Anderson aims high at Villarreal

By Maria Bretones Merino

A small town on Spain's east coast may seem an unlikely destination for an international footballer. But for Brazilian striker Sonny Anderson, Villarreal is the perfect stopping-off point in a career that has taken in major venues such as Barcelona, Lyon, Marseille and Monaco.

Free transfer
Last week, the 32-year-old joined Villarreal CF on a free transfer, having agreed to write off the remaining year on his contract with French champions Olympique Lyonnais. On Monday, he made his first appearance as a Villarreal player, as the club began pre-season training.

Thinking big
And he is confident the club, 15th in the Primera División last season, will be the right move for a player who won the two league titles in his previous Spanish sojourn with FC Barcelona. "Villarreal are a club with serious ambitions," said Anderson, who left Barcelona for Lyon in 1999. "Lyon were a similar proposition when I went there - they wanted to build something and become a big club, and Villarreal are the same."

World's best league
The forward had two seasons at Camp Nou before accepting an offer from Lyon and leading the Gerland club to their first French championship in 2002. He added: "I benefited from my time at Barcelona and that experience helped me achieve good things at Lyon. I don't see why I can't have similar success at Villarreal. I don't expect Spanish football to have changed that much in the last four years. They still have the best league in the world."

Replacing Palermo
Anderson, who lost his place in Lyon's title-winning team during an injury-hit 2002/03 campaign, has been bought to replace out-of-favour Martín Palermo. The Argentinian has failed to meet the expectations surrounding his club-record transfer from Boca Juniors CA 18 months ago.

Goals needed
The much-trumpeted Palermo reportedly chose Villarreal ahead of Real Madrid CF, yet has failed to deliver goals - the team scored only 44 in 38 games last term. Club president Fernando Roig said: "Anderson is a big name. I think he will score a lot of goals for us and make us a bigger club. Every year we are looking to progress and this season we will have a better team than last season. Villarreal is a small town but it is a friendly place and he will get a warm reception. The more he scores, the more people will take to him."

Aiming for Europe
Villarreal might have no tradition of success or support, but the club can count on the backing both of Roig and the town's 40,000 inhabitants. Deportivo Alavés provided the template which Villarreal hope to follow by reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2001, and the club will launch their own European campaign against Italy's Brescia Calcio in the UEFA Intertoto Cup next weekend. "It would be nice if we could get into Europe via the Intertoto Cup," said Anderson, who is expected to be registered in time to be considered for Intertoto duty.

Still ambitious
An extra target for Anderson will be to prove his worth to Spanish audiences where it matters most - on the pitch. He was not the unmitigated success at Barcelona that the €19m Lyon paid for his services, and the two championship medals he pocketed at Camp Nou, appear to suggest. "I am as ambitious now as I was when I was 23," he said. And Villarreal could be just the ones to benefit.