José Luis Villarreal (born 17 March 1966) is an Argentine

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

coach and former player. He is the new coach of the newborn Miami Beach Club de Fútbol, that will play the United Premier Soccer League. He is the former head coach of

Jacksonville Armada FC Jacksonville Armada FC is an American professional soccer team based in Jacksonville, Florida. They most recently played in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid, during the 2018 season while ...

of the North American Soccer League. Coach Villarreal at the Armanda FC Development Camps

Villarreal was part of the

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

squad at the 1992 King Fahd Cup in Saudi Arabia and usually played in

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

. He has played for clubs in Argentina, Mexico, France, and Spain, spending the majority of his time with Buenos Aires club Boca Juniors and hometown

Club Atlético Belgrano Club Atlético Belgrano (; mostly known simply as Belgrano or Belgrano de Córdoba ) is an Argentine sports club from the city of Córdoba, best known for its football team. In the 2023 season the club will play in the Primera División, the ...

in Córdoba. His eye for talent has led him to the scouting and recruiting of some of South America's top football talent, namely fellow Argentine

Lionel Messi Lionel Andrés Messi (; born 24 June 1987), also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Widely regarded as one of the ...

Club career

Born in Córdoba, Córdoba Province, Villarreal began playing football with local side San Lorenzo de Las Flores at age 16. He signed with

where he would play two seasons before moving to Boca Juniors. He won the 1992 championship in his five-year stint with Boca Juniors. The following year he signed for Boca's arch-rivals River Plate, where he played from 1993 to 1995. Villarreal played one season in France at Montpellier before moving to Mexican side

C.F. Pachuca Club de Fútbol Pachuca is a Mexican professional football team based in Pachuca, Hidalgo, that competes in Liga MX. Founded by Cornish miners from Camborne and Redruth in 1901, it is one of the oldest football clubs in the Americas, and was ...

during the 1997 season. Reoccurring injuries forced Villarreal to return to Argentina where he played for his home side Belgrano in 1998. He played in Argentina for the remainder of his career and after a short stint at Estudiantes he returned once more before retiring with Belgrano in 2004.

International career

Villarreal showcased some brilliant midfield work in eight different international appearances with the Argentina national team, the most successful being an International Championship at the 1992 King Fahd Cup, later to be known as the

Confederations Cup The FIFA Confederations Cup was an international association football tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, ...

. Despite an absence of contributing goals during his international career, Villarreal played an instrumental part in the defeat of Saudi Arabia in the first addition of what would become the

Coaching career

In 2012, Villarreal was brought to Chilean club

Colo-Colo Club Social y Deportivo Colo-Colo () is a Chilean professional football club based in Macul, Santiago. Founded in 1925 by David Arellano they play in the Chilean Primera División, from which they have never been relegated. The team has pla ...

as part of Omar Labruna coaching staff, serving as the deputy manager and training coach for the club. In June 2014,

, a team in the North American Soccer League based in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, announced it had hired Villarreal as the team's inaugural head coach. He parted ways with the club in June 2015. In October 2019 he becomes the first coach of the Miami Beach Club de Futbol, the first and only professional team of the city of Miami Beach

Recruiting

From 2005 to 2007 Villarreal worked as President of the Academy REDH (Rumbo has Excelencia y Deportiva Humana) where he and Venezuelan academy founder Guillermo Ángel Hoyos recruited top South American talent, most notably

. The program offered a comprehensive educational academy that accompanied advanced football training programs enabled the best South American footballers the opportunity to play in the best clubs in Europe and around the world. Along with his colleagues, Villarreal has managed to place many of the most talented students in the best Spanish, French, Greek, and Italian clubs.

Personal life

Villarreal goes by the nickname "Villa" which was chanted during his days playing at La Bombonera with Boca Juniors. He lives with his wife Elizabeth, daughter Sofia, son Lucas and dog Milo in Córdoba, Argentina.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Villarreal, Jose Luis 1966 births Living people Association football midfielders Argentine footballers Argentine expatriate footballers Argentina international footballers 1992 King Fahd Cup players Argentine Primera División players Liga MX players Ligue 1 players Club Atlético Belgrano footballers Boca Juniors footballers Club Atlético River Plate footballers Estudiantes de La Plata footballers All Boys footballers C.F. Pachuca players FIFA Confederations Cup-winning players Expatriate footballers in Mexico Expatriate footballers in France Footballers from Córdoba, Argentina Jacksonville Armada FC North American Soccer League coaches Jacksonville Armada FC coaches Argentine football managers