Valencia CF

Valencia Club de Fútbol are a Spanish professional football club based in Valencia, Spain. By the beginning of the 1980s the 'Che' were conquering Europe with victories in the Cup Winners cup and the Super cup. Unfortunately the mid-eighties saw the club relegated from the Spanish first division. Guus Hiddink took over the club in the early 1990s in time to signal ambitious changes in the club. The 'Che' branched in to the business world and became a Limited Company identity. A platform was built that would become fruitful by the end of the century. 1999 was the beginning of a glorious run of victories and silverware for Valencia CF. They managed to secure both the Spanish cup and Super cup. Valencia was founded on March 5, 1919, and have played their home games at the Estadio Mestalla since 1923. With 53,000 seats, Mestalla is the fifth largest stadium in Spain. In 1982, the club appointed Miljan Miljanic as coach. After a disappointing season, Valencia was in the 17th place and faced relegation with seven games left to play. Koldo Aguirre replaced Miljanic as coach, and Valencia barely avoided relegation that year, relying on favorable results from other teams to ensure their own survival. In the 1983-84 and 1984-85 season, the club was heavily in debt under the presidency of Vicente Tormo. The club finally hit rock bottom when it was relegated at near the end of the 1985-86 season, and riven with internal problems such as unpaid player and staff wages, as well as poor team spirit. The club was relegated for the first time after 55 years in Spanish top-flight football.