht fans and where there is plenty of respect shown. Antonio and the boys weren’t happy with the result, but were still marvellous company. It had been a treat to attend a game with proper supporters.

Anthony and I said our goodbyes after a couple of drinks and headed back to the Metro to reach Central Station so that we could make the train for our evening match in the south of the country between Royal Excel Mouscron and KAA Gent.

Villarreal CF (Spain)

Villareal CF

Ground: Estadio de la Cerámica

Capacity: 23,008

Club Founded: 1923

League: La Liga (current level)

Few clubs in European football have risen as dramatically as Villarreal CF, a small-town side that transformed itself from regional football into Champions League semi-finalists.

Estadio de la Cerámica

Early Years

The Villareal team started off playing in white shirts and black shorts in their El Madrigal home, playing their first ever game against local rivals CD Castellón. The club joined the Spanish pyramid at the regional level from the start of the 1929-30 season after previously playing friendly matches.

They would go on to win the Comunitat Valenciana before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Football recommenced in 1939 with Villareal being placed in the second tier of the regional leagues.

Steady Progress

In 1942, the team adopted their yellow shirts, while the club formation was changed a couple of times. Villareal won promotion nine years later, with the current Villarreal CF coming into being in 1954. This led to the team progressing to the third-tier Tercera Liga, before returning to regional status a few years later.

The beginning of the 1970s saw ‘El Submarino Amarillo’, the Yellow Submarine, win promotion to the second tier Segunda División for the first time, with their spell there lasting two seasons. They dropped down a further level halfway through the decade before regaining their status.

Third-tier football was secured through promotion to Segunda Liga B in 1986-87, from where, after a brief blip, the team continued the impetus as they reached the second level Segunda Liga a year into the 1990's.

Promotion to La Liga

After an initial struggle, Villareal reached the play-offs in 1997-98, defeating SD Compostela on away goals as the club reached the top-tier La Liga for the first time. The gradual development of El Madrigal continued, while José Antonio Irulegui coached the team. 

The team was relegated, despite the goals of Gică Craioveanu and Manolo Alfaro. Paquito took over as coach and led his charges back to La Liga at the turn of the millennium, where the team consolidated under the stewardship of Víctor Muñoz. Success in the Intertoto Cup saw Villareal qualify for the UEFA Cup.

UEFA Competition Football

Trabzonspor, Torpedo Moscow, Beşiktaş, AS Roma, and Celtic were all defeated as Villareal progressed to the semi-final, where they were defeated 1-0 on aggregate by local rivals Valencia CF. Juan Román Riquelme and Sonny Anderson weighed in with goals through the run under coach Benito Floro, before the arrival of new coach Manuel Pellegrini in 2004.

The Pellegrini Era

Villareal finished in a best-ever third place in La Liga, with Diego Forlán topping the scoring chart. The Yellow Submarine qualified for the following season’s Champions League, going all the way to the semi-final before being defeated by Arsenal. 

Villareal went on to finish as La Liga runners-up in 2007-08, as Marcos Senna and Robert Pirès created chances from midfield for Nihat Kahveci and Joseba Llorente. Pellegrini departed, and Ernesto Valverde and then Juan Carlos Garrido had spells as head coach.

Heartbreak and Celebration

Giuseppe Rossi and Santi Cazorla became fans' favourites, with Villareal reaching the Europa League semi-finals, going out to eventual winners, FC Porto. The 2011-12 season saw coaches come and go, as the team was relegated to Segunda División. Manuel Preciado, the new man put in charge of the team, died of a heart attack days after his appointment.

Julio Velázquez, his replacement, lasted until the winter break before Marcelino was appointed as coach. Villareal won promotion back to La Liga, despite the departure of star players Borja Valero, Diego López, Rossi and Nilmar. 

The goalkeeping of Juan Carlos went a long way to restoring top-flight status before Villareal finished the 2015-16 campaign in fourth place. Bruno Soriano captained the team as Roberto Soldado scored the goals, while Alphonse Areola starred in goal. 

Champions and Europa League football followed, with the team reaching the semi-finals of the latter, where Villareal lost to Liverpool. Cédric Bakambu and Denis Suárez were the stars of the show before the arrival of Fran Escribá as coach.

Europa League Glory

Javier Calleja was appointed as coach at the renamed and renovated Estadio de la Cerámica in September 2017, as Pablo Fornals pulled the creative strings on the pitch. Villareal progressed to the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where Valencia again ended the run, but it wouldn't be long before the club would lift the trophy.

The likes of Arsenal, Dinamo Zagreb, and Dinamo Kyiv were beaten in 2020-21 along the way to reach the final in Stadion Gdańsk, where Manchester United were beaten 11-10 on penalties. Gerard scored the goal in normal time, while Gerónimo Rulli became the hero in goal.

The renovated Estadio de la Cerámica

Unai Emery was appointed as head coach, taking his team to the Champions League semifinal in 2021-22 after wins against Juventus and Bayern München before Liverpool ended the dreams of glory. The manager headed off to Aston Villa to be replaced by Quique Setién.

The major renovation of Estadio de la Cerámica was completed in 2022, at a time when Nicolas Jackson was scoring the goals. Pacheta became manager in September 2023, lasting just a few months before the return of Marcelino, as Ayoze Pérez top-scored.

My visit

Villarreal CF 2 CD Leganés 1 - aggregate 2-2; Leganés win on away goals 

Copa Del Rey Round of 16 - Wednesday 10th January 2018 

👨‍👨‍👧‍👧 12,122 🎟️ €20

Train to Villareal

The TV companies had been very kind to me with their coverage of Copa Del Rey second-leg games, well after I’d booked my flights for a two-night stay in Valencia. I knew that Levante, Valencia and Villarreal were all at home, but it was purely by chance that I could get to two games.

My train journey north was full of my usual adventure and mishap, meaning I only got to see the home of CF Nules. Nevertheless, I was in good form as I got off the train ready to go and buy a ticket before relaxing with a beer or three.

Pre-Match Local Bars

I’d researched that the club shop would be open in the town centre, but the store on Plaça Major remained shut. Perhaps all hands were needed up at Estadio de la Ceramica, as El Madrigal had been renamed. The walk from the main square to the stadium took me through lots of narrow lanes in the neat and tidy town before I walked up Carrer Ermita.

This took me to a large open area outside the stadium. I’d got my eye on returning to town to try out Beer-attack, which looked tempting, with the promise of several beers on tap. However, it was at least ten minutes away. I wanted to be inside the ground a little earlier, as experience told me that navigation inside Spanish venues wasn’t the easiest.

Instead, I crossed the road once I’d obtained my match ticket for €20. Something was appealing about Bar Deportivo, despite there being quite a good choice of other venues, which looked to be slightly more upmarket. I immediately felt at home, as old boys played cards on a Formica-topped table with a green baize cloth. 

There was a real down-to-earth but friendly feel to the place. I sat at the bar and ordered a pint of Amstel Ora, which was a dark golden beer. Within minutes, the glass collector started to remove the seats at the bar in advance of the growing crowd. I was using my principle that smiling went a long way if there was a language barrier. I was soon making friends.

There was a free table, so I went to sit down. Two older fans soon arrived. I think they asked if the other seats were free. Again, I smiled and made gestures that they were welcome to join me. They soon established that I was not a local. Between us, we established that I was there for the match, I’d been to watch Valencia the previous evening, and I thought that Villarreal were about to win 2-0. 

I wasn’t quite ready to take in the quick-fire Castellon being uttered my way, mind! My friend, the glass collector, was also doing table service. When he saw that I was nearly ready for a refill, he pointed, I nodded, and a beer was promptly delivered. I gave him a small tip on top of the €2.50 charge. I didn’t have to wait when I next needed service.

Estadio de la Cerámica

I’d left it as late as I could before I followed the crowds along Carrer Blasco Ibáñez behind the Main Stand. Several shops were selling beer and cheap snacks. I opted for a large bag of crisps for just €1 before going in. Entrance to my stand was under some buildings, with programmes free to take from a rack. 

I was in Fondo Norte, a large bank of open seating, with a covered section above the corporate facilities at the back to house visiting fans behind a Perspex screen. The opposite end was similar to where I was, with the main stand down the side having a substantial roof, while opposite, the cover was limited.

The Match

As with my match at Valencia the previous evening, I waited to see which seats were vacant before taking up the best position. I couldn’t complain with any view on offer as I settled down to what promised to be an intriguing tie, as the home side looked to make up a one-goal deficit from the first leg. 

The game quickly took on the look of a defence against attack training session, as the side from Madrid was determined to progress to the last eight of the competition for the first time. Carlos Bacca, on loan from Milan, came close when heading a free kick over the bar in the early stages. 

The same player was frustrated as visiting keeper Nereo Champagne saved his low curling effort. The custodian made an excellent stop from Pablo Fornals, who really should have done better from ten yards. Leganés were rewarded for their resolute defending on the half-hour mark when a pass found Nabil El Zhar just inside the Villarreal half. 

He ran at the heart of the defence before dinking a delightful chip over Mariano Barbosa, which dipped under the bar. The visiting players were naturally delighted. The away goal meant that the hosts would have to score three times to go through. 

Just two minutes later, Samu Castillejo had a good chance to equalise when put through, but Champagne saved once again. The keeper pulled off another top stop from a fierce Jaume Costa drive as the home support became even more exasperated. Their frustration was beginning to become apparent in their team as the half came to a close.

During the interval, I went for a wander to get some different angles for photos and to get the blood flowing. It had been a pleasant day, but the temperatures had now dropped to around 5°. I went further back for the second half, just in front of the corporate area. Two minutes after the break, El Submarino Amarillo were back in the game. 

Suddenly, I felt like I’d been slapped from behind. I looked around to see what was going on. The ladies in the corporate area were in charge of pumping air into the blow-up dancing figures that are seen at some events. They blew around, and one had found the back of my head! Champagne continued to pull off some top stops. 

He and his team showed off some top-class time-wasting skills and acting worthy of an award. It’s fair to say it wasn’t going down well, especially as Enes Ünal had a goal chalked off for offside. Half chances continued to arrive, but Villarreal were denied by a mixture of poor finishing, brave defending and excellent goalkeeping. 

A Dramatic Ending

Leganés missed a great opportunity to put the game to bed on a breakaway, but the finish was woeful. With just two minutes remaining, home substitute Denis Cheryshev fired in from a low pull-back to set up a grandstand finish. The board showed that there would be four additional minutes. 

However, it wasn’t to be for the locals despite a frantic finale, including a foray for late set pieces from goalkeeper Barbosa. The home side received a decent ovation from their fans. I applauded both teams. I really enjoyed the match. If only Villarreal had scored ten minutes earlier. 

Back to Valencia

The timings meant that I had just enough time to return to Bar Deportivo, where the welcome was as warm as before, and some vocal youths were settling down to watch the Real Madrid against Numancia game.

My train back to Valencia took around an hour. I’d considered going for some drinks, but I decided to quit while ahead and grab some supper and walk back to my hotel for a decent night's sleep before heading to the airport the following morning.