Juan Cruz Sol, an eternal legend

This coming Saturday, 11 November at 21:00, Valencia CF will face Real Madrid CF at the Santiago Bernabéu. Both clubs have shared many players throughout history, including a very special one for the Valencia CF fanbase, Juan Cruz Sol.

The Elgóibar-born player (Guipúzcoa) joined Valencia in 1963 at the age of 16. In 1965 he was given the opportunity to make his debut with the first team under Sabino Barinaga, who was in charge of the team for one season. This first game was at the Sánchez Pizjuan against Sevilla FC, in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw.

His first goal as a Valencia CF player was against Vitória Guimaraes SC in that same summer of 1965 in the 'Little World Cup' tournament in Venezuela and under the orders of Mundo Suárez. That would be his letter of introduction that would define his legendary career.

In the following years, Juan Cruz Sol became a legend of Valencia Club de Fútbol thanks to his great performance in the Valencia CF shirt, with which he played 386 games, scoring 17 goals and providing 16 assists. He also won 4 trophies  (the 1967 Cup, the 1970-71 League, the 1979-80 Cup Winners' Cup and the 1908-81 European Super Cup).

At international level, he wore the Spanish national team shirt 28 times and the coach who gave him his debut was Ladislao Kubala. After his retirement as a player, Sol was a member of the Valencia CF Board of Directors and a social ambassador for the Club.

For Valencia CF and its fans, Juan Cruz Sol will be an eternal legend, not only for his sporting legacy, but also for his personal legacy. Today, 10 November 2023, we pay tribute to his endearing figure three years after his passing.