New Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery thanked Villarreal for allowing him to show his "best version" during two years with the Yellow Submarine.
Villa confirmed Emery as Steven Gerrard's successor on Monday, with the Basque coach set to formally take the reins on November 1.
Gerrard was sacked straight after last Thursday's chastening 3-0 Premier League defeat at Fulham, which left them with just nine points from 11 matches.
Emery's appointment sees him return to the Premier League after previously succeeding Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and spending 18 months with the Gunners before being dismissed in November 2019.
He joined Villarreal eight months later and enjoyed just over two years at Estadio de la Ceramica, leading them to Europa League success in 2021 – the fourth of his career, a record – and the Champions League semi-finals earlier this year.
Speaking at a farewell press conference on Tuesday, Emery paid tribute to Villarreal for giving him the backing and resources to be his best self.
"Here I have been very me," he told reporters in an emotional address.
"They gave me the conditions to be my best version of me, [but] you have to continue having challenges.
"In Villarreal I've had a home. I called Fernando [Roig, club president] on Friday to tell him the situation, that I wanted to play the game on Sunday and then on Monday to meet again.
"[On Monday] everything was unleashed. I called Fernando only when there was already something more serious going on."
On his move, Emery added: "It is a professional and personal decision.
"I always carry my baggage, with many complicated and beautiful moments. Here I found a very important family and I have felt something of heart again.
"But the profession is within me. I felt I had to take this option. It's a different challenge, but professionally a very good one."
First-team coach Aaron Danks took charge of Villa's 4-0 win over Brentford on Sunday and will remain at the helm for Saturday's trip to Newcastle United.
Emery's time at Villa will begin with back-to-back matches against Manchester United, first hosting them in the Premier League on November 6 before going to Old Trafford four days later in the EFL Cup.
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
Pochettino urges Chelsea players to have more self-belief
Mauricio Pochettino has reminded his team to respect themselves as they prepare for another tough game against Aston Villa on Saturday.
After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester City last Saturday, the Blues were thrashed 5-0 by title-chasing Arsenal in midweek for their 11th defeat of the season.
Chelsea still have an outside chance of finishing in the top seven as they sit just three points behind Newcastle United with two games in hand.
Asked if his side are capable of putting the disappointment of their last two results behind them, Pochettino said: “Lack of belief, in the circumstances, sometimes happens.
“We tried to realise how we need to behave when the game is tough when the demands are so high. We need to try and be more strong and to trust in the way that we play, in our philosophy, in the way we prepare the games.
“We need to be positive, and we need to be strong and believe tomorrow we can have a good game, good attitude, good approach. We are going to compete again with another team, fighting for the top. We need to think we are Chelsea and respect ourselves."
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
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