Valencia’s La Liga status is under serious threat, with Los Che currently in the relegation zone, devoid of confidence and onto their 10th permanent manager in less than nine years.
Once a powerhouse both domestically and on the continental scene — having won La Liga in 2002 and 2004, as well as reaching successive Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001 — Valencia’s form has plummeted in recent years, and the unthinkable is now a genuine possibility.
Absent from Europe for the past three seasons — with the last time that happened coming in the last 80s — it wasn’t actually too long that Valencia were tussling in the knockout stages of the Champions League. You wouldn’t even have to go back to the noughties for that!
Thrice in the 2010s did Los Che reach the knockouts of the Champions League, with the first of those coming in 2010/11 under a certain Unai Emery. In the group stages, Valencia drew at Old Trafford against Manchester United and duffed Rangers up 3-0 at the Mestalla.
They fell in the knockout rounds to eventual semi-finalists Schalke, but they were fun to watch and the players in the side went on to have fantastic careers.
But where are those players now? We’ve had a look, so read on and find out!
The Active:
Juan Mata
Age: 34
Valencia appearances: 174
Valencia goals: 46
Current club: Galatasaray
Quite possibly the nicest man in football, Juan Mata was in his final season at the Mestalla back in 2010/11. He remained the heart of the side as they finished third in La Liga. Mata joined Chelsea that summer, winning the Champions League and Europa League back-to-back and eventually wen on to join Manchester United, where he stayed for eight years. The diminutive genius was reduced to a bit-part role in the end at Old Trafford and has since joined Galatasaray.
Pablo Hernandez
Age: 38
Valencia appearances: 154
Valencia goals: 24
Current club: Castellon
Pablo Hernandez’s energy and pace were often a superb foil to Mata’s playmaking, and the winger was the last of Valencia’s “fab five” attackers to depart the club (after David Villa and David Silva in 2010 then Mata and Joaquin in 2011) and surprised everyone by coming to the Premier League with Swansea. He went on to help Leeds reach the Premier League and featured heavily for the club in their returning top-flight season. He has since returned to the Valencian Community, signing for third-tier Spanish club Castellon in 2021.
Vicente Guaita
Age: 36
Valencia appearances: 114
Valencia goals: 0
Current club: Crystal Palace
Vicente Guaita was a back-up before 2010/11, but injuries thrust him into the spotlight that season and he performed admirably. He remained a stable and solid presence between the sticks for years and is currently performing that role superbly for Crystal Palace. Guaita is often the difference between Palace getting the points and not.
Joaquin
Age: 41
Valencia appearances: 215
Valencia goals: 28
Current club: Real Betis
Football’s Mr. Eternal was already a veteran back in 2011 and, like many, was in his final season at the Mestalla having thrilled up and down their wing. He is currently back at boyhood club Betis and defying the concept of entropy by looking as deadly as he has in forever. Joaquin recently announced that he will be hanging up his boots at the end of this current campaign, bringing the curtain down on a glittering career that started in the 90s.
Real Betis have won the Copa del Rey three times in the club's history and Joaquín has lifted two of them.
◎ 1977
◉ 2005
◉ 2022He's made more LaLiga appearances than any other outfield player in the competition's history. ? pic.twitter.com/jZvkI70h0r
— Squawka (@Squawka) April 19, 2023
Jordi Alba
Age: 34
Valencia appearances: 110
Valencia goals: 6
Current club: Barcelona
The pocket rocket was just a wee lad coming through the ranks at Valencia in 2010/11. He was still being used on the wing in big games but also already showing hints of the talent that would take him to Barcelona. He’s still in Catalunya, now a veteran of over 450 games for the Blaugrana, with whom he has won everything available.
Isco
Age: 30
Valencia appearances: 7
Valencia goals: 2
Current club: Free agent
Isco was a youth product being slowly brought through the ranks in 2010/11, and his debut season with the first team went well. In fact, it went so well that he was signed, along with Joaquin, by an ambitious Malaga side. There, Isco took over, joined Real Madrid and kind of plateaued in terms of development, although he played a role in each of Real Madrid’s five Champions League triumphs since 2013/14. Having fallen severely down the pecking order, though, Isco left for Sevilla in the summer, but even that didn’t last long. In December both player and club mutually parted ways, with then Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli explaining that Isco “did not meet the club’s expectations”.
Ever Banega
Age: 34
Valencia appearances: 176
Valencia goals: 11
Current club: Al-Shabab
Ever Banega was a promising young playmaker back in 2011. The heir to Ruben Baraja at the heart of the Valencia midfield. That never really panned out and he’s since had two underwhelming spells outside La Liga, but his two spells at Sevilla saw him hit the absolute heights of his ability — winning the Europa League twice. He called time on his La Liga career in 2020, joining Saudi Arabian team Al-Shabab Riyadh on a three-year deal.
Roberto Soldado
Age: 37
Valencia appearances: 141
Valencia goals: 81
Current club: Levante
Roberto Soldado was absurdly potent for Valencia. He looked a terrifying combination of speed and finishing and it seemed like the world was his oyster. A move to Spurs sadly smashed that notion and even though he is currently back in Spain with Levante, at no point has he ever looked close to recapturing the magic he had at the Mestalla.
The Retired:
Aritz Aduriz
Age: 42
Valencia appearances: 84
Valencia goals: 23
Retired in: 2020
Spanish football’s ageless wonder was forced to retire in 2020 to undergo a hip replacement. But he did so with quite a legacy, as the oldest-ever goalscorer for La Roja.
2005/06 → 2019/20
Aritz Aduriz is one of only three players to score a LaLiga goal in each of the last 15 seasons.
Messi & Ramos are on a 16-season streak. pic.twitter.com/BjtJbjWL3U
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 20, 2020
Aduriz only really thrived once he left Valencia. He was underwhelming at the Mestalla but despite leaving at the age of 31, he went on to score 172 goals for his hometown club Athletic Bilbao.
Bruno
Age: 42
Valencia appearances: 80
Valencia goals: 1
Retired in: 2019
Bruno left Valencia for Brighton in 2012 and then made a home for himself on the south coast, playing over 200 games for the Seagulls. He retired in 2019, having helped ensure Brighton’s survival in the Premier League. Since bowing out of the game, Bruno has turned to coaching and was part of Graham Potter’s backroom staff at Chelsea during the Englishman’s time at the club. Following Potter’s dismissal, Bruno was handed the reins on an interim basis and oversaw a 0-0 against Liverpool at Anfield. He has since returned to a assistant role, this time under Frank Lampard until the end of the season.
Hedwiges Maduro
Age: 38
Valencia appearances: 113
Valencia goals: 3
Retired in: 2018
Maduro was a hot prospect out of Ajax who, because of injuries, never really developed at Valencia. He meandered around Europe for the rest of the decade after leaving Valencia in 2012 before retiring in 2018.
David Albelda
Age: 45
Valencia appearances: 480
Valencia goals: 9
Retired in: 2013
Mr. Valencia was in the twilight of his career back in 2011 but his commitment to Los Che carried him through. A hard-working and solid-as-a-rock defensive midfielder, he retired in 2013 having played a massive 480 games for the club, the third-highest amount in Valencia history.
Miguel
Age: 43
Valencia appearances: 218
Valencia goals: 3
Retired in: 2014
Miguel, a man as wide as he was tall, was at the end of an illustrious career back in 2011. The flying wing-back played his last full season as a starter in 2010/11. His contract expired a year later and he was released, never to play professionally again.
Jeremy Mathieu
Age: 39
Valencia appearances: 182
Valencia goals: 7
Retired in: 2020
Jeremy Mathieu was part of a spectacular double act on the left-flank with Alba. Emery’s idea of playing two left-backs but allowing them to decide which would run forward and which would cover often allowed both men to shine and cause opponents no end of problems. Mathieu then moved to centre-back, joined Barcelona and won a bunch of stuff, and is now a retired after a spell with Sporting in Portugal.
Alejandro Dominguez
Age: 41
Valencia appearances: 30
Valencia goals: 1
Retired in: 2019
Alejandro “Chori” Dominguez is a true journeyman who earned a move to Valencia by shocking Barcelona with previous club Rubin Kazan. The thing is, he never even got close to replicating that sauce in Spain and was promptly moved on. Found limited success in Greece with Olympiakos, but retired in 2018.
Vicente
Age: 39
Valencia appearances: 340
Valencia goals: 52
Retired in: 2014
Vicente Rodriguez was a shadow of what he used to be. A brief couple of years in Brighton followed 2011, but injuries plagued him to the point where he retired in 2014.