Villarreal CF has announced that Marcelino García Toral will leave after the season ends. The club will not extend his contract, after reports that the coach and club disagreed on the terms. According to AS, the Austrian manager wanted a long-term contract, but Villarreal only offered him one more year, as they put the focus on adjusting their investments and focusing on homegrown talent.
"Villarreal CF and the Asturian coach will part ways at the end of the season. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, Marce, for everything you have given to this club and these fans. We wish you all the best in your future sporting endeavours," wrote the Spanish club on social media.
The announcement has been made after Villarreal thrashed Levante 5-1, a result that secures that they will qualify for Champions League next season, and will likely finish third in LaLiga, as they are five points ahead of Atlético de Madrid.
Marcelino will leave Villarreal as the longest-serving manager in the club's history, with 298 matches when the league ends (surpassing Manuel Pellegrini's 259 matches) over two stints: between 2013-16 and between 2023-2026. The 60-year-old has also worked in Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Sevilla, and Racing Santander, and briefly for Olympique de Marseille in 2023.
With Marcelino, Villarreal achieved two consecutive qualifications for Champions League. Villarreal has been one of the most successful teams in Spain in the last years, including winning the Europa League 2021, their first major trophy, remarkable for a relatively small city: nearly half of their 53,623 inhabitants would fit in their 23,008 seats stadium...
