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Thirty seasons after taking charge, Fernando Roig\u2019s stewardship has turned Villarreal<\/a> from a second-tier outfit into European silverware winners, remarkable for a club from a town of just over 53,000 residents.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to El Peri\u00f3dico Mediterr\u00e1neo, Roig arrived pledging promotion to the top flight within two years, but the club went up in his first season, setting in motion a rise few foresaw.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In 2005, on their Champions League debut, he maintained the team would compete rather than merely take part. Villarreal<\/a> reached the semi-finals and were a Riquelme penalty away from forcing extra time against Arsenal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Roig became majority shareholder in May 1997 and embedded a model built on financial balance, stability, hard work, trust in the academy and sustained investment in infrastructure, with the much-missed Jos\u00e9 Manuel Llaneza as his right-hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The progress accelerated. In 2006 Villarreal<\/a> were among Europe\u2019s last four at the first attempt, then finished La Liga<\/a> runners-up in 2008. Gdansk 2021 finally delivered a first major trophy, the Europa League, after 22 penalties against Manchester United.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A year later, they eliminated Juventus and Bayern Munich to reach a second Champions League semi-final. The club marked its centenary in 2023 and has since achieved another landmark, competing in the continent\u2019s elite tournament in consecutive seasons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n