History of Valencia

Club Overview

Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia or Los Che) is a Spanish professional football club based in Valencia. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish football. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, one UEFA Cup, two Fairs Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and two Spanish Super Cups. They have also reached two UEFA Champions League finals in a row, losing to La Liga rivals Real Madrid in 2000 and German club Bayern Munich in 2001. Valencia are also members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.

In the all-time La Liga table, Valencia is in 4th position behind Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. In terms of international titles, Valencia is 3rd behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, these three being the only Spanish clubs to have won more than five international trophies.

Valencia were founded in 1919, and have played their home games at the 55,000-seater Estadio Mestalla since 1923. They are soon to move into the 75,000-seater Nou Mestalla in the north-west of the city in 2009. Valencia have a long-standing rivalry with Levante, also located in Valencia, and with another club in the Valencian Community region, Villarreal.

Valencia is the third most popular football team in Spain, only behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. 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, which will come into effect once the new 75,000-seater stadium is built.

Club History

Club Rivalries

Stars of the Current Squad

Club Legends

Statistics and records

   * Average Attendance: 46,894
   * Socios: 45,116
   * Seasons in First Division: 73
   * Seasons in Second Division: 4
   * Historical classification in La Liga: 4th place.
   * Highest position in League: 1st place
   * Lowest position in League: 16th place
   * Games played: 2,284
   * Games won: 1,017
   * Games drawn: 529
   * Games lost: 738
   * Goals for: 3,810
   * Goals against: 2,973
   * Goal difference: 837
   * Overall points: 2,789
   * Biggest home win: Valencia 8-0 Sporting Gijon (29/11/1953)
   * Biggest away win: UE Lleida 1-6 Valencia (04/02/1951) and Malaga CF 1-6 Valencia (31/01/2004)
   * Biggest home defeat: Valencia 1-5 Athletic Bilbao (15/01/1933) and Valencia 1-5 Real Madrid (31/10/2007)
   * Biggest defeat: Sevilla FC 10-3 Valencia (13/10/1940)
   * Pichici's won: Edmundo Suarez (2): 1941/42 - 27 goals, 1943/44 - 27 goals; Ricardo Alos: 1957/58 - 19 goals; Waldo Machado: 1966/67 - 24 goals; Mario Kempes (2): 1976/77 - 24 goals, 1977/78 - 28 goals.
   * Zamora's won: Ignacio Eizaguirre (2): 1943/44 - 32 goals conceded, 1944/45 - 28 goals conceded; Goyo: 1957/58 - 28 goals conceded; Angel Abelardo: 1970/71 - 19 goals conceded; Jose Luis Manzanedo: 1978/79 - 26 goals conceded; Jose Manuel Ochotorena: 1988/89 - 25 goals conceded; Santiago Canizares (3): 2000/01 - 34 goals conceded, 2001/02 - 23 goals conceded, 2003/04 - 25 goals conceded.
   * Most games played: Fernando (542), Arias (500), Santiago Canizares (416), Miguel Angel Angulo (411)
   * Most goals scored: Mundo (260), Waldo (147), Mario Kempes (145), Fernando (140)

Team Honours

Domestic

   * La Liga
         o Winners (6): 1941-42, 1943-44, 1946-47, 1970-71, 2001-02, 2003-04
         o Runners-up (6): 1947-48, 1948-49, 1952-53, 1971-72, 1989-90, 1995-96
   * Copa del Rey
         o Winners (7): 1940-41, 1948-49, 1953-54, 1966-67, 1978-79, 1998-99, 2007-08
         o Runners-up (10): 1933-34, 1936-37, 1943-44, 1944-45, 1945-46, 1951-52, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1994-95
   * Supercopa de España
         o Winners (2): 1949, 1999
         o Runners-up (4): 1947, 2002, 2004, 2008
   * Segunda División
         o Winners (2): 1930-31, 1986-87

[edit] European

   * Fairs Cup
         o Winners (2): 1961-62, 1962-63
         o Runners-up (1): 1963-64
   * UEFA Cup
         o Winners (1): 2003-04
   * UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
         o Winners (1): 1979-80
   * UEFA Super Cup
         o Winners (2): 1980, 2004
   * UEFA Intertoto Cup
         o Winners (1): 1998
   * UEFA Champions League
         o Runners-up (2): 1999-00, 2000-01.

Club Management

Uniforms

Stadium

Sponsors

Kit providers and sponsors Years Sponsors 1984–1989 Edesa 1989–1994 Mediterrània 1994–1995 Cip 1995–1998 Ford 1998–2001 & 2002-2003 Terra Mítica 2001-2002 Metrored 2003–2008 Toyota 2008–present Valencia Experience

Years Kit providers 1980–1982 Adidas 1982–1989 Ressy 1989–1993 Puma 1993–2000 Luanvi 2000–present Nike

Important Links

References