Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Valencia Greatest All-Time Team

Valencia won both La Liga and UEFA Cup in 2003-2004
Please also see my All-Time World Cup Team Index.

Real MadridBarcelonaValencia,
Atletico MadridSevillaAtletic Bilbao, 
Deportivo La Coruna  Real Sociedad, Villarreal
Real BetisReal ZaragozaEspanyol
Spain without Real Madrid and Barcelona players
Valencia All-Time Team for Spanish Players
Valencia All-Time Team for Foreign Players
Valencian Community

This is my selection of a 25 member all-time team for the club.  The number 25 was chosen because it is the official squad size for the Champions' League.

Valencia were founded in 1919 and have played their home games at the 49,500-seater Mestalla since 1923.  It is among the most successful clubs in Spain.  In 1980, they won a Cup Winners' Cup.  Then, in the 2000's, the team reached its Golden period.  They won two La Liga titles.  In 2003-2004 season, they won the Double: La Liga and the UEFA Cup.  They also reached the Champions' league two years in a row: 1999–2000, 2000–01. They won back-to-back Fairs Cup in 1962 and 1963. 

Valencia is the fourth-most supported football club in Spain, behind Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. It is also one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of number of associates (registered paying supporters), with more than 50,000 season ticket holders and another 20,000+ season ticket holders on the waiting list, who can be accommodated in the new 75,000-seater stadium.

Cup Winners Cup 1980
Team
GK: Santiago Canizares (Spain) 
Santiago Canizares was a youth product of Real Madrid. He went to Valencia in 1998, where he led them to two Champions' league Final and winning the 2004 UEFA Cup.  He won Ricardo Zamora Trophy 4 times: 1992–93 (shared), 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04. He received 46 caps. He also spent two seasons with Celta. He went to six major international tournaments, but was mainly used as a backup, except at the European Championship in 2000.
Santiago Canizares

GK: Ignacio Eizaguirre   (Spain)
Ignacio Eizaguirre started his career after the Spanish Civil War in 1939 with Real Sociedad.  He played one season and moved to Valencia in 1940.  He won three La Liga titles and two Ricardo Zamora trophies for being the best goalkeeper of the season. He was the starting keeper for Spain at the World Cup finals in 1950.


GK: Andoni Zubizarreta (Spain)
Andoni Zubizarreta represented La Roja in 4 World Cup Finals. He was at one point Spain's cap record holder.  He started with Athletic Bilboa.  He also played for Barcelona and Valencia.  He won Barcelona's first ever Champions' League in 1992.  After the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, where Barça lost 0–4 to A.C. Milan in the final, Zubizarreta was deemed surplus to requirements. He joined Valencia.

RB: Jocelyn Angloma (France
Jocelyn Angloma was a member of the great Marseille team of the early 1990's.  He won the UEFA European Cup in 1993, the first ever for a French club.  He later played for Valencia and reached the Champions' League Final twice. He was a member of the French team at both Euro 1992 and 1996.  In 2006, Angloma came out of retirement to play for his native région, Guadeloupe, and help them qualify for the 2007 Caribbean Nations Cup.

Jocelyn Angloma
SW: Ricardo Penella Arias (Spain)
Ricardo Penella Arias spent 15 seasons out his 16 professional seasons with Valencia and payed 377 matches, winning the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup.  He followed the club to the lower division as it relegated after the 1985-1986 season.  For the national team, he only played a single game for Spain in 1979 against Portugal.


CB: Roberto Ayala (Argentina)
Roberto Ayala captained Argentina for 63 times, a record.  He is also the second cap record holder for Argentina with 115 caps.  He went to three World Cup Finals: 1998, 2002 and 2006. He was best remembered for winning the UEFA Cup with Valencia. He also played for Real Zaragoza in Spain, Milan and Napoli in Italy and River Plate in his native Argentina.


CB: Miguel Tendillo (Spain)
Tendillo started his career with local Valencia CF, being an automatic first-choice since the age of 18 in 1979, winning the 1980 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.  He played there until 1986. After a single season with Real Murcia,  he joined Real Madrid in 1987.  Tendillo earned his first cap for Spain in 1980 before hwas 20. Subsequently, he was called for that year's European Championship and the 1982 World Cup, appearing in a total of 27 matches.

CB: Carlos Marchena (Spain)
Carlos Marchena played for Benfica, Sevilla, Valencia, Villareal and Deportivo La Coruna. His peak came with Valencia, where he won the Double in 2002-2003 season.  For the national team, he had 69 caps.  He was the starter at European Championship in 2008 where Spain won its first major trophy since 1964. He also played at Euro 2004 and two World Cup Finals.


LB: Amedeo Carboni (Italy)
Amedeo Carboni played for a number of Italian clubs before joining Roma in 1990. He stayed there for 7 seasons mainly as a starter before he went to Valencia in 1997.  With Valencia, his team made it to the Champions' League Finals twice and won the UEFA Cup/League Double in 2003/2004.  He played 9 seasons with them.  He represented Italy at the Euro 1996, where he earned two of his 18 caps for Italy. 

Amedeo Carboni
LB: Fábio Aurélio (Brazil)
Fábio Aurélio started with Sao Paulo in Brazil before heading to Europe.  He started with Valencia in 2000. He was a part of the great side that won two La Liga and the 2003-2004 UEFA Cup.  He moved to Liverpool in 2006 where he played until 2012. He returned to Brazil after his stint with Liverpool. He was called up to play for Brazil's senior team, but never made a single appearance due to injuries.


DM/RB: Rainer Bonhof (Germany)
Rainer Bonhof was the youngest member of the World Cup winning team in 1974.  He assisted in Gerd Muller's winning goal at the Final.  He also played at Argentina 1978 and a part of Euro 1980 winning team.  He played with Borussia Mönchengladbach.  He joined Valencia in 1978, which prompted the DFB to remove their ban on selecting foreign based players for the national team. 

DM: Antonio Puchades (Spain)
From 1949 to 1958, Antonio Puchades played for his hometown Valencia, his only club. He won the only league title in his debut season, but he only played 4 games that season.  For Spain, he received 23 caps between 1949 and 1954, and went to the 1950 World Cup Finals, starting every game. Spain finished 4th in Brazil. He was born in 1925.


DM/CM: David Albelda (Spain)
Except for two loan spells, David Albelda played his entire career with Valencia.  He was the heart and soul of the team that won two legaue title, an UEFA Cup and two runnerup medals at the Champions' league.  He was known for his midfield partnership with Ruben Baraja. He also served as their captain from 2001.  He was capped 51 times for Spain. He went to two World Cup Finals and a single European Championship.  He narrowly missed the European Championship in 2008, where Spain won their first major trophy since 1964.

David Albelda
CM: Ruben Baraja (Spain)
Baraja started his career with Real Valladolid and moved to Atletico Madrid.  Atletico Madrid relegated after the 1999-2000 season which allowed him to join Valencia and his career took off.  Forming a midfield with David Albelda, Valencia won two La Liga titles and the 2004 UEFA Cup.  He was also a part of the losing side at the Champions' league Final in 2001.  He earned 43 caps.  he played in WC 2002 and Euro 2004.


CM: Jose Claramunt (Spain)
From 1966 to 1978, Jose Claramunt played for his only club, Valencia.  He won the league title in the 1970-71 season, but also lost three Copa del Rey Finals in row during the early 1970's.  He earned 23 caps, six of which as the captain, but he never played in any major international tournament. His brother Enrique also played for Valenca at the same time.


LW: Vicente Rodriguez (Spain)
Vicente moved to Valencia from Levante in 2000.  He was a part of the great team that won two League titles and the 2004 UEFA Cup. At his peak, he was among the best wingers in the world, but his injuries limited his career.  He later played with Brighton & Hove Albion in England at the end of his career. For the national team, he only managed 38 caps between 2002 and 2005. He only made it to Euro 2004.
 
AM/RM: Gaizka Mendieta (Spain)
Gaizka Mendieta was a big star while playing for Valencia between 1993 and 2001.  He led them to back-to-back Champions' League Final in 2000 and 2001.  He moved to Lazio in 2001, but he failed to find his form.  Then, he played one season with Barcelona, where the club only finished 6th at the league.  He would also play with Middesbrough FC. He earned 40 caps. He went to Euro 2000 and the World Cup Finals in 2002.

Gaizka Mendieta
AM: Fernando Gomez Colomer (Spain)
Better known as Fernando, he has the appearance record and 4th highest scorer for Valencia. He made his professional debut wuth them as a 18 years old. He was voted the best player in La Liga for 1988 and 1989.  He also played for English First Division side Wolverhampton Wanderers at the end of his career for a single season. He played 8 times for Spain.  He went to the World Cup Finals in 1990 for Spain, making a single appearance in the Finals against South Korea.
Fernando
AM/LM: David Silva (Spain)
David Silva became a starter at Valencia in 2006 which forced Palbo Aimar to leave the club.  In 2010, he joined Manchester City helping the club to win their first Preimership in over 40 years. For Spain, he had over 120 caps from 2006 onward.  He was a key player throughout the period as Spain won the "triple crown": two European Championship and a World Cup.  He also represented Spain at every major tournament from 2008 onward.

David Silva
FW: Faas Wilkes  (Netherlands)
Faas Wilkes was one of the first Dutch player to play aboard.  In 1949, he joined Inter Milan, where he had the best of his career.  He also had a great career with Valencia..  He was considered to Netherlands' best player until the emerge of the Golden Generation of the 1970's. He was capped 38 times scoring 35 goals.  He was banned from the national team between 1949 and 1955 because KNVB did not select professional players. He was Netherlands' all-time leading scorer until 1998.
Faas Wilkes
FW: Mario Kempes (Argentina)
Mario Kempes was the hero of Argentina's 1978 World Cup victory.  He was the Golden Boot and Golden Ball winner in that Finals. He was also the South American Footballer of the Year: 1978. He also went to the World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1982. He played for many clubs in his career.  Before his European career began, he played with Rosario Centrel.  In 1976, he moved to Valencia.  With Valencia, he was the league's top scorer twice, winning the Cup Winners' Cup in 1980.

Mario Kempes
ST: Mundo (Spain)
Edmundo Suárez Trabanco was known as Mundo.  He is the highest scorer in Valencia's history and remained one of the top scorers in La Liga's history.  He started his career with Athletic Bilbao, playing a single game before the Spanish Civil War cut short his stay.  He played for Valencia after the War between 1939 and 1950.  Capped 3 times.

ST: Waldo Machado (Brazil)
Waldo was best known for his time at Fluminense, being top scorer in the former club's history by scoring 314 goals in 401 matches.In 1961, he joined Valencia, winning the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1962 and 1963. He won the Pichochi Trophy in 1967. He also played one season with Hércules CF.  He was capped 5 times.


ST: Claudio Lopez (Argentina)
Claudio Lopez started with Racing Club and started his European career with Valencia. He helped the club to reach the Final of the Champions' league in 2000. In 2004, Lazio paid 35 million for him, but injuries limited his career there.  He also played for America in Mexico, Kansas City Wizards and Colorado Rapids in MLS.  He earned 55 caps for Argentina.  He played in both 1998 and 2002 World Cup Finals.


ST: David Villa (Spain)
David Villa is the all-time leading scorer for Spain.  He was known for a part of the Golden Generation for Spain, where Spain won three straight international titles: Euro 2008, the World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012. He was the Golden Boot winner at Euro 2008 and the Silver boot in the 2010 World Cup Finals.  He was best remembered for his club career with Valencia. He also played for Barcelona, Seville and New York City FC.

David Silva

Honorable Mention
Adrian Llie (Romania), John Carew (Norway), Juan Mata (Spain), Gerald Lopez (Spain), Daniel Parejo (Spain), Raul Albiol (Spain), Francisco José Camarasa (Spain), Miguel Angel Angulo (Spain), Pablo Aimar (Argentina), Joaquin (Spain), Vicente Asensi (Spain), Kurt Jara (Austria), Johnny Rep (Netherlands), Lyuboslav Penev (Bulgaria), Vicente Guillot (Spain), Paquito (Spain), Manuel Mestre (Spain), Predrag Mijatović (Yugoslavia/Montenegro),
Miroslav Djukic (Yugoslavia), Epi (Spain), Juan Carlos Díaz Quincoces (Spain), Quique Sanchez Flores (Spain), Eloy (Spain).

Squad Explanation   
-- In 1980, Valencia won the Cup Winners' Cup, their first major trophy in Europe. I selected Ricardo Penella Arias, Miguel Tendillo, Rainer Bonhof and Mario Kempes from that team.
-- From 1999 up until the end of the 2004 season, Valencia had one of their most successful periods in the club's history. With a total of two La Liga titles, one UEFA Cup, one Copa del Rey, and one UEFA Super Cup in those six years. That generation had the best record in Europe.  The following players I selected came from that period: Santiago Canizares, Gaizka Mendieta, Ruben Baraja, David Albelda, Claudio Lopez, Roberto Ayala, Fábio Aurélio, Amedeo Carboni, Vicente Rodriguez and Carlos Marchena.  Both David Silva and David Villa came up in the mid-2000's. They just missed this generation, but they won Copa del Rey in the 2007-2008 season.
UEFA Cup winner 2004
-- Santiago Canizares got the number one spot because he helped the club to reach two Champions' League Final.  A significant part of the team also played on the team that reached those finals.  Andoni Zubizarreta spent 4 years here even through his career was associated with Barcelona.  The older fans would know the name Ignacio Eizaguirre very well.
-- Roberto Ayala is considered one of Argentina's greatest centerbacks.  Ricardo Penella Arias spent 15 seasons out his 16 professional seasons with Valencia.  He is second in appearance for the club. He also followed the team to the lower division.
-- Miguel Tendillo edged out Raul Albiol, Francisco Camarasa and Juan Carlos Díaz Quincoces for the last centerback spot.  Tendillo was the captain of their Cup Winners' Cup victory in 1980. Raul Alboil was with the national team that won the triple crown.  However, I felt that the three of four centerbacks selected played longer here.  The fourth back selected was Roberto Ayala.
-- Manuel Mestre or Juan Ramon Santiago could have been picked ahead of Fábio Aurélio.
-- Gaizka Mendieta was a big star while playing for Valencia between 1993 and 2001.  He led them to back-to-back Champions' League Final in 2000 and 2001.
-- Claudio Lopez played in one of the most important eras for Valencia. I rated his career here higher than that of Adrian Llie and John Carew.
-- Faas Wilkes (Netherlands) was the first foreign player who became a star for the club.  He was also one of the first Dutch footballer to be a star playing outside of the Netherlands.
-- Pablo Aimar was at one point among the best player in La Liga while playing for Valencia.  He was left off because I already had David Silva, Gaizka Mendieta and Fernando.  In real life, the emerge of David Silva also sent Pablo Aimar away from the club.
-- Injuries kept both Vicente Rodriguez and Gerald Lopez from reaching the potential.  Both were rated very high at one point in their career. Ruben Baraja, Rainer Bonhof and David Albelda kept Gerald Lopez out of this team.  I took Vicente because I needed a winger.
 -- Antonio Puchades played his entire career with Valencia. I rewarded him with a spot.
-- Rainer Bonhof's international reputation got him onto the team. He also contributed to Valencia's victory at the 1980 Cup Winners' Cup.
-- Ruben Baraja and David Albelda formed one of the greatest midfield in club's history.  They won the UEFA Cup in 2004.  I have to take both of them together as a unit. 
 -- Waldo, Mundo and Mario Kempes are among the all-time leading scorers for the club.
-- Predrag Mijatović won the Spanish Player of the Year while playing for Valencia, but he did not stay long enough. So he only earned Honorable Mention.
-- The Che has three great players named Vicente.  Vicente Rodriguez  never reached full potential, but he was an important part of the great team.
-- Vicente Guillot formed forged a letal partnership with Waldo, but I do not have space for him.
-- Mundo formed the famous line with Vicente Asensi a alongside Epi, Amadeo and Guillermo Gorostiza in the 1940's. 
They won La Liga three times during that decade (1941–42, 1943–44, 1946–47) and were runners-up twice, and claimed the Copa del Rey on two occasions (1941, 1948–49) from five appearances in the final. 
1943-1944 League Champion
-- Fernando Gomez was the 4th leading scorer for the club as an attack midfielder. He leads the club in appearance.
-- I don't know if David is a popular name in Spain.  I have three "Davids" on this team: David Silva, David Villa and David Albelda. They played together with the club.
 
Formation 
I reunited Baraja and Albelda. I started the biggest namses at the center defense.








3 comments:

  1. Jacinto Quincoces no jugó en el Valencia. Juan Carlos (su sobrino) sí.

    ReplyDelete

  2. Hi! I found the valuable football match video.
    FC Barcelona vs Valencia CF in 1995.
    Famous player Rivaldo,Kluivert,Cocu,Claudio López,Mendieta,Ilie.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=057ZQU53plE

    ReplyDelete
  3. Cañizares
    Angloma Ayala Tendillo Carboni
    Baraja
    Mendieta Fernando Vicente
    Villa Kempes

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Sports_Media#ESM_Team_of_the_Season
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Balón_Award
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pichichi_Trophy
    https://www.facebook.com/valenciacf.en/photos/a.1048228228654689/2800219670122194/?type=3

    ReplyDelete