Valencia Mestalla, the door to Spain of the football gods

Mestalla has had its share of prominence in the multitude of reports that have been broadcast in memory of Diego Armando Maradona. The house of Valencia, the oldest stadium in the current Spanish First Division, built in 1923, It was the scene of Maradona's debut in the League with the Barcelona shirt and the place where '10' scored his first goal as a Barça player.

Maradona has not been the only legendary footballer to make a debut at the Mestalla. In fact, the Mestalla public had already seen the Argentine star before any other in Spain. A year earlier, Maradona's Argentina played a friendly in preparation for the 1982 World Cup against Valencia.

Legends from the summit of football Olympus such as Di Stéfano, Beckenbauer, Kempes, Ronaldo or Zidane also experienced their baptism for Spanish spectators at Mestalla. Even the Santos of Pele and the Botafogo of Garrincha they made a stop at the stadium on Avenida Suecia on their first tour of Spain, leaving Pelé an unforgettable performance against Inter Milan, scoring four goals in 28 minutes against the Italian team in the I Edition of the Orange Trophy.

The Mestalla lawn, throughout its history, in addition to being host of finals, a World Cup and an Olympic GamesThe best footballers of every era have stepped on it. From the Olympus of football, Mestalla only missed George Best, Eusebio, Bobby Charlton, Michel Platini or Van Basten. They do not mean that Mestalla has been the door to Spain of the football gods.

“Di Stéfano picked up the corner rejection and dribbles three opponents in formidable personal play and his was especially brilliant the play in which he mocks the international Puchades (…) The great play was by Di Stéfano, indisputably the most brilliant of his team, he is a fully mobile player, showing disconcerting speed (…) The match ended zero to zero and Di Stéfano has garnered the biggest ovations of the afternoon”. This is how the journalists nicknamed Alfil ended his chronicle for Mundo Deportivo, while Mencheta collected for ABC the opinion of Quincoces, Valencia coach, about the friendly that faced his own against Millonarios de Bogota: “Di Stéfano and Rossi, the best of them ”.

Alfredo Di Stéfano, Real Madrid legend, one of the best players in history and champion of the League and European Cup Winners' Cup as coach of Valencia, played for the first time in Spain at the Mestalla stadium. It was the afternoon of San José in 1952, hours before the “Calfar-se La Carabassa” falla of the Fontelles brothers was caught in flames in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, the 'Saeta Rubia' delighted the 25,000 spectators present in Mestalla . Di Stéfano, that afternoon, did not score, but he did record his quality on the day of debut with Valencia's first team of the youth squad Sendra and Mañó, two historical of the club.

Di Stéfano landed in Spain in that March 1952 – two years before signing for Real Madrid – being one of the great attractions of Millonarios de Bogotá, a team in which South American myths such as Adolfo Pedernela, Cobo Zuluaga or Julio Cozzi and which was known as the 'Blue Ballet'. Millonarios de Bogotá, a club that took advantage of the patrimony of its leaders and especially the exodus of footballers that led to a professional soccer strike in Argentina months before, organized a international tour that took him to Spain. Millonarios faced Valencia (0-0), Las Palmas (3-2), Real Madrid (2-4) and Sevilla (1-1).

Valencia lived a sweet time in the 40s and early 50s, being one of the leading teams in Spain, with its so-called “Electric Striker”, for many the best Spanish team until the arrival of Di Stéfano at Real Madrid. Interest in soccer in Valencia was proportional to sporting successes, which in those years won three leagues, two cups and several more runners-up in both tournaments.

Thus the 1950s was lavish in the dispute of international friendlies, which in those days was the way to see the main stars of the time live. The Valencia board of directors, aware of the interest that football aroused in the city, strongly joined the holding of meetings in their stadium with the main European and South American clubs. That was how he visited Mestalla for the first time Faas Wilkes, one of the great Dutch players of all time and the first media signing in the history of Valencia.

Wilkes played with Torino at Mestalla in the tribute match to Antonio Puchades. His tapes and overflow captivated the spectators and the Valencian leaders, who that same night, at the post-game dinner, gestated the hiring of the Dutchman. Guzmán Zamorano Ruiz, president of the Valencian Federation, as recalled in ‘Ciberche.net’, “asked jokingly how many trucks of oranges would be needed to pay for his signing. The Italians took him at his word, Valencia ratified and Servaas Wilkes accepted willingly to enlighten with his talent the fans who had the immense fortune to enjoy his game for three seasons ”.

Through Mestalla, in those years, clubs such as Sao Paulo, the already known Millonarios de Bogotá, the Independent Avellaneda from Ernesto Grillo or Botafogo from Garrincha. Garrincha, considered by many analysts as the best dribbler in the history of football, played at Mestalla on May 29, 1955. He did so during the first tour of Europe for the Brazilian club, which remained in the old continent between May 15. and on July 16, where he played 18 games, reaping only two defeats and scoring 54 goals. In Spain he played six games. Before visiting Mestalla, they faced Real Madrid, Atlético and Tenerife. Against Valencia the result was a tie at three, with goals from Pasiego and Fuertes (2) for the local team and from Danhilo (2) and Garrincha himself for the Brazilians.

“Eduardo Cubells (historical Valencia technical secretary during the presidency of Luis Casanova) had a verbal agreement with Santos for Pelé (…) Cubells liked Brazilian football and when he allowed himself to sign foreigners, he left for Brazil for more than a month. One day he called my father and told him: “There is a 17-year-old boy who is going to be a phenomenon, his name is Pelé.” “Record it,” he said. Cubells reached an agreement with Santos, which would be signed when Pelé returned from the 1958 World Cup. But Pelé made a marvel at the World Cup and Santos said he was no longer coming ”. The anecdote was remembered for AS Luis Casanova, son of the president of Valencia most awarded in history.

“Cubells had a verbal agreement with Santos for Pelé”

Luis Casanova

Pelé, as is known, did not sign for Valencia or any European club. But Luis Casanova wanted the Mestalla crowd to see the explosive Brazilian forward live. Those were times when Valencia managers, many of them linked to fruit exports, spared no financial effort or contacts so that friendlies were posh and an opportunity to see the best players of the moment live. So The Valencian president hired the services of Santos and also those of Inter Milan so that together with Valencia they would dispute the first edition of the Orange Trophy.

Santos had been touring Europe since May, where they played a whopping 22 games in 9 different countries. Brazilian football was in fashion after the 1958 World Cup and its clubs took the opportunity to make money in the old continent. In Spain, before playing at Mestalla, Santos faced Real Madrid on June 17 in Chamartín. It was in the tribute to Miguel Muñoz. The so-called duel between Di Stéfano and Pelé, 14 years younger. Madrid won 5-3; Pelé scored a goal and gave two assists. Five days later, Santos and Botafogo disputed the XIV edition of the Teresa Herrera Trophy in A Coruña. Thus we come to June 24, 1959, the day on which Pelé played the first of the three games he played as a footballer at Mestalla, the Valencian stadium being the one that he stepped on the most in Spain.

Pelé played the two matches that Santos had under contract in the Orange Trophy: against Valencia (4-4) and against Inter Milan (7-1). Pelé's display in this game, with four goals in 28 minutes, led Luis Casanova, by popular request, to leave practically closed that same day and the hiring of Santos to return to Valencia a year later. So it was. Santos, again with Pelé in their eleven, returned to Mestalla on June 25, 1960. They won 0-1.

“The colossal figure of the German team has been, as expected, Beckenbauer, who with minimal effort and a immeasurable elegance, has been the true support and director of the German defense ”. Thus ends the chronicle of ‘Mundo Deportivo’ of the duel that Valencia and Bayern Munich faced at Mestalla on February 14, 1968 in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Recopa de Europa. “Mestre's goal at his own door and the” lock “used by Bayern Munich, from the first to the last minute, perhaps explain to the reader the causes that prevented the arrival of a Valencian victory that we do not doubt would have qualified -including the visitors – as just and deserved ”emphasized Josimbar, Valencia correspondent of the newspaper published in Barcelona.

That was the first time that Franz Beckenbauer played an official match in Spain. The German, Ballon d'Or in 1972 and 1976, considered the third best footballer of the 20th century and who two years before that match had been chosen as the best young footballer of the 1966 World Cup, hardly ever faced Spanish clubs during his long professional career. They were other times, with less duels and always to life or death qualifiers in Europe. Thus, beyond that tie against Valencia, which is ended in favor of the Germans with a goal from another legend like Torpedo Müller in the return leg in Munich, and a couple of friendly matches against Spain, Beckenbauer only faced Spanish teams in the 1974 final at Atlético de Madrid and in the 1976 semifinal against Real Madrid, beating all of them.

August 16, 1976 is part of the history of Valencia. That day, at Mestalla, against CSKA Moscow, in the semifinal of the Orange Trophy, he made his debut with Valencia Mario Alberto Kempes, the most international legend of Valencianism. Curiously, after that summer night, in his first game in Spain, few of those present in the crowded stands of the black-and-white venue would imagine the levels of myth that that long-haired and strong Argentine striker just landed from Rosario would have.

Kempes, elected the best footballer in the world after the 1978 World Cup, which he conquered with Argentina, also being the top scorer of the tournament, had a disastrous debut with Valencia and in Europe. Kempes finished off his lousy game by missing his shot in the penalty shoot-out that made the Russian team a finalist in the tournament. “My debut with Valencia was frankly disastrous,” Kempes confesses whenever he is asked about that game.

Kempes did not take long to change the opinion of the respectable Mestalla and football fans in general. El Matador, who in his first league game against Celta at Mestalla scored his first two goals in Spain, where he won three titles with the Valencia shirt (Copa del Rey, Recopa de Europa and Supercopa de Europa). The Argentine scored 149 goals in 242 games for Valencia.

On September 4, 1982, the Spanish League opened the championship with a duel at the top in Mestalla (then called Luis Casanova): a whole Valencia-Barcelona. Or what was the same: Kempes vs. Maradona. El Matador had returned to the Turia capital after a brief visit to River Plate, while Pelusa made his debut in the First Division with the Barcelona shirt, a club that had signed him that same summer.

Maradona, that day, with part of the football planet watching his debut in Europe on television, scored his first goal in the First Division. It was in one of the few sets of the match in which El Pelusa was able to get a meter away from Carrete, which became his first shadow in the Spanish league. Valencia finally took the victory 2-1, in a season to forget the black and white, who ended up fighting not to be relegated.

But Mestalla not only saw Maradona's debut with Barcelona. Mestalla was also the scene of Maradona's first match in Spain. It was on August 22, 1981. That day the Argentine National Team that trained Cesar Luis Menotti, Curiously, with Kempes also in their ranks, he played a friendly against Valencia on a tour that the Albiceleste team made in Europe. That match was resolved with a goal from Díaz after an assist from Maradona. Pelusa's Argentina would play a friendly again at Mestalla. This time on May 25, 1990, in preparation for the 1990 World Cup in Italy. 1-1 was the end result.

Ronaldo Nazario played his fourth international game with Brazil at Mestalla and the first of many that ended up contesting in Spanish territory. Paco Roig invested 80 million pesetas and took advantage of the relationship between Carlos Alberto Parreira, at that moment the coach of Che, and the Brazilian Football Confederation, which a year before had made the world champion for the fourth time, so that the National Team from Brazil will play a friendly match against Valencia at Mestalla. And in that match Ronaldo played for the first time in Spain.

Ronaldo was 18 years old at the time (the game was played on April 27, 1995) and was serving the first of the two seasons he played at PSV Eindhoven, before joining FC Barcelona. Curiously, that match between Valencia and the Brazilian National Team, which ended with a 2-4 result in favor of the Canarinha, offered an image that was frequently seen in friendlies of yesteryear, such as seeing Caniggia with the shirt of Valencia, since that day 'reinforced' the team che.

Roberto Baggio was voted fourth best footballer of the 20th century by the Internet users of fifa.com and 11th in the ranking in an expert vote organized in parallel by the international organization. Baggio, who lived his best years as a footballer in the clubs of Florence, Turin and Milan, arrived at Mestalla in the summer of 1987 as a supporting actor in the Orange Trophy, although against Barcelona (13 August) and Valencia (14 August). ) left glimpses of its quality.

Valencia had in that edition with the Barcelona by Terry Venables (it was part of Robert Fernández's transfer contract) and to the Eriksson's Fiorentina (The Che returned the visit a week later). Roberto Baggio had landed in the purple box two years earlier from Vicenza. Until his arrival at Mestalla, Baggio, who was 20 years old, had hardly participated frequently in the line-ups. In fact, he had only scored one goal since his arrival. He went to Maradona's Napoli, curiously the day that the Neapolitan club was proclaimed champion of the Scudetto. B.

Fiorentina went through the tournament with more pain than glory. Defeat 4-1 against Barcelona and also thrashed a day later against Valencia de Di Stéfano (5-0). Yes, Baggio was the author of a penalty goal and was highlighted by the chroniclers as the best of the Italians. As a curiosity, Valencia broke commercial molds in that edition of the Orange Trophy that brought Roberto Baggio to Spain for the first time. The che club innovated by placing advertising on the field of play. Ten advertisements from two different trading houses, five of each, that remained on the lawn for all three matches of the tournament.

“Everything is oversized with Madrid, especially since Zidane was the most expensive signing up to then. My marking stood out, some to brand me as a lumberjack (10 fouls), others to highlight my performance … but, you know what? That there was no special marking. We simply coincided in the same area of ​​action ”. The reflection is from David Albelda, a player who lived in the first person and very close to the French, the debut of Zidane in the Spanish League with Real Madrid. It was on August 25, 2001, on the first day of a championship that ended with Valencia champion 31 years later.

Zidane had arrived that summer at Real Madrid from Juventus in Turin after paying 75 million euros. The French crack thus joined the cast of Galacticos that made up the merengue squad: Roberto Carlos, Figo Y Raul. A year later he arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu Ronaldo and, the next, David Beckham. Valencia won that first Zidane game in the Spanish League thanks to a lone goal from Miguel Ángel Angulo.