The yellow submarine of the greatest band ever, the Beatles, was born in Liverpool in 1966 and within a year it had spread to an industrial town north of Valencia. So, how did the Spanish team get this nautical nickname?
In Villarreal's europa League final, in order to withstand the occasional storm and sinking, the media pretended to seal the hatch and make the main body of the voyage deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. This makes us want to know: Why is Villarreal called a yellow submarine?
First, Villarreal is not on the shore. This industrial town is an hour's drive northeast of Valencia, a few kilometres inland from the Mijares River. Secondly, submarines have nothing to do with them; Villarreal is famous for its ceramics making – the Spanish city of Stoke, if you like to call it that. That's why they play at the Ceramics Stadium.
Not on the shore, no submarines; But they do use yellow in the game, which, according to the club's official website, is the inspiration for their Beatles songs. The date goes back to 1967/68, when Villarreal struggled to advance to the third tier of Spanish football (they didn't make their first la Liga debut until 1998/99).
In one game, the supporters behind one side of the goal started playing Beatles songs on the recorder, saw their team's yellow jerseys and started singing the tune, "Villarreal is yellow, they're yellow, they're yellow."
That's where the nickname comes from, it may seem accidental, but it's also reasonable for a club with a distinctive colour. Back in 1947, with the new season approaching, the son of president Villarreal was sent to Valencia to buy a replacement for the club's white shirt.
There is not enough stock in the store. In fact, there is only one color of jersey number there that meets their needs: yellow. The choice caused huge fluctuations, but the players refused to fall into the doldrums and quickly agreed.