A solid 2024/25 campaign secured Champions League qualification for Villarreal, with Marcelino’s side benefiting from the extra place awarded to Spanish clubs in next season’s competition. It could be another busy summer at the Ceramica though, with a few key Villarreal players already being linked with moves, despite the opportunity to play at Europe’s elite level for the Yellow Submarine.
We’ve ranked the best Villarreal players by their average scores according to Sorare’s advanced scoring matrix. This gives every player a score out of 100 for each game they play in and takes into account decisive actions such as goals and assists, as well as everything from progressive passes and interceptions to duels won. Sign up to Sorare to start playing their global fantasy football game.
To feature below, players in the Villarreal squad must have played some part in at least 50% of their eligible games within the relevant timeframe. That includes LaLiga and in some cases international appearances, but not domestic cup fixtures.
Villarreal best players 2024/25 – Ranked by their Sorare average scores (Last 15 matches)
5. Alex Baena – 53.6
Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena is one of the most highly-rated young players in Spain right now. After another stellar season, the 23-year-old has been strongly linked with a summer move to Atletico Madrid, having previously turned down a January switch to Saudi Arabia.
The Spain international tends to operate on the left of a four-man midfield for Villarreal, but he frequently takes up central positions and boasts all the attributes to thrive as an attacking central midfielder, without being a player who easily fits the stereotypes associated with a typical Spanish number 8 or 10.
Baena is certainly someone who enjoys the physical side of the game at times, picking up 20 yellow cards over the past two seasons in LaLiga. However, he’s best known for his creative attributes, with 23 assists over the same period, comfortably the most of any player in the Spanish top flight.
4. Juan Foyth – 53.7
A big factor in Villarreal’s defensive improvement in the second half of the 2024/25 season was the return to fitness of Juan Foyth. The Argentine played very little football in 2024 due to lingering injury issues, but he seems to be over those now.
A right-back throughout much of his time at the Ceramica, Marcelino opted to use Foyth in a central defensive role in 14 of his 17 starts this term, and his calming presence helped Villarreal plug a hole in what has been a problem position over the past couple of years.
At 27, Foyth is now coming into his prime, and the Villarreal boss may be tempted to continue using him in a central defensive role as he looks ahead to LaLiga and Champions League football in 2025/26.
3. Luiz Junior – 54.6
There are a number of promising young Villarreal players in this current squad and the goalkeeper position is no exception, with Luiz Junior enjoying a strong end to the campaign which suggests he should be preferred to Diego Conde between the sticks next term.
Both players joined the club during a busy summer 2024 transfer window at the Ceramica, following the departure of Filip Jorgensen to Chelsea. Conde got the nod initially, but 24-year-old Luiz Junior has since secured the starting jersey and despite the odd shaky moment, has impressed with his shot-stopping abilities.
While he perhaps still has some way to go to fully justify the €12m price-tag that accompanied his move from Famalicão, the Brazilian’s trajectory should be an upward one from here.
2. Ayoze Perez – 55.2
One of the signings of last summer in LaLiga, Villarreal CF pulled off a real coup by snatching Ayoze Perez from Real Betis for just €4m.
The Spain international has been a revelation since moving to the Valencian region. Used as a forward rather than a wide player by Marcelino, Ayoze rattled in 19 goals in LaLiga, despite only making 22 starts, largely because of injuries. He averaged a strike every 104 minutes in the most prolific campaign of his professional career.
Given that, it was a surprise to see the 31-year-old not called up by Luis de la Fuente for the UEFA Nations League finals, but the forward can now afford to put his feet up and look forward to playing Champions League football for the first time next season.
1. Nicolas Pepe – 55.8
While Nicolas Pepe is not necessarily the first name that jumps out when considering the best Villarreal players, and while he hasn’t been a regular fixture in the side this season, a strong end to the campaign from the Ivorian leaves him with the best numbers of any player for the Yellow Submarine over the past 15 games.
Pepe shone with two goals and four assists as Villarreal won their final six games to pip Real Betis to fifth place. The ex-Arsenal man had only managed three goal contributions in the league prior to that in the 2024/25 season, but he benefited from one or two late-season injuries and showed that he is still capable of moments of quality.
The 30-year-old ought to benefit from more opportunities next season given the club’s additional commitments as they return to the European stage.
Top 10 Villarreal players – Last 40 matches
The likes of Luiz Junior, Gerard Moreno and Juan Foyth would feature in the top five had they hit the 50% match-involvement threshold, which leaves us with a noticeable gap between the key attacking duo of Ayoze and Baena, and the rest when we zoom out and look at the best players in the Villarreal squad over the past 40 games.
Pepe ranks fourth over this time period, while Villarreal defenders Kiko Femenia, Sergi Cardona and Logan Costa also feature. Of those three, it’s Cardona who has made the biggest overall impression with seven assists in LaLiga 2024/25 from left-back.
While his level has dipped slightly, Dani Parejo is still going pretty strong in midfield at 36, typically alongside Santi Comesaña. Meanwhile, winger Yeremy Pino is another of the best players to emerge from the Villarreal youth academy in recent years, and unlike Ayoze, he did make it into the most recent Spain squad.
