Soccer players who played for Boca Juniors and Villarreal CF

Last update 21 May, 2022 por Alberto Llopis

¿How many players played for Boca Juniors and Villarreal? Since the beginning of the 21st century, Villarreal and Boca are twinned beyond the colors of their shirts. There have been many years that two clubs have been intertwined that a priori are so different thanks to the transfer of players and the good personal relationship between presidents and CEOs. A link that breaks down borders and has placed the name of Villarreal far from the old continent.

Many of the most historic players of La Mitad Más Uno have joined or come from the Castellón team. Today we remember all those who have walked the lawn of La Cerámica feeling the colors of The Bombonera and vice versa.

Players who played for Boca Juniors and Villarreal

Walter Gaitan

Perhaps the origin of everything. Walter Gaitan began his football career in Argentina wearing the Rosario Central shirt. His performances at the club as a midfielder, his ball control and powerful left-footed shot led Villarreal from across the pond to pay attention to his game. It would be like at the end of 1998 was sold to the “Yellow Submarine”. During his time in Spain, Gaitán had to see his team go down and go back up to the first category a season later. Years in which he played a total of 48 games for the Spanish League and scored seven goals before returning to Argentina.

Earlier 2001, Walter returned to his native country to wear the Boca Juniors jersey under the orders of Carlos Bianchi. Allí, between the local championship and the Copa Libertadores, Gaitan was present at 20 matches in which he scored five goals for his personal score. Goals that were decisive in matches like the Copa Libertadores against Palmeiras and for which he will always be remembered at La Bombonera.

Sebastian Battaglia

Another one of those who started it all was Sebastian Battaglia. An Argentine player who debuted in the First Division of the Xeneize club at the disposal of Carlos María García Cambón. he would 31 de mayo de 1998, with scarcely 17 años, and since then he would not stop until he played a total of 149 matches in his first stage in Boca. Sin duda, a glorious period for the player in which he managed to score 11 goals and win 9 titles. Good feelings at El Único Grande that led Villarreal CF to buy their pass through 2,5 millones de dólares.

Already in Spain, the Argentine had as companions compatriots like Juan Román Riquelme, Rodolfo Arruabarrena, Diego Bitch, Luciano Figueroa o Fabrizio Coloccini. despite that, Seba failed to establish himself in the team. En la temporada 2003/04 played only 15 parties, but the next one would be even worse and it is that several consecutive injuries limited Battaglia's goal of becoming indisputable in the "Submarine" . With the yellow shirt he would play a total 43 parties (29 in League, 2 by King's Cup, 11 in UEFA Cup and 1 in Intertoto Cup), managing to lift the second European title in the history of the club, the UEFA Intertoto Cup 2004.

Fabrizio Coloccini

Emerged from the lower divisions of Argentinos Juniors and after passing through Boca Juniors in July 1998, Fabricio Coloccini arrives in Spain as one more babazorro. Sin embargo, It wouldn't take long for him to try his luck with other teams like Atlético de Madrid until he finally landed at La Cerámica. In Castellón he would play during the season 2003/2004, in a Villarreal qualified for the UEFA Cup.

His time through the yellow ranks would be brief and inglorious. In fact, like his entire tour of Spain with the exception of Deportivo de La Coruña. in the herculean team, Coloccini finally managed to stand out as the undisputed starter and get the recognition he expected.

Bruno Marioni

Bruno Marioni was one more in the list of successes with Boca, but failures with Villarreal. The Argentine striker played in his country in clubs like Newell's Old Boys, the Students of La Plata or the Independent of Avellaneda, but it would not be until his arrival at Boca Juniors when he would savor the glory. With those in blue and gold, he managed to become champion of the Copa Libertadores de América in 2007, just after his return from the old continent.

From the season of 2000/2001, Marioni had tried his luck in the Spanish League wearing the Villarreal C shirt. F., team he played with 13 games and scored 4 goles, but this would not arrive until his passage through the C. D. Tenerife. With the islanders he played three seasons, achieved promotion to the 1st division and scored historic goals. Among them it is worth remembering the victory against UD Las Palmas in what would be the second Derby between both teams in the first category.

A Javier Clemente team that was in 20th position at the time and that 20 de mayo de 2002 a defeat would have passed the descent from virtual to real. Fortuna, filly or carambola that Marioni was there to mark that 0-1 that allowed to continue dreaming of salvation.

Leo Suarez

Leo Suarez, he took his first steps in the xeneize institution when he was only six years old. A bond with the La Bombonera club that would last until he came of age, When would you leave for Europe?, more specifically to Villarreal C.F.

in the submarine, far from the bad reception that other Boca players had had, Suárez fit like a glove. It started in the branch, but his technique, speed and good passing quickly led him to become part of the Villarreal first team.

After that, Leo ended up on loan to teams like Real Valladolid or R. C. D. Mallorca, but it would not take long for the Argentine to return to Castellón and regain his position as yellow starter before leaving the local League and crossing the pond again.

Leandro Somoza

Leandro Daniel Somoza debuted as a midfielder in the year 2001 at the Velez Sarsfield. Five years later he was transferred to Villarreal for around 4 millions of euros. With the Yellow Submarine he plays a year before in the middle of 2007 Villarreal loaned him for one year to Real Betis. Tras eso, in july 2008 returned to his home club in Argentina, where he spent many months without playing due to injury and once he recovered he ended up at Boca Juniors. The pass was made effective by 700 one thousand dollars, amount that those in blue and gold paid to Villarreal (US$ 200.000) and Velez Sarsfield (US$ 500 000) to establish a contract 2 Years and a half.

He would play with El Único Grande from 2011 hasta 2013, years in which I would dispute 80 encounters and would convert 3 goals before not reaching an agreement with the diligence and leaving for Lanús.

Juan Román Riquelme

If there is a man who stands out on this list, that is Juan Román Riquelme. Idol in Villarreal, legend in mouth.

The Argentine player lived two stages in the ranks of the Xeneizes, but without a doubt the first one will be recorded for the memory. Six titles, three local (Opening 1998, Opening 2000, Closing 1999) and three international (Copa Libertadores 2000, 2001 and Intercontinental Cup 2000), a whole golden age. But soon the fall would come. And it is that before leaving a mark on Villarreal, Riquelme had to live a fiasco with FC Barcelona. An irregular stage under the orders of Louis Van Gaal and later Radomir Antić, which Frank Rijkaard ended up solving, though maybe too late. The arrival of Ronaldinho overshadowed everything around him and Rimelque was forced to leave the club on loan to Villarreal C.F..

With the Yellow Submarine he played for three and a half seasons, desde el 2003 hasta el 2006. He did it surrounded by compatriots like Sebastián Battaglia and Fabricio Coloccini. A compact team that with Román at the helm managed to land in the semifinals of the UEFA Cup, where would they fall against Valencia.

Despite the defeat, the Argentine finished the course with more than an outstanding, and that was just the beginning. in the next campaign, the arrival of Diego Forlán was a revolution. The Uruguayan and he formed the perfect tandem to convert 40 annotations and being the architects of third place in the League.

The climax would arrive for his third campaign. Qualified for the Champions, reached the semi-finals, pero una vez más, el 8 she was left with honey on her lips. More if possible after failing the penalty that tied the tie against Arsenal.

No honors on this yellow road, but with a good taste in the mouth, Riquelme would sign in 2006 the goodbye that put an end to a glorious stage for the club, for the footballer and for the fans.

Martín Palermo

Like Riquelme, Martín Palermo would also go through Villarreal C.F. Between two stages for Boca Juniors. So we'll start at the beginning.

In Boca he lived some wonderful years leaving an indelible memory in the memory and hearts of the fans of La Mitad Más Uno. 236 goals in 404 parties. Sin duda, one of those players to frame on the walls of La Bombonera.

Sin embargo, something differentiates him from Riquelme, and it is that his stage in Spain was not so successful. The Argentine striker signed for 1.200 millones de pesetas (about a few 7 millions of euros) for Villarreal in the 2001, where he played until 2003, before putting on the Betis shirt the same year, that of Alavés in 2004 and to return to Argentina to retire in the team of his life, the Boca Juniors.

His arrival at the Castellón team was a surprise for the fans, for journalists and even for compatriots. “Palermo to Villarreal? fuck me! I'm not saying this disrespecting Villarreal, but because Martin Palermo, after the two goals he scored against Real Madrid in the Intercontinental Cup final, he deserves a club with history or a high level, like naples, or one who fights for the highest. Villarreal is doing very well, but it has no weight or tradition. Palermo deserves something very different”, Maradona said when he found out about the signing.

Martín Palermo had a promising start within the Submarine, marking 6 goals in 17 games in his first season, starting the next campaign with 3 goals in his first 5 matches and being decisive in Copa del Rey matches. Sin embargo, a fracture of the tibia and fibula after a wall fell on him in the Levante stadium, caused his soccer level to drop considerably and that those 5 so many were their last seeing the course door. And although it was tried to recover in 2003, it was no longer the same. 17 goals in three seasons were no longer worth, so he ended up signing for Real Betis Balompié for the season 2003-2004.

Behind the Andalusian team, he ended up at Deportivo Alavés without much success before returning to Argentina. Y allí, in what seems to be the end of his career, Palermo resurfaced like a phoenix giving the Boca fans the finishing touch they deserved. A Copa Libertadores (2007), two opening tournaments (2005 y 2008), a Closing Tournament (2006), two South American Cups (2004 y 2005) and two South American Cup Winners' Cups (2006-2008), titles that joined the Intercontinental Cup and the Copa Libertadores of the year 2000, of his first stage and that showed that perhaps the Spanish League was not his size, but at home he became the best in the world.