Juan Foyth

Key strength: Aerial dominance

Defensive anchor

Stranded in 14th place and navigating a turbulent WLLDW run, Villarreal CF finds itself adrift in unfamiliar mid-table waters—far from their usual European hunting grounds. Yet on the periphery sits a man who knows glory intimately: Argentine World Cup winner Juan Foyth. The 28-year-old centre-back, valued at €8 million, has managed just three appearances and 180 minutes this campaign, though his solitary goal hints at the aerial threat he poses from set pieces. It's the four yellow cards accumulated in that brief window, however, that reveals a defender pressing desperately to impress—his timing slightly off, his frustration palpable. Once trusted as a defensive anchor with aerial dominance and technical composure, Foyth now watches as teammates like Alberto Moleiro and Georges Mikautadze carry the fight. The question haunting El Madrigal is whether this decorated international can force his way back into the lineup and steady a stuttering defense, or if Villarreal's yellow submarine will continue sailing without its World Cup-winning ballast.