“There are two cathedrals in Valencia \u2013 the Catedral de Santa Maria for the city’s faithful Catholics and the Estadio de Mestalla for all Valencia C.F. supporters,” says my good friend Ove, who lives most of the year in Valencia, while we enjoy the spring sun and a nice glass of red wine on Avenida d’Arag\u00f3n, just a throw-in from the iconic football stadium. Ove often comes to Mestalla and follows Spanish club football closely by reading the sports newspaper “Marca” daily. “Unfortunately, Valencia C.F. has had a very difficult time \u2013 both financially and the results of the team \u2013 in recent years, but this has not affected the intense atmosphere at Mestalla. It is always sold out with 55,000 spectators, who shout and scream at the opposing team \u2013 not least when the big clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid come to visit Mestalla. But the fans also come with loud expressions of displeasure and slanderous chants against the home team when the local heroes do not live up to the fans’ high \u2013 and sometimes unrealistic \u2013 expectations”, Ove continues.<\/p>\n
Estadio de Mestalla \u2013 an iconic stadium with a varied past<\/strong><\/p>\n Mestalla is one of the most legendary football stadiums in Spain, which was inaugurated in 1923 with a friendly match between the two local clubs: Valencia C.F. and Levante U.D. The stadium is named after the historic irrigation canal \u2013 Acequia de Mestalla \u2013 which ran next to the pitch. Mestalla originally had a capacity of 17,000 spectators, but the capacity has been expanded several times over the past 100 years. Today, the extremely steep stands can accommodate 55,000 spectators. The stadium has a very colorful history, including being used as a concentration camp during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), and being hit by a major flood from the Turia River in 1957, which destroyed large parts of the stadium. Valencia C.F. has always had its home ground at Mestalla, which was modernized in connection with the 1982 FIFA World Cup, where Spain played several of their matches here.<\/p>\n Valencia Club di F\u00fatbol \u2013 one of Spain\u2019s most traditional clubs<\/strong><\/p>\n Valencia C.F. is one of Spain\u2019s most traditional football clubs. The club, which was founded on 18 March 1919, has played a total of 91 seasons in La Liga \u2013 Spain\u2019s top football league. The number of seasons is only surpassed by Real Madrid F.C., F.C. Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, who have participated in all 95 seasons in La Liga. The club has won the national championship a total of 6 times, most recently in 2001\/2002 and 2003\/2004. In addition, the club has won the Spanish cup tournament \u2013 \u200b\u200bCopa del Rey \u2013 8 times, most recently in 2007\/2008. Around the turn of the millennium, Valencia C.F. also had great international success with the Europa League title in 2003\/2004 and qualification for two Champions League finals. However, both finals were lost to Real Madrid (2000) and Bayern Munich (2001) respectively after a penalty shootout. Valencia C.F.’s most recent participation in European club football was in the 2019\/2020 season, where the club reached the last 16 teams in the UEFA Champions League. In recent seasons, “Chotos” – especially due to financial chaos and gigantic debts in connection with the construction of a new stadium – have had a difficult sporting life. The club has been in danger of relegation for several seasons and is currently in a modest 14th place out of 20 teams – only 6 points from the relegation zone before the last 6 matches.<\/p>\n Nou Mestalla \u2013 from empty monument to architectural top class<\/strong><\/p>\n It is now almost 20 years since Valencia C.F. began construction of a new stadium \u2013 Nou Mestalla \u2013 as a replacement for the Estadio de Mestalla in the old town of Valencia. However, construction came to a halt shortly after due to financial problems during the global financial crisis and for over 15 years the concrete structure on the outskirts of Valencia has stood as an empty monument to a major economic quagmire. Along the way, the club built up a staggering debt of over 3 billion and only recently did construction resume after the American investment bank Golden Sachs stepped in as financial advisor and direct lender together with a number of international investors. As part of the financing package, the bank took over the right to sell the land where the current Mestalla is located.<\/p>\n Nou Mestalla has a capacity of 75,000, i.e. 20,000 more than the current stadium. Valencia C.F.’s enormous popularity in Spain’s third largest city with 850,000 inhabitants is also confirmed by advance reservations of all seats and more than 20,000 fans on the waiting list for a season ticket. It is expected that the new stadium can be inaugurated at the start of the season in August 2027, just as the stadium will probably also host several matches at the 2030 FIFA World Cup, where Spain is the host nation along with Morocco and Portugal.<\/p>\n “For many of the club’s fans, it will be very sad to leave the old Mestalla in the city center in favor of the new stadium on the outskirts of the city. However, I am sure that they hope and believe that Valencia C.F. can win titles again when the Nou Mestalla is ready for next season. If we avoid relegation this year,” says Ove with conviction in his voice before we decide on an extra glass of red wine.<\/p>\n Sources:<\/p>\n