Guillamón's journey to the Valencia CF first team

Hugo Guillamón made his first team debut this past season, but his career at the club stretches back much further. The defender, who signed a contract renewal through to 2023 on Wednesday, talked to VCF Media about the various stages he went through to reach the senior squad.

“At Pre-Benjamin level all I wanted to do was go to Paterna, go into the dressing room to see my teammates, have fun and play. I remember the many tournaments that we played every season that were always special, because you faced some very good teams,” he recalls.

On the 8-a-side teams it was clear what position he would go on to adopt.

“From the beginning I at the back in defence, with the aim of not letting anyone get past. I have played as a defender all my life. ”

Back then, his parents took him to Paterna by car. When they couldn't due to work committments, they entrusted a friend with taking the future first team member and his brothers to training.

"In that first stage of 8-a-side you are very happy, thinking of nothing else besides playing and having fun with your friends. Then we got to 11-a-side football, and I always remember all the league games against Villarreal, which is a derby, very intense and gets you very involved. We wanted to win them at all costs. Fortunately, I played many games during my time at the VCF Academy and I have good memories of all of them.”

Upon his transition to 11-a-side, he went from Juvenil B to Juvenil B, where he got his first European experience.

"My debut against Juventus was at the Antonio Puchades in a UEFA Youth League match. I realised then that this was very serious business, and that it was necessary to continue fighting just like before, to take more steps forward,” he remembers.

When he returned from the Under-17s World Cup, VCF Mestalla coach Lubo Penev made the call to bring in Guillamón for training.

"It was on Pitch 1, and I remember entering the dressing room where professional players were. It was a very nice feeling, because I was just 17 and my enormous efforts -and those of my family- were being rewarded."

"My first game for them was at home, coming on for Iván Zotko when he was injured against Badalona. Only one more step remained, but it was undoubtedly the most difficult."

His first call-up to train with the first team was just that step, and came just before the Under-19s World Cup.

"That walk from the VCF Mestalla dressing room to the Valencia CF dressing room, although only 20 metres, felt very long. It gave me time to think about what it would be like to train with them, and it was a magical moment.

"However, now I have to keep working. I've achieved my first dream, but there are others that I have to make come true. It's nive to debut for the first team, but I'm thinking about next season, working hard and having a good year."