The Spanish-American was born in a Naval Air Station in Meridian, Mississippi where his father was stationed with Spanish forces. His father, Ignacio Villanueva, was a Spanish Naval officer who worked for NATO and married a Spanish woman, Matilda Martin. The 6’9” footballer inherited his parents’ tall genes. He also has three younger siblings, Paloma, Inaki, and Carmen.
Growing up in Rhode Island, Spain, and Belgium, Villanueva didn’t always play football. In Spain, rugby was the preferred family sport. His brother, Inaki went on to play rugby professionally for Spain’s national team. It was only in Belgium, when he attended the U.S. Dept. of Defense’s SHAPE High School, that he fell in love with football.
He was reunited with his childhood friend who played for the Army Black Knights team at SHAPE, and told the coaches that Villanueva was a player to watch. Villanueva had a slow adjustment to football, but after enrolling at West Point, he improved tremendously, and ended up playing several positions for the Army Black Knights.