Villarreal, a cultural phenomenon

Breaking the limits is one of the most beautiful sensations in sport.

When you see that your effort has borne enormous fruit, greater than what you had achieved up to that moment, you realize how beautiful competition is.

One is capable of achieving much more than one imagines, and this happens in any discipline.

Football has left us a shining example with Villarreal, one of the most beloved clubs in Spanish football for its humility and professionalism in management.

The yellow team won the Europa League last season after defeating Manchester United in the final, culminating their great historic achievement.

And just a few days ago they returned to the semifinals of the Champions League, placing themselves among the four best teams in Europe.

On the eve of its centenary, one of the events of Spanish football in 2023, the team has once again given a lesson in enthusiasm and good work in the eyes of all.

And it has done so without losing its roots: uniting a town of just 50,000 inhabitants around a club philosophy.

A town that is going to compete against the great teams of Madrid, Manchester or Liverpool, huge cities with which to keep a pulse on the pitch.

If sport were an exact science, the outcome would be written.

It is the club with the least experience in the big competition, the most modest in terms of financial resources and the least backed by history.

But the strength of the group has allowed them to knock down giants like Juventus and Bayern Munich in round-trip qualifiers, authentic titans of the continent and, in the case of the German team, one of the main favorites for the great European throne.

With a squad based on firm pillars, such as the Spanish Raúl Albiol (European and World champion) or the Argentine Giovani Lo Celso (America champion), the tie could be the great moment in the careers of most of its members.

At times like this, where history is at hand, the union of the group is as important as the trajectory of its members.

earn respect

The semi-final against Liverpool, one of the great clubs in Europe by history and present, will mark an unforgettable page in the club's legend.

And the biggest loot may be beyond the result: having earned the respect of the entire continent.

Villarreal may be a small town near the Mediterranean, but on the planet of football its name has been rising strong for years.

The evolution of the club has been enormous, proving to be able to compete as an alternative at a domestic level.

A league runner-up finish and wins against Real Madrid or Barcelona have made them a well-respected team in one of the world's top leagues.

And that shadow has now lengthened in the Old Continent.

Something that is not achieved from one day to the next, but with professionalism and confidence in establishing a project.

It is a club that has never stopped insisting, improving, fighting and, above all, believing together with its fans.

There are only a few weeks left to continue dreaming.

That is the best legacy that a club can leave: raising the spirits of those who unconditionally support the course of a team.

The clash against Liverpool will connect them to a special entity, with one of those fans that make communion with the club.

A cultural phenomenon that transcends football and creates a very powerful collective identity.

A large mirror in which to look at yourself with a view to the future.

The Yellow Submarine is no longer a Yellow Submarine: it is a ship afloat, wind at its stern, in full view of everyone.

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