Madrid (Union)
The match between Real Madrid and Valencia is often one of the highlights of every season of La Liga, and the historical rivalry between Spain’s first and third largest cities has always been fierce on and off the field, and both clubs own two of the biggest and most famous stadiums in Spain.
Fans of “Bats” and “Los Blancos” believe that winning is the only requirement when they meet today, “Saturday”, as the competition between them flared up nearly a quarter of a century ago, specifically since Pedrag Mijatovic joined Real Madrid in 1996, following three successful seasons. In Valencia, during which he became a symbol of the club and one of the best players in Europe, this move caused a gap between two historical teams, proud of their roots and cup treasuries, which made the competition between them in the last quarter of a century intense, and formed one of the strongest competitions in Spain, and a match that cannot be Predictability of its outcome and the drama it carries.
The transfer of Pedrag Mijatovic has not been the only exchange of players between the two clubs in history, but none of them are causing the same amount of tension in Spanish football as then, with many players wearing the white shirts of both sides over the years.
Back in the thirties of the last century, Simon Lecco, the Spanish international who won the King’s Cup in 1936 with Real Madrid, and the Spanish League title 1943 – 1944 with Valencia, is among the players who lifted the “La Liga” cup with one or both teams, and there is also Kiki. Sanchez Flores, who moved from Valencia to Madrid in 1994 – famous for a successful coaching career with Valencia and Atletico Madrid, and Santi Canizares – who went the other way in 1998.
Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano is one of the few men who coached the two teams as well, as he consolidated the harvest of his eight titles in the “La Liga” following a successful career at the Bernabeu by winning the title in his first season 1970-1971 at the Mestalla stadium.
In the current squad led by Carlo Ancelotti and Jose Bordalas, we find three players who played for both teams, one of them is Denis Cherchev, a graduate of the La Fabrica youth academy in Real Madrid, who made his debut in the “La Liga” with “Los Blancos” with a 1-0 victory over Granada in September 2015, the Russian international also represented Seville and Villarreal during his playing in the “La Liga”, although he is now in Valencia, where he certainly established his feet.
There is Isco, who joined the Valencia youth sector when he was 14 years old in 2006, and quickly rose through the teenage sector teams, to become a big star for the Valencia Mestalla youth team, and in the 2010-2011 season, he helped the team rise to the division The second Spaniard “La Liga Smart Bank”, while he played his first match in “La Liga” with the first team of Valencia in November 2010 when he was only 18 years old, participating from the bench in the 2-0 win over Getafe, and the Andalusian spent a period in his hometown club Malaga before To reach the Bernabeu in 2013.
Finally, there is Hugo Douro, the 21-year-old Madrid striker, who just arrived in Valencia on loan from Getafe. Last season he was on loan with Real Madrid’s reserve team, but then coach Zinedine Zidane brought him to the first team following a performance Impressive with the reserve, current Valencia coach Jose Bordalas knows him well, of course during his time at Getafe, so he has brought him with him this season.
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