In their 143-year history, Tottenham Hotspur have encountered the very best that Iceland, North Macedonia and Azerbaijan have to offer.
They've placed themselves at Europe's top table in contemporary times, facilitating grand occasions against Europe's historic behemoths, including Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The two Clásico rivals are among the five Spanish clubs to meet the Lilywhite juggernaut, but not among those is Villarreal. Given the Yellow Submarine's 21st century relevance and Spurs' own consistent presence in UEFA competitions, it's somewhat of a quirk that us two have never collided.
But, with expansion the name of the game and more games being played until there are no more hamstrings to tear, an opportunity has arrived in the second iteration of the Swiss modelled Champions League for the pair to finally meet.
So, to celebrate, let's take a look at all the players to represent both clubs.
Giovani dos Santos
There was plenty of buzz surrounding teenager Dos Santos when he rocked up from Barcelona in 2008, with manager Juande Ramos suggesting the Mexican would blossom into a "terrific player" at Spurs.
However, Dos Santos instead left the club three years later, having made just 25 appearances. My sole memory of the versatile forward was his goal against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Cup during a 3-1 aggregate defeat, when Harry Redknapp prioritised the Carling Cup final and sacrificed our continental run.
He would enjoy more success with the Yellow Submarine, joining in 2013, but Dos Santos ultimately failed to deliver on his early-career promise. The Mexican scored 12 times in La Liga for Villarreal, but moved on rather swiftly when the LA Galaxy made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
Dos Santos represented his country over 100 times, but his club career underwhelmed.
Roberto Soldado
The Spanish forward joined Tottenham off the back of a productive La Liga career with Valencia, and he was among the fateful seven who signed to mitigate Gareth Bale's departure in 2013.
Soldado's Spurs career started with pinpoint accuracy from the penalty spot, but life in north London would never ignite for the silky forward, who never looked cut out for the rigours of the Premier League. Bright moments were few and far between before Tim Sherwood replaced André Villas-Boas and developed a great relationship with Emmanuel Adebayor. Then, in Soldado's second year, Harry Kane emerged and became the face of Mauricio Pochettino's Lilywhites.
The striker returned home in 2015, signing for Villarreal. The comfort of familiarity was bound to reignite Soldado, who scored on his debut, but injuries plagued his time in Castellón.
Étienne Capoue
Capoue was also part of the not-so-magnificent seven, with Pochettino ditching the French midfielder after taking the reins in 2014.
The Frenchman was doubtless gifted, and would eventually enjoy a pretty decent Premier League career with Watford, who signed him for a then-club-record £6.3m fee in 2015. Capoue recorded 156 top-flight appearances with the Hornets during a six-year career at Vicarage Road, subsequently joining Villarreal in 2021.
There, Capoue got a taste of the big time, as Unai Emery's Yellow Submarine embarked on a memorable Champions League campaign in 2021/22, during which he appeared 12 times and scored twice. Before that, the Frenchman was named Man of the Match in Villarreal's penalty shootout victory over Man Utd in the Europa League final.
Serge Aurier
You never knew what you were going to get from Aurier, which is ultimately why his time in north London isn't remembered too fondly.
The Ivorian jostled with Kieran Trippier for starting minutes after joining the club from Paris Saint-Germain, but Poch preferred the more stable presence of Aurier's right-back counterpart. However, the Englishman would secure a move to Atlético Madrid in 2019, allowing Aurier to emerge as first-choice.
His penchant for madness meant Spurs were soon looking for potential usurpers, but our acquisition of Emerson Royal in 2021 perhaps emboldened Aurier's legacy in N17. The Ivorian, having had his contract terminated by the club, then enjoyed a brief spell with Villarreal.
Juan Foyth
The Argentine defender was an unknown commodity when Spurs signed him from Estudiantes in 2017. However, the club had the luxury of gambling on projects then, with Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen well-established as one of the finest centre-back pairings in Europe.
His time in north London was a rollercoaster ride, but amid the chaos, Foyth's talent was evident. Thus, it was somewhat of a surprise that the club gave up on him after Pochettino left, with the defender joining Villarreal on an initial loan before signing permanently in 2021.
He's remained with the Yellow Submarine since, and is now a part of Marcelino's leadership group.
Giovani Lo Celso
The summer of 2019 was when things started to turn for Tottenham Hotspur.
Mauricio Pochettino's team was doubtless in need of a refresh after almost conquering Europe, and the signings made after reaching the Champions League final, on paper, looked poised to take Poch's side to the next level.
Lo Celso was chief among them, and we shouldn't forget that there was a time when the Argentine carried a slumping Spurs side on his back before the pandemic struck. Once football returned in the eerie absence of supporters, Lo Celso faded. His purple patch? Quickly forgotten.
From 2021 onwards, Spurs fought to get the disgruntled Argentine off their books, often settling for loan deals. Lo Celso twice joined Villarreal on a temporary basis, but his second spell was hindered by a major hamstring injury.
Arnaut Danjuma
Hijacking Everton deals is rarely a good transfer policy, but Spurs didn't know where to turn in order to appease Antonio Conte midway through a miserable 2022/23 campaign.
Danjuma signed for Villarreal off the back of an excellent season in the Championship with Bournemouth, but there was Premier League interest in his services 18 months into his La Liga career.
Spurs swooped from under Everton's nose to bring the Dutchman in for the remainder of the season, but Danjuma ranks as one of the most forgettable signings of the club's modern history. He scored twice in 12 appearances amid a period of woeful tumult in north London, happily returning to the Yellow Submarine in the summer.
After starting rather promisingly with Villarreal, Marcelino never took to him and he finally earned a permanently move away this summer following loan spells with the Toffees and Girona.
Manor Solomon
Okay, so Solomon hasn't actually played for Villarreal at the time of writing, but the Israeli international joined the La Liga club on loan from Spurs at the end of the 2025 summer transfer window.
The Lilywhites were waiting for a buyer to emerge all summer, and looked to be shipping the diminutive winger off to Crystal Palace, but the Eagles, who enjoyed messing us around in this window, pulled out of the deal late.
Solomon starred only briefly for Ange Postecoglou's Lilywhites before suffering a major injury, which thwarted his career in north London. He impressed on loan at Leeds, and could prove to be an astute signing for Marcelino's side.