La Liga Spain is synonymous with two big clubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, apart from these two clubs, there are other clubs that are not inferior in quality. One of the Spanish League clubs that could break the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid is Valencia, a team founded in 1919.
Valencia is considered a strong competitor of Barcelona and Real Madrid. Not only competing, Valencia was even able to steal two La Liga titles from Madrid and Barcelona in the 21st century. Who are the club's best players? Here's the list:
1. Ruben Baraja is a defensive midfielder from Spain who played for Valencia from 2000 to 2010. This player is considered a central midfielder who has complete abilities, as he is able to attack and defend equally well. Baraja became Valencia's midfield general after Gaizka Mendieta moved to Lazio. Throughout his career, this player scored 41 goals and played in 262 matches with Valencia.
2. Ricardo Penella is one of the most loyal players who ever played for Valencia. This player played from 1976 to 1992 for Valencia before moving to Castellon and ending his career there. Ricardo Penella is a sweeper who is known to be very tough, where he was able to bring Valencia to win a Winner's Cup trophy and a Copa del Rey trophy. Throughout his career, he played 446 times and scored three goals.
3. When it comes to the best midfielders, Gaizka Mendieta is one of the most qualified midfielders to have played for Valencia. Besides being known as a hard worker, Mendieta also often contributes goals from long-range shots. Unfortunately, after moving from Valencia in 2001, his career actually faded. He failed to shine with Lazio and Middlesbrough
4. Amedeo Carboni is one of the best left-backs to have played for Valencia. He played for Los Che for nine years, from 1997 to 2006. During that period, Carboni played 245 times. Together with Pellegrini, Ayala and goalkeeper Santiago Canizares; Carboni managed to make Valencia's back line very solid and difficult to penetrate. Together with Valencia, Carboni won La Liga twice.
5. David Silva is a player who was educated by the Valencia youth academy. Before becoming one of the best players in the world, Silva played with Valencia for six years, from 2004 to 2010. He is known as an attacking midfielder who is very creative, fast, and quite productive in scoring goals. Silva also played an important role in helping the Spanish national team win two Euro trophies and one World Cup trophy.
6. Waldo Machado is a Brazilian striker who is known for his high scoring productivity. Prior to joining Valencia, Waldo played for Fluminense and scored 314 goals in 403 appearances. He moved to Valencia in 1961 and played for the club for eight years. He did not contribute many titles for Les Che, but his goalscoring record made Waldo one of Valencia's most prolific strikers of all time, with a total of 160 goals.
7. David Villa was the most successful Spanish striker from 2000 to 2010. This player won many titles, both at club level and in the national team. Before joining the superstar club Barcelona, Villa played for Valencia from 2005 to 2010. At Valencia, Villa scored 108 goals in 166 appearances. During his five-year career at Valencia, Villa was always the club's top scorer. No wonder then that Barcelona dared to pay a quite expensive transfer price to buy Villa from Valencia.
8. Carlos Marchena is an anchor midfielder who has an important role in maintaining the stability of the team's defense and attack. This player does not really stand out on the pitch, but he has contributed greatly to the various achievements achieved by his club. Marchena played for Valencia from 2001 to 2010. Apart from playing as a defensive midfielder, Marchena is also sometimes positioned as a center-back.
9. This creative playmaker from Argentina is a figure who made Valencia's performance so enjoyable to enjoy. Purchased from River Plate at a very high price, Pablo Aimar managed to pay this high price with various trophies and achievements. During his time at Valencia from 2001 to 2006, Aimar presented two La Liga titles and one UEFA Cup trophy. Had he not been hit by a prolonged injury, I believe Aimar would have been able to present more titles for Valencia.
10. One of the most important players who helped Argentina win the 1978 World Cup was Mario Kempes. At that moment, Kempes was also in his best form with Valencia. Playing from 1977 to 1982 for Los Che, Kempes became La Liga's top scorer twice. In total, the striker scored 116 goals in 184 appearances. His individual performances were indeed brilliant, but unfortunately he failed to win the La Liga title with Valencia.
11. Fernando Gomez is a Spanish attacking midfielder who holds the all-time record for appearances for Valencia. Gomez played in the 1983-1998 period, and appeared in 542 matches. Unfortunately, in his 15 year career with Valencia, Gomez did not win a single title. He even had the chance to play in the second division after Valencia were relegated in the 1985-1986 season.
12. Roberto Ayala is an Argentine center-back whose toughness has been praised by football observers. Ayala still holds the record for the most players captained the Argentine national team, totaling 63 matches. He played for Valencia from 2000 to 2007, presenting two La Liga titles and one UEFA Cup trophy. The best individual achievement Ayala has ever achieved was when he was named UEFA Club Best Defender of the Year in the 2000-2001 season.
13. Santiago Canizares is a Spanish goalkeeper who will become one of Valencia's greatest legends. Failing to shine at his home club, Real Madrid, Canizares moved to Valencia in 1998. His move proved to be the right decision, because Canizares could actually shine with Los Che. During his tenure with Valencia in the 1998-2008 period, Canizares won the "Zamora Trophy three times," an award given to the best La Liga goalkeeper every year.
14. Edmundo Suare is a striker from Spain who is Valencia's top scorer of all time, with a total of 260 goals. This player played for Los Che from 1939 to 1950, and helped Valencia win the La Liga title three times and became the top scorer of the competition twice. While still active as a player, Mundo is known as a very strong striker in the penalty box and has a hard kick. After retiring, he was coach of Valencia for four seasons.