Villarreal celebrate centenary with eyes on regional, Asian talent, says club legend Marcos Senna

As Spanish club Villarreal celebrate their centenary on Friday, one of the club’s greatest players has revealed what the club means to him, and the plans it has to expand its footprint regionally and across Asia.

A ceremony to mark 100 years since the foundation of the club will take place at El Estadio de la Ceramica on Friday.

It will feature theatrical, musical and audiovisual components, and will tell the story of the club from its beginnings, through promotions to the Second and First Divisions, participation in the Champions League, and winning the Europa League title in 2021.

Former Spanish international and 2010 World Cup winner Marcos Senna, who spent 11 years with Villarreal before retiring there, is now a club director and says the Yellow Submarines are looking to compete with Spain’s top clubs, such as Real Madrid and Barcelona.

“The club is my family and my life,” he said.

“For me, it’s been a true privilege to be able to have come to Villarreal, with their project and with their structure, and I want to be here many, many years, as many years as possible.”

Villarreal currently sit in sixth place in the league and play away to Anderlecht of Belgium on Thursday in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Expectations are high that it will be a successful season.

“At Villarreal, we’ve been working with a system and methodology for many years now. And it’s worked very well. Obviously, we’re very humble and we work very hard,” said Senna. “We always choose a specific style of player for each position, and that’s worked well. And not just players, but also the coaches.

“Each season doesn’t always come off as we like, but we have a very good line of work that we follow and this year we’ve got great expectations. And we hope to qualify for European competitions again.”

Senna also highlighted the work of the Villarreal youth academy, saying it has the capacity to nurture players for the Spanish national team.  

“Spain has a great national team, young players, promising players. And I think that Villarreal also has great young talent. So, for the future, they will be able to play for the Spanish national team,” he said.

“At the moment, for example, we have Pau (Torres). We can consider that he’s a veteran in the Spanish national team. Also, we have Alex Baena, who’s playing well and is catching the eye of the coaches. He has played very well in the league matches, so hopefully he will be called up soon. And he will be in an outstanding national team player.”

Villarreal, like other La Liga clubs, are spreading their scouting nets across the world and already have two academies in Asia — in South Korea and Malaysia — and are looking to establish more, potentially in the Gulf region.

“Villarreal have obviously just started there, and the idea is that we need to get to know the talents available in the country,” Senna said. “We are expanding and we are looking for the most talented players.”

As for playing in Saudi Arabia, where the Spanish Super Cup is currently decided, he said: “On a professional level, first of all we have to win here or to qualify for that particular competition. Last year we participated, I think it was Betis, Valencia, Barcelona (and Real Madrid).

“Our idea, obviously, is to finish the season as best as possible. I’m talking on a professional level here. We need to win championships, like the Copa del Rey, or be the runner-up in La Liga. And so then we’ll be able to participate in that tournament. That’s our objective.”

Senna also explained Villarreal’s popularity among global fans and growing recognition outside Spain.

“I think it’s because of the hard work that we’ve been doing and the idea is to promote the Villarreal brand. But I think the best way to promote a team is to play well in championships, to win good matches and to have a great season. And to play in European competitions is also very important because it means that the world football family can get to know us more. And I think those are the lines of work that we’re going to continue along,” he said.