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Victor Valdés, the successor of Zubi

60K views 739 replies 132 participants last post by  LeoMessi30 
#1 ·
Since Zubizarreta left the Camp Nou, Barcelona had a big problem with the goalkeepers. Only Ruud Hesp had some regularity, but he came in the last part of his career. But 4 years ago, a goalie of the youth system made his debut in Primera thanks to the hand of Louis Van Gaal and found regularty with the arrival of Frank Rijkaard.

Victor Valdés was the youngest player in the starting lineup of the team that won the CL in Paris. He was the first Zamora that Barça had in almost 20 years after Zubizarreta. Victor has shown a constant progression, but this year he's showing his best form. Our young goalkeeper assure this position for the next decade. Being a goalie in the Camp Nou is a difficult task. His self-steem and the way he faces the bad moments make him triumph where other goalies failed.

Victor Valdés, a life in blaugrana.

The career of Victor Valdés, who'll be 25 next Sunday, has been precocious. He's the youngest goalie that has consolidated his career in the goal of Barcelona and the youngest guy to enter in La Masia. Valdés always was there before the symbols of the club.

He entered in the youth system being 10 years, 7 months and 15 days old (August 29th, 1992). Until few time ago, noone was even close to this record. Bacary Mendez, who came from Almeria and play in the Infantil team, arrived in 2004 being 10 years, 11 months and 20 days old. He was near, but couldn't beat Victor, who is the youngest in history.

Victor also beats the symbols of the club, like Guillermo Amor (13) or Pep Guardiola (12) or other young players like Jofre Mateu (13), Pepe Reina (13), Marc Martínez (12), Diong Mendy (12), Andrés Iniesta (12) Lluís Sastre (12) or Jorge Troiteiro (12).

Now, near his 25th b-day, Victor has been half of his life linked to Barcelona. A record that few people in Rijkaard's squad can say. You may think he's been 15 years in Barcelona, but this is not 100% true, since he also was 2 years and a half out of the club.

He arrived to La Masia from the Penya Cinco Copas, where he played the 90/91 and the 91/92 seasons. Oriol Tort and Joan Martinez Vilaseca were the ones who discovered Victor when he played for the Penya.

Being so young in La Masia and his introverted character was a problem in these first months. He was 3 years younger than the next resident of La Masia in age. Victor Valdés missed his fathers, who had gone to live to Los Cristianos (Tenerife), and few months later, Carlos Naval let him go on Dec. 1st., when the kid asked for it.

Victor went with his parents and 2 years and a half later, Victor asked his dad for the return. His father talked to Oriol Tort and they agreed the returned of the goalie in August 1995, when he was 13.

At that age, he started a tough "war" with Pepe Reina, who has the same age. Joan Vila, one of the coaches of the youth system says: "It was a big problem to have 2 huge talents in the same generation".

"They were always in the same team and it was very tough to choose a starter and a sub. At the end, we decided to make 1 change every 2 games".

Jordi Castel is a coach of goalies in the youth system and confirms this rivalry with Reina. "Their commitment in the training sessions was total. They were and are players with spirit, mentality and competitive: both always want to play. If Reina made his debut with the first team before, it was because of the circumstances. Reina was in his best moment, but time has made them be in the first line in the world. This competition could have been a problem, but it finally was good for both. When you have someone so good next to you, you can't relax".

"It was a pleassure to work with them. They always wanted to improve. The best of Victor was his hunger of triumph, he always thought that he could make it. To his quality, you must add an ideal personality for Barcelona's goal. He had bad moments, he received strong criticism for it, and he always knew how to hold the pressure, keeping the calm. He creates a shield to protect himself and be the same in the following game. That's misunderstood and people have a false image of him. He grows with the adversity", says Castel, Valdes' "creator" according to the goalie.

As any other kid of La Masia, Valdes wished to live what he's living: to play every week in the Camp Nou, the stadium where he slept during so many years in his life. In La Masia, Valdes lived in the communitary rooms. With the extension of the residence, Valdés went to live to the Camp Nou itself, in the entrance of the Gate 78. Valdes says that "since that moment we had more intimacy. We were only 3 guys in one room". And he started to listen to the silence of the Camp Nou.

Valdés took a brave decision joining Barcelona so young. Now, with time, he thinks positively of this decision: "I gave all childhood and part of my life to Barça and, instead, I received a great academic and personal formation and also the biggest opportunity that any kid can have: to be a Barcelona player. It was worth it". But not everything was happiness: "When I got there I was 10, 3 years younger than the 2nd youngest. Ivan de la Peña and Albert Celades tried to cheer me up, but it was impossible. I said enough and I went back with my parents. I spent 2 years only preparing myself to go back to Barcelona". Since then he lived some bad sport experiences and also bad personal experiences, as the death of his grandfather Ezequiel. He also lived sweet moments, as sweet as the ones "I experienced in Paris after winning the Champions League final. It has been my happiest moment since I entered in the club".


Victor Valdés, legend.



http://www.sport.es/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=44&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=370489&idseccio_PK=803
 
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#724 ·
"The time has come for me to say goodbye to you all .

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to say goodbye playing football, as I would have liked, but that’s life at times, and this year has been a bit cruel to me in this regard.

I’ve had time to look at where I am and what I’ve become. I can only think about the people who helped me to get where I am today. I dedicate this letter to them.

Oriol Tort, José Antonio Pozanco, Juan Manuel Asensi, Ursicinio López, Albert Benaiges, Antonio Olmo, Juan Carlos Pérez Rojo, Pep Segura, Quique Costas, Joan Vilà, Jordi Castel..... the coaches who made me into the athlete I always dreamed I would be. People who turned a ten year old kid into a goalkeeper at the Camp Nou, ten years later. Thank you all!.

Thank you to Louis Van Gaal, for showing the courage necessary to gamble on a talent that only he could see. He began building this historic Barça side, which I have been privileged to be part of. My heartfelt thanks

Thank you Frank Rijkaard, for giving me the confidence necessary, and allowing me to achieve glory, getting my hands on the European Cup in Paris. Wherever you are, I will be indebted to you for the rest of my life Mister.

Thank you Pep, for having opened the door to playing a game that was unknown to me, for guiding me along the road where one has to keep looking for success, and we did it together, right?. We’ll always have that Mister, and believe me, it will be eternal!.

Thank you Tito! Wherever you are, I thank you for having taught us not only the way to keep winning as a team, but also the strength and character needed to face life.

Thanks to all my colleagues with whom I’ve had the pleasure to work with, that involves wearing the Barça crest on our chests day after day, for making me feel important within the group that we developed over all these years. Because it all comes down to this, we are who we are, here and now. Thank you gentlemen!.

And of course I cannot forget the most important people, over these twelve years as a professional, wearing this shirt, my most loyal fans. Those people who, whatever happened, were always there to give me the support that a fighter always needs, proud to be there supporting me in the celebrations, giving your support in every game, sending me the positive energy that I have always felt, which kept me going all this time, because without it, it would have been impossible to do it alone.

Thank you, thank you, and a thousand times, thank you. I ask that you please don’t stop giving me that support.

Forever, FORÇA BARÇA!

Víctor Valdés Arribas".
http://www.fcbarcelona.com/football/first-team/detail/article/letter-from-victor-valdes
 
#725 ·
I do hope he receives a good send off farewell in next Sunday game

I watched him through his early struggles, and the night he denied Thiery Henry his dream, by for filling the barca dream

To his most recent commanding three year performances

You will be missed

And can please someone change the name of the thread,

cause soon over will be contemplating if the next keeper could be Victor Valdes successor
 
#727 ·
Damn, should've been given a grand send off

Perhaps destiny will pit his next team Monaco (as being reported)
In the next Joan Gamper, or Cl

But good for him, Monaco is one of the most unique places to live in Europe
If you have cash at your disposal....
 
#729 ·
IIRC, VV made a hint that he'd not prefer a pompous goodbye gala.

"It might not look like it but I'm quite shy. I'm an introvert. That's the way I am, how I feel. I know my introverted nature has failed me with certain aspects of what this profession demands, like public events, media commitments, galas and so on, but you can't help the way you are."
 
#732 ·
Monaco has rejected him because of the broken ligaments.

F'n scumbags, they should get him now and wait for his recovery. They are lying him for 2 years.

We would've waited for his recovery, give support and make his injury easier. The time would have passed faster in and around Ciutat Esportiva.
 
#734 ·
I think it was never about a club not willing to wait or Valdes madly wanting to play for Monaco. I think it simply was him wanting a challenge in his career. He has done everything there is to do at Barca and imo its obvious he is looking for a new challenge.

You all have heard how for example Guardiola talks about Barca, that its exhausting. Its a cutthroat club that chews you up and spits you out when you are no longer needed. And it is a club that will blame you should you want to leave before being spat out. And thats why i have all the respect in the world for him. He won it all and in the end of the day he made up his mind and sticked to it.
 
#733 ·
Well, he had the offer in the table, we begged him to stay he wanted to leave.. now.. God be with him, hope he finds a team that he enjoys playing for

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
 
#735 ·
I said many times already that I don't blame Valdes, I understand his reasoning. I'm only sorry he hasn't found a club yet, hope he solves his situation quickly.

But I don't blame Monaco either. They didn't injure him and they certainly can't be blamed for not taking an injured player. They have a medical department and Valdes didn't pass his medical. It's tough, but what can you do. He'll find a club, he's a great keeper.

We shouldn't be mad at Monaco, especially since they renewed Abi.
 
#737 ·
But why do a medical with broken ligaments? You get fit from your injury first and then you do the medical. I don't get it. How could anyone expect him to pass a medcial now?
 
#739 ·
Ramallets, I'm sure they weren't expecting results that a healthy and fit player would achieve.

With the state of technology and medicine today, I'm sure they were able to draw some conclusions on the severity of his injury and the future risks. Victor is world class and if Monaco passed on him, I bet there was a reason. It's not like they can't afford him, and it's certainly not like they have a better keeper in the squad. Valdes would be cheaper for them than other keepers as he'd be the only quality keeper in the world they'd sign on a free transfer, and yet they decided not to give him a contract.

My concern isn't that Monaco won't sign Valdes, but that he may have an injury problem on his hands. Either Monaco for some reason employ complete fools in their medical team, or they decided his injury wasn't going to go away so easily. I hope it's the former, but I doubt it.
 
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