Mestalla experiences magical night with treble legends match 

The Regional anthem brought another magical night to an end at the centenary Camp de Mestalla. 20,000 Valencianistas gathered to enjoy the Treble Legends Match and see once again the legends who made Valencia CF champions of La Liga 2003-04, UEFA 2003-04 and European Super Cup 2004, as well as being recognised by the International Federation of Football Statistics and History (IFFHS) as 'Best Club in the World'.

A day brimming with Sentiment and Brotherhood

The Valencia CF legends and the group of ex-players from LALIGA and the Spanish Footballers' Association (AFE) started the morning as they would do on match day: from early in the morning, ready and focused for the match. Breakfast and a stroll around the city. After that, a relaxed lunch among the players. It was time to enjoy and start reliving those epic anecdotes. After coffee, it was time to get on the bus to arrive at the stadium 1 hour and 30 minutes before kick-off. The fanbase were waiting for them, which was demonstrated upon the players’ arrival with great ovations.

It was time to go down the tunnel and get back out onto the pitch at the beloved Camp de Mestalla. Mixed feelings. Baraja, Angulo, Marchena, Vicente, Mista, Carboni... were wearing the shorts again. What memories of those plays that gave so much to the Club. The start of the match was approaching. But first, there was a historic photo. The captains of that golden era came out with the trophies they had won. Angulo with the ball that accredited Valencia CF as the best club in the world; Vicente with the European Super Cup; Cañizares with the UEFA; and Baraja and Albelda with the League followed up by a fitting ovation from the crowd in attendance.

Special tributes

The Club paid tribute to Bernardo España 'Españeta' -the Club's legendary kitman for over 40 years- and Jaume Ortí -ex-president of Valencia CF (from 2001-02 to 2004-05). Two important people for Valencianismo and the club. Prior to the start of the match, relatives of 'Españeta' and Jaume Ortí laid a bouquet of flowers on the chair where Bernardo used to sit and next to the trophies won during Jaume Ortí's presidency.

Conversely, emotional minute's silence was also held for the Valencianistas who gave passed away.

Match

Rubén Iranzo and Javi Guerra -born in the years of the Triplete generation-, accompanied by José Luis Gayà and Fran Pérez were in charge of raising the founding flag of the club on the pitch. This way, and with the whistle of the prestigious former international referee Valencian Mateu Lahoz, this very special match began.

The crowd in attendance were in the mood for football and this could be seen in the atmosphere, chanting for the players and encouraging them to score a goal. The minutes passed and the first chances for the Valencia CF team started to enjoy forays into the opposition box, although Iker Casillas pulled off a great stop to deny the opener. However, the combination of former LALIGA and AFE players, with a shot from outside the area by Marcos Senna, took the lead after beating the legendary Santi Cañizares.  Angulo managed to score the equaliser in a one-on-one situation against Casillas with an inch perfect chipped finish to get back on level terms. With the scoreline at 1-1 it was half time whistle was blown. 

A few minutes into the second half, the opposition scored again through Tote, but Valencia CF once again showed their typical Valencianista spirit and after a corner and a Ricardo Costa shot, Mista showed his goalscoring instinct by heading the ball home (2-2). The 'che' side wanted to win and enjoy several chances, alas, Tote scored the third for the LALIGA and AFE team with another shot from the box. However, this goal did not dampen the party spiirt in the stands. The 20,000 Valencianistas in attendance cheered and waved their personalised match flags and so the match came to an end.

The end of this special day

The event was not over yet, a video with the images of the winning of the titles and the mobile phones lit up the century old Mestalla.The players in the centre of the pitch were excitedly reliving those incredible moments that made the Valencianistas vibrate.

The regional anthem -performed by the tenor and the band- and the players' lap of honour brought to an end another unforgettable day for Valencia CF and their fanbase.