Villarreal Links Its Yellow Submarine Identity to the Beatles

Villarreal's distinctive yellow identity has created a lasting cultural connection with Liverpool, linking the Spanish club to The Beatles through the song Yellow Submarine. The tradition began with a kit change in 1947 and developed into a football anthem after the song's release in 1966, becoming part of the club's identity over the following six decades. The connection gives meetings between Liverpool FC and Villarreal added significance, particularly at Anfield.

According to comments Villarreal president Fernando Roig gave to The Guardian, the upcoming meeting marks the clubs' fifth encounter and their third at Liverpool's home stadium. Roig described the occasion as an emotional experience, reflecting the relationship between the clubs and the warm reception their delegations have received during visits.

"It's emotional to play Liverpool. This will be the fifth time we have faced them, the third at Anfield. The other two were European semi-finals.

I'll watch the morning training session, travel with the team. We'll go and eat, everywhere we go we get treated very well and we treat them well back. The next day I'll watch the under-19s in the morning, that I do like.

And then the game, which I don't. Then we'll fly back here very, very late. It's very stressful."

Roig told The Guardian.

The clubs marked their cultural ties during Villarreal's first visit to Anfield, 10 years ago, when they met in a Europa League semifinal. Villarreal officials presented Liverpool with a ceramic yellow submarine, which is now displayed in the Liverpool FC museum. Villarreal originally wore white shirts and black shorts after the club was founded in 1923. According to the historical account published by the Liverpool Echo, a postwar shortage forced the club to change its colors in 1947, when Manuel Vilanova traveled to neighboring Valencia to purchase white shirts.

Unable to find the intended color, Vilanova bought the only available shirts, which were yellow. The unexpected purchase established a look that the club subsequently embraced as a defining feature of its identity. The club's anthem also recognizes its colors, with the lyrics "Els nostres colours són el blau i el groc," translated as "Our colors are blue and yellow." Villarreal later abandoned blue shorts in 2004, adopting an all-yellow strip that reinforced its association with the color.

The musical connection emerged in 1966, when The Beatles released Yellow Submarine. A Spanish-language version recorded by Los Mustang helped the song reach Spanish audiences, and supporters began singing it from the terraces during an important match as Villarreal pursued promotion toward 1968. Fans adapted the song into the chant "Amarillo es el Villarreal," meaning "Villarreal is yellow."

The phrase became a lasting club anthem, connecting the team's colors with the Beatles song and the nickname Submarino Amarillo, or Yellow Submarine. Despite having a population of just over 50,000, Villarreal has regularly competed in the later stages of European tournaments over the past two decades. The club won its first Europa League title in 2021, adding a major achievement to a history shaped by its distinctive colors and enduring musical tradition.