Rafa Villar (basketball)
Villar with Força Lleida in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Baskonia | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 9 August 2004 Barcelona, Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | FC Barcelona | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | →FC Barcelona B | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | →Força Lleida | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Força Lleida | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | Baskonia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Rafael "Rafa" Villar Cornago (born 9 August 2004), is a Spanish professional basketball player for Baskonia of the Liga ACB and EuroLeague. He has also represented the Spanish national team. Standing at 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), Villar plays in the point guard position.
His younger brother Raúl Villar is a basketball player for the Charlotte 49ers.
Early life and youth career
Growing up in l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Rafa Villar started playing basketball in the youth ranks of a local team, CB L'Hospitalet.[1] Villar joined the FC Barcelona youth ranks at the infantil category.[2] He made his way through the team's youth categories until reaching FC Barcelona B, playing in the Liga EBA.[3]
Professional career
Villar would make his professional debut in 2021, while still a FC Barcelona B player. He played his first minutes for the FC Barcelona first team in a EuroLeague game against Zalgiris in the 2021-22 season.[4] He would go on to make his Liga ACB debut in the 2022-23 season, in a game against Manresa. He would play two more Liga ACB games that season.[5]
In December 2022, Villar was loaned out to Força Lleida, which at the time was playing in LEB Oro.[5] After playing 27 games and reaching the playoffs, Villar's loan with the Catalans would be extended for an additional season.[6] In the 2023-24 season, Villar would win the LEB Oro playoffs and achieve promotion to Liga ACB with Força Lleida.[7]
In June 2024, Villar's tenure at FC Barcelona ended as the club decided against extending his contract.[8] Shortly after, in July 2024, Villar became a Força Lleida player once again as he joined the Liga ACB team as a free agent. He signed a 2 year contract with the Catalans.[9] On June 30, 2025, Lleida announced Villar had activated the exit clause of his contract, thus leaving the team before the start of the 2025-26 season.[10]
On July 1, 2025, Baskonia officially announced Villar as a new player, joining on a three season contract.[11]
National team career
Villar has played in several international tournaments with the youth ranks of the Spanish national team, winning the U18 European Championship in 2022[12] and the U19 World Cup in 2023.[13]
He made his debut the senior Spanish national team in a qualifier game for EuroBasket 2025 against Slovakia.[1]
Awards and accomplishments
Spanish junior national team
- 2022 U18 European Championship: Gold
- 2023 U19 World Cup: Gold
References
- ^ a b Rubio, Andrés (26 November 2024). "L'hospitalenc Rafa Villar debuta amb la selecció espanyola de bàsquet". lhdigital.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ Aza, Héctor (2 July 2023). "El blaugrana Rafa Villar, campió del món sub-19". fcbarcelona.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Rafa Villar, cedit al Força Lleida fins al final de la temporada". fcbarcelona.cat (in Catalan). 14 December 2022. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "El Barça se sobrepone a las bajas y da un repaso al Zalgiris". El Periódico (in Spanish). 26 November 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ a b Gómez Mira, Noelia (16 December 2022). "Rafa Villar, el diamante del Barça que busca crecer en la LEB Oro con Força Lleida". Relevo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Rafa Villar tornarà a vestir de Bordeus la temporada 2023-2024". flleida.cat (in Catalan). 20 July 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ Rubio, Andrés (9 June 2024). "L'hospitalenc Rafa Villar aconsegueix l'ascens a l'ACB amb el Força Lleida". lhdigital.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Finalitza la vinculació amb Sergi Martínez, Rafa Villar i Agustin Ubal". fcbarcelona.cat (in Catalan). 26 June 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Rafa Villar és bordeus!". flleida.cat (in Catalan). 17 July 2024. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
- ^ "Gràcies Rafa. Sempre bordeus!". flleida.cat (in Catalan). 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Rafa Villar refuerza la dirección de juego de Baskonia". baskonia.com (in Spanish). 1 July 2025. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
- ^ Mena, Fran (7 August 2022). "Rafa Villar destroza a Turquía y España es campeona de Europa sub18 de baloncesto". rtve.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ Pérez Ramos, Jesús (2 July 2023). "73-69: ¡España, campeona del mundo Sub 19!". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 January 2025.
External links
- Rafael Villar Profile at ACB.com (in Spanish)
- Rafa Villar Profile at euroleaguebasketball.net
- Rafael Villar Profile at fiba.basketball