Valencia CF: Players, History, Records, Squads and Future Goals

Valencia CF, or simply Valencia, is a popular football club based in Valencia, Spain. The professional soccer club is commonly referred to as Valencia Club de Futbol, which is a popular name in Spain. Founded in 1919, the club started to accelerate its pace in the path of glory but failed to impress its fans and followers in the starting years.

Since May 1923, Estadio de Mestalla has been serving as the home ground for Valencia FC, with it being replaced by Estadio Luis Casanova only once in its history. Despite coming into existence after Levante FC, Valencia is the most significant club in the region.

It is also the 5th most successful club in Spanish football after Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid with more than 50 thousand season ticket holders.

The most popular nickname of the Spanish club is Los Ches. Its success is not limited only to Spain; it has also tasted European glory quite a few times on its journey. La Liga, Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup – you name it, the Spanish giants have won all these titles. Scroll down below to know the history, top players, records and future goals of Valencia FC.

Origins of Valencia FC

Football in Spain started to change drastically before the first world war started, and its effects impacted the Valencia region of the country as well. Despite having a club in the form of Levante FC, the football-loving citizens of Valencia felt the need to build another big club to establish their region on the ever-changing football map of Spain.

Thus, Valencia Club de Futbol was founded in 1919 and its matches were initially held in Campo de Algiros, a small stadium in the city. Later, due to the growing number of fans and football watchers, the team moved to Estadio de Mestalla to accommodate them.

However, after serving as the home ground until 1969, Mestalla handed over its duty to Estadio Luis Casanova which hosted the team’s home games until 1994. The new Mestalla stadium has served as the home ground for Valencia FC since 1994. 

While other big teams in Spain suffered in the civil war, Valencia FC started to change the course of its luck by winning trophies. Just after the Spanish Civil War, Valencia won its first La Liga trophy in 1941/1942 season, followed by two more titles in 1944 and 1947.

During this period, two Copa del Rey titles also landed in Valencia, first in 1941 and then in 1949. Valencia is one of the few Spanish top tier clubs that faced a tough financial challenge. There was a time when they started to sell their top players to reduce their debts in the market.

The construction of the new Mestalla Stadium also added to their financial woes. But the Spanish side stood tall, dealt with all the worries and stayed alive in La Liga.

Also read: Athletic Club: Players, History, Records, Squads and Future Goals

History and Top Players

Valencia’s glory days came 22 years after the club’s foundation through their first La Liga title in 1941. They won two more Spanish top tier titles in the same decade, including two Copa del Reys. However, the club took a setback until the arrival of the great Alfredo Di Stefano, who arrived in Valencia as a manager.

The Valencia-based team won their fourth La Liga silverware after a long 23 years in 1970, under the watch of the Real Madrid legend. The Argentine later led Valencia FC to its first-ever Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in 1980.

They made their mark in Europe during their most glorious days in the 21st century when they reached two consecutive UEFA Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001, only to be defeated by another Spanish team, Real Madrid in 2001 and Bayern Munich in the next season.

Meanwhile, their first ever UEFA Super Cup victory came in 2004 before they won two more La Liga silverwares in 2002 and 2004, respectively. 

Mario Alberto Kempes, El Toro, is arguably the most influential player in the history of Valencia. He amassed 116 goals for the club in just 184 appearances, winning two Pichichi awards in the 1970s. In addition to him, David Villa, Waldo Machado, Edmundo Suarez, Pablo Aimar and Antonio Puchades also make the list of the top players in Valencia’s history.

Valencia’s Current Squad (2023-2024)

Records and Achievements

The club is the 3rd most popular club in Spain. After untouchable Real Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia FC is among the most influential Spanish side in the history of UEFA Champions League, having reached the final of the prestigious competition two times in a row.

Their recent success came in the form of their 8th Copa Del Rey title in 2018-19. The Valencia outfit has won La Liga six times to date, with the last one coming 20 years ago in the 2003-04 season. They have also won the Super Cup trophy once, in 2000. Athletic Club currently holds the 8th spot in the La Liga 2023-24 points table with 47 points, including 13 wins and 11 losses so far.

Future Goals

The most important goal of Valencia FC should be staying relevant in La Liga as the club has been witnessing a slump in their performance in the Spanish top division. Last time they kept their hands on the silverware was almost two decades ago in the 2003-04 season. Also they must aim to regain their glorious position in the UEFA Champions League which is long gone since 2001.

FAQs

Q1: What are Valencia fans called? 

The Valencia FC fans are referred to as ‘Che’ worldwide. The reason behind this nickname is the Valencian style of communication and speaking in which ‘Che’ is an interjection. This is a common regional way of saying ‘hey’ in Valencia.

Q2: Who are Valencia’s biggest rivals?

The biggest rivals of Valencia FC is Levante as both teams are from the same region. The matches between these two clubs are commonly referred to as “Valencia derby” or “Derby del Turia”.

Q3: How many trophies has Valencia won?

The Valencia-based club has won 22 major trophies including 6 La Liga, 8 Copa del Rey titles, 3 UEFA Cups, 2 European Super Cups, 1 Eva Duarte Cup, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 1 European Cup. Their latest major achievement was the victory in the 2018-19 Copa del Rey tournament.

Also read: Real Madrid: Players, History, Records, Achievements, and Future Goals