In the summer of 2010, after Real Murcia were relegated to the Spanish third tier, Manuel Trigueros Muñoz left the club and joined Villarreal CF. It was the move that shaped his career. A midfielder born on 17 October 1991 in Talavera de la Reina, in the province of Toledo, he spent fourteen seasons at the Castellón club. He came through every level of the club, finished as its all-time appearance leader and won the 2021 UEFA Europa League. He ended his career at Granada CF between 2024 and 2026.
Youth years in Talavera, Barcelona and Murcia
He began playing in his home town, in the youth ranks of Talavera CF and Unión Deportiva Talavera. In 2007-08 he moved to FC Barcelona's academy, where he stayed for one season. He moved on to Real Murcia in 2008 and made his senior debut for their reserve side, scoring once in 10 league games. In June 2010 the first team went down to Segunda División B and the reserves dropped to Tercera. Murcia released him and Villarreal signed him. The deal included a clause requiring Villarreal to pay Murcia €100,000 once he reached 15 first-team appearances.
From Villarreal C to the first team
He started out with Villarreal C in the Tercera División, scoring 13 goals in 36 games over two seasons. He made his debut for Villarreal B on 4 June 2011 in the Spanish second division, playing the last 30 minutes of a 2-1 defeat away to Real Betis. His first goal for the reserves came on 11 February 2012. It was an odd season for the club. The first team were relegated to the second division, and that forced Villarreal B down to the third tier even though they had finished 12th. In June 2012 Trigueros moved up to the senior squad. He made his first-team debut on 17 August 2012 in a 2-1 win over Real Madrid Castilla, and in that 2012-13 season Villarreal won promotion back to La Liga at the first attempt.
Top-flight debut and a regular place
He made his first top-flight appearance on 19 August 2013, coming on in the 53rd minute of a 3-2 away win over UD Almería. He stayed in the squad for the next ten years. His most productive season in front of goal was 2016-17, when he scored seven league goals and was named in UEFA's La Liga Team of the Season. He played his 300th competitive game for the club in November 2019.
The 2021 Europa League
The 2020-21 season brought his biggest trophy. On 29 April 2021 he opened the scoring in the first leg of the semi-final against Arsenal, which Villarreal won 2-1. On 26 May he started the final against Manchester United at the Stadion Gdańsk in Poland and came off in the 77th minute. The game ended 1-1 after extra time, and Villarreal won the shootout 11-10 to lift the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League, the club's first major trophy. The following season he was part of the side that reached the semi-finals of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League, playing nine games in the competition.
Villarreal's appearance record
The milestones kept coming. In March 2021 he passed Marcos Senna's 363 appearances, leaving only Bruno Soriano and Mario Gaspar ahead of him. He reached 400 games in December 2021. On 8 September 2022 he broke Bruno Soriano's club record and became the player with the most competitive appearances in Villarreal's history. On 2 November 2023 he scored the first hat-trick of his career in a 5-0 away win over Chiclana CF in the Copa del Rey. He left the club on 8 August 2024 with 477 games and 38 goals: 366 games and 25 goals in the league, 37 and 8 in the Copa del Rey, and 74 and 5 in European competition.
Granada and retirement
Hours after leaving Villarreal in August 2024, he signed a two-year deal with Granada CF, who were then in the Spanish second division. He played 74 competitive games for the Andalusian side, 68 of them in the league, and scored three goals. On 29 May 2026 he announced he would retire at the end of the 2025-26 season, after more than seventeen years as a professional. He played his final game two days later against Sporting de Gijón on the last matchday. He finished his career with 587 games and 45 goals in club competition for Murcia B, Villarreal B, Villarreal and Granada.
