Valencian derby
The derby in the city of Valencia is a football match which pits two of LaLiga's historic teams, Valencia CF and Levante UD, against each other. Levante were founded in 1909 and Valencia ten years later, in 1919. The clubs, therefore, have no shortage of history, although they have largely fought their battles on different fronts: Levante have played nine seasons in LaLiga Santander, whilst Valencia have gone neck and neck with the cream of the Spanish crop for a total of 79 seasons - confirmation that they truly are one of the country's great teams.
After qualifying for the Europa League, Levante became the 29th Spanish club to compete in a European competition in the 2011/12 season. Valencia, meanwhile, are long-time continental heavyweights with a trophy cabinet few others can boast of: six LaLiga Santander titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, one Spanish Super Cup, one UEFA Cup, one Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups and one Intertoto Cup. Also worthy of special mention are the two Champions League finals which they lost in 2000 and 2001, the first against Real Madrid and the second – on penalties – to Bayern Munich.
A passionate derby
Despite the historic inequality between the two teams, derbies are always different. They offer
90 minutes of passion, emotion, tension and one sole objective: to beat the other team in the city. The challenges currently faced by the neighbouring teams are very different. Valencia are back in the upper echelons of the table, on course for Champions League football. Levante, in their first season back in LaLiga Santander having earned promotion in 2017, are looking to consolidate their presence in the Spanish top flight and achieve the stability which all teams dream of.
Valencia play their home games at Mestalla, located in the district which gives the stadium its name. Levante play theirs at the Ciutat de Valencia in the Orriols district, in the north of the city. Both stadiums have formed an important part of the history of the two clubs, Mestalla having opened its turnstiles in 1923 and the Ciutat de Valencia in 1969.
The legendary Kempes
One thing which the two clubs have in common is having had some of the best players in the world grace their ranks. Valencia's past lineups have no shortage of national and international stars. In fact, part of the core of the Spanish national team which won the 2008 and 2012
Euros and the 2010 World Cup wore the shirt: David Villa, David Silva, Juan Mata, Raul Albiol and Carlos Marchena. And let us not forget other greats in the club's recent history, some of whom propelled Los Che to glory: David Albelda, Gaizka Mendieta, Santiago Cañizares, Claudio Lopez, Pablo Aimar, Predrag Mijatovic, Ruben Baraja, Roberto Ayala, Andoni Zubizarreta, Ricardo Arias, Paco Camarasa, Salvador Voro Gonzalez and Fernando Giner.
But there is one man who deserves special mention: the Valencia legend Mario Kempes. El Matador spent eight seasons at Valencia, between 1976 and 1985, either side of a brief sojourn at River Plate in 1981. During those two spells, Kempes won one Copa del Rey, one Cup Winners' Cup and one UEFA Super Cup, as well as the World Cup in his native Argentina in 1978, beating the Netherlands in the final. On an individual level, he was twice the top scorer in LaLiga, in the 1976/77 and 1977/78 seasons.
Stars in the twilight and a royal connection
Levante's team sheets have featured fewer top level internationals, but their fans did have the privilege of watching one of football's all-time greats pull on the shirt during the latter stages of his career. In the 1980/81 season, the Granotes signed Johan Cruyff after he had made history with FC Barcelona and decided to head across the pond to the USA. Cruyff played 10 games and netted two goals for Levante, and whilst his spell at the club was almost a testimonial, it is undoubtedly worth mentioning. The same goes for Predrag Mijatovic, the former Valencia legend who signed for Real Madrid in the 1996/97 season. The Montenegrin hung up his boots with Levante in the 2002/03 season.
Furthermore, in 1984, coinciding with the club's 75th anniversary, now King of Spain but Prince of Asturias at the time, Felipe VI was named honorary chairman.
Internationalization of Valencia
In 2014, the Singaporean businessman Peter Lim bought a majority stake in Valencia CF, becoming the first Singaporean owner of a Spanish club. Since then the club have found increasing stability, allowing them to reach the enviable position in which they now find themselves. Lim first appointed Lay Hoon Chan and then Anil Murthy as his trusted underlings to officially occupy the club chairperson's role since he took over.
Levante in search of a first competitive win at Mestalla
Statistically, the results of past derbies favour Valencia. They have done battle on 23 occasions in LaLiga Santander, with 10 victories for Valencia, six draws and seven wins for Levante. However, the Granotes have never beaten their cross-town neighbours in LaLiga at Mestalla, meaning that they will be determined to scratch this statistic from the history books and celebrate their first three points there in a passionate derby on 11 February.
Two Colors. One Passion.
LaLiga invites fans from all over the world to enjoy its closest and most emotional match- ups, the derbies, in-person. A rivalry, a city, and just one objective: TO WIN. Through its global campaign “Two colors. One passion” LaLiga continues working towards international growth; they will bring fans from all over the world to get to know and experience LaLiga stadiums, enjoying gameplay by the best teams and best players in the world. The derby isn’t just a 90 minute game. It’s a feeling. It’s a rivalry of two teams that represent a city. It’s much more than football, it’s LaLiga. Go to www.laliga.es/derbis to become a part of the best league in the world.
