Roberto Ayala leads Valencia CF into the UEFA Champions League tournament. Bodog.com has Valencia CF 18 to 1 (Bet $1.00 to win $18.00) to win the UEFA Champions League. Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia CF or Valencia) is a Spanish professional football team based in Valencia, Spain.
They play in La Liga championship and are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football. Valencia CF has won six La Liga titles, six Copa del Rey trophies, and three international UEFA Cup tournaments also winning a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and two UEFA Super Cups. They have also been European Cup final runners up on two different occasions in 2000 and 2001. Valencia is also a member of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs.
Founded in 1919, Valencia CF has played its home games at Estadio Mestalla since 1923. With 53,000 seats, Mestalla is the fifth largest stadium in Spain. Based on income figures for the 2004-05 season, Valencia CF is the 19th richest club in the world.
The club was established in 1919, with Octavio Augusto Milego Díaz as its first president; incidentally the presidency was decided by a coin toss. The club played its first competitive match away from home on May 21st 1919 against Valencia Gimnástico, and lost the match 1-0.
Bodog.com has Valencia CF at 18 to 1 to win the UEFA Champions League
Valencia CF moved into the Mestalla stadium in 1923, having played its home matches at the Algirós ground since December 7th 1919. The first match at Mestalla pitted the home side against Castellón Castalia and ended a 0-0 draw. In another match the day after, Valencia won against the same opposition 1-0. Valencia CF won the Regional Championship in 1923, and was eligible to play in the domestic Copa del Rey cup competition for the first time in its history.
Valencia is mostly integrated by Spanish players, but they have followed the tradition of hiring Argentineans in their files. Roberto Fabián Ayala (born 14 April 1973 in Paraná) is an Argentinean football player, who currently plays for the Spanish team Valencia. He plays in central defense.
At club level, Ayala has played for Ferrocarril Oeste (1991-94), River Plate (1994-95), Napoli (1995-98), and Milan (1998-2000). Ayala is regarded as one of the best central defenders in the world. He has been captain of the Argentine national team, for which he has played in three World Cups.
Playing for Valencia, he reached the final of the 2001 UEFA Champions League, but lost the match to Bayern Munich on penalties. The next year, Valencia won the 2001-02 Spanish La Liga but once again lost in the final of the Champions League, getting beaten by Real Madrid.
In the 2003-04 season, Valencia once again won the Spanish La Liga and added the UEFA Cup to their trophy cabinet. In the 2004-05 season a number of injuries kept Ayala from playing in much of the Liga campaign and he also missed out on the UEFA Super Cup 2004 victory over Porto. In his absence Valencia's results suffered.
Known as 'El Ratón' (the mouse), Ayala inherited his trademark salmon leap from his father, who was also a central defender.
UEFA Club competition honors
UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup 1979/80
UEFA Super Cup 1980, 2004
UEFA Cup 2003/04
UEFA Intertoto Cup 1998
