Jozy Altidore will be with Villarreal through at least the first half of the year, he confirmed after a meeting with Pellegrini. He touches on that subject, as well as a number of others, in this awesome blog post on the New York Times.
And in that blog, he made a couple of statements that support the fact that Villarreal is unlike just about every other club out there:
I have to tell you that this is the most humble group of individuals I’ve seen so far in my career. They all work very hard, but with smiles on their faces. It seems no individual is on a higher level than anyone else.
And I have to say that Robert Pires treats all the 17-year-olds like everyone else, Edmilson, too. They are just so open about everything, maybe it’s part of their culture, and I really don’t know how to explain it any better right now. It’s very friendly and I think family oriented. Very cool.
The special nature of Villarreal is the reason why players like Rossi are sticking around, despite mega offers. It is the reason players like Cygan and Pires, despite being wanted in their home country, to come finish their career, are fighting to stay on. There is a magic with this club.