Éric Bailly’s return to Villarreal has followed a sadly familiar script — early promise overshadowed by injury, limited game time, and growing uncertainty over his future at the club.
When the Ivorian centre-back rejoined Villarreal in the summer of 2024, there was cautious optimism surrounding his homecoming.
After an underwhelming spell at Olympique de Marseille and a quiet stint at Besiktas, Bailly appeared ready to revive his once-promising career in the shirt where he first made a name for himself.
The early signs were encouraging: he featured in eight of the first ten La Liga fixtures, regaining rhythm and fitness, and giving fans a glimpse of the defender who once dominated backlines across Europe.
For Villarreal, bringing Bailly back felt like a natural decision. It was in the Yellow Submarine’s colours that the Ivorian first rose to prominence before earning a big move to Manchester United in 2016.
This second chapter in Spain was hoped to be a turning point, a late-career renaissance for a player who had once lifted the Africa Cup of Nations and seemed destined for greatness.
But that hopeful narrative was short-lived.
Once again, Bailly’s momentum was halted by injury. A muscle issue ruled him out between late October and early December 2024 — a familiar and frustrating chapter in a career too often disrupted by physical setbacks.
And now, at 31, the cost of these repeated injuries is beginning to weigh even heavier.
Since his return to the squad in early December, Bailly has found opportunities severely limited. Over the course of twelve La Liga matches, he has accumulated a mere 46 minutes of play.
Once a defensive stalwart, he now finds himself anchored to the bench, unable to regain the trust or consistency needed to reclaim a starting role.
This is not the first time Bailly has faced such a decline. His trajectory has followed a recurring pattern — promising beginnings followed by prolonged absences, leading to a slow fade into the background.
Whether at Manchester United, Marseille, or Besiktas, the Ivorian has repeatedly struggled to maintain the fitness required to meet expectations.
That same troubling cycle now appears to be repeating itself at Villarreal. Despite flashes of his former self, Bailly remains on the margins, and his future with the Spanish club is clouded in doubt.
The question now is not only whether he can stay fit, but whether he will be given another chance at all.
As things stand, Bailly’s situation remains deeply uncertain. His return to the club that launched his career was meant to offer redemption, but instead, it has highlighted the fragility of a once-promising path.
With each season mirroring the last, the fear grows that Bailly’s story — once so full of potential — is being slowly written into the margins of European football.
