Valencia CF

Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia CF or just Valencia or Los Ches) is a football team in the first division of the Spanish Football League. Founded in 1919, Valencia CF is based in the city of Valencia, Spain. The team's home stadium is the 53,000 seater Mestalla, which was opened in 1923. Valencia CF won the Spanish title for the sixth time in May 2004, their second in three years.

History

Valencia CF won the UEFA Cup for the third time in 2004, tying four other teams for the most UEFA Cups won. After suffering recent tough losses in Europe in the finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2001 under then Argentine coach Hector Cuper, the team was finally able to triumph in the finals of European play.

Related Topics:
UEFA Cup - UEFA Champions League - 2000 - 2001 - Hector Cuper

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Thanks to good coaching, one of the best defences in world soccer, including the charismatic Italian Carboni and the fiery Argentinian Roberto Ayala, and an imaginative playmaker, young Pablo Aimar (also from Argentina), Valencia has grown into one of the world's great teams.

Related Topics:
Italian - Carboni - Argentinian - Roberto Ayala - Pablo Aimar

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On June 1, 2004, Rafa Benitez stepped down as coach of Valencia amid rumors that he was headed to Liverpool F.C.; those rumors proved true, as he was hired by Liverpool two weeks later.

Related Topics:
June 1 - 2004 - Rafa Benitez - Liverpool F.C.

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On June 8, 2004, Claudio Ranieri was named the new head coach, but following Valencia's failure to advance past the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup he was dismissed on 25 February 2005 and replaced by Antonio López.

Related Topics:
June 8 - 2004 - Claudio Ranieri - UEFA Cup - 25 February - 2005 - Antonio López

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On 5 October, 2004 Juan Bautista Soler, the chairman of a construction holding was appointed chairman of the club after acquiring the most of the shares of the club in a public bid. Soler became the 23rd chairman since the club was founded in 1919, and succeeded Jaime Ortí, the former chairman who formed the better team in the history of the club and won 2 Ligas, 1 UEFA Cup and a European SuperCup.

Related Topics:
Juan Bautista Soler - Jaime Ortí

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Valencia begin the 2005 season with new coach Quique Sanchez Flores, a former player at Valencia and who was credited with keeping newly-promoted Getafe CF in the first division, finishing a respectable 13th place.

Related Topics:
2005 - Quique Sanchez Flores - Getafe CF - First division

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