Villanueva played for the college team
UP Fighting Maroons. He appeared for
Meralco Manila and
Kaya F.C.–Iloilo in the professional
Philippines Football League. On May 12, 2018, Villanueva was named man of the match for his performance in Kaya's 2–0 win over
Ceres–Negros. He saved
Bienvenido Marañón's penalty kick in the 20th minute, and was instrumental in ending Ceres' five-match winning streak. He joined
Cebu F.C. in 2021. Villanueva was named in the
Philippines' squad for the
2018 Bangabandhu Cup and
2019 AFC Asian Cup, but is yet to earn a senior international cap. ==References==