Sánchez Flores: "We assumed the responsibility of having to spend only a single year in the Segunda Division"

Saturday, May 30th is the 33rd anniversary of Valencia CF’s promotion to the top flight, immediately bouncing back after relegation the previous campaign. They did so courtesy of a 2-0 win against Recreativo de Huelva at Mestalla, and one of the stars of the game, Quique Sánchez Flores, spoke to VCF Media to provide his memories of the day.

The match

“It was a game charged with emotion, but we had finished the season very well. We had beaten Recreativo in the league before, 5-1, but we were in a ‘playoff’ and our only option was to win. Obviously there was the pressure of playing at home, and we couldn’t fail, but it was a key game. We came out very calm and we played very well. In the first half we couldn’t open up the game. In the second, Fenoll had a shot from outside the area that I was able to finish after a series of rebounds. It was a season in which I had a lot of confidence. I’d scored a lot of goals -that was my ninth of the season. The fans ran onto the pitch at the end of the game, and we celebrated a return to a place that we never should have left.”

The promotion season

“It was a season that could have been very long, because there were playoffs, but fortunately we didn’t have to go through them. We assumed the responsibility of having to spend only a single year in the Segunda Division, and it wasn’t easy to get promoted. We started well, winning 0-1 in Figueras, but I remember losing to Barcelona Atletico and Bilbao Athletic and getting into a bit of a slump.

A homegrown team

“The new generations should know that the team represented Valencia CF very well, because we were a side consisting primarily of homegrown players. Players had been signed young, such as Chato Arroyo -who was 18 years old- and me -who was 19-, or they had come up through the youth system such as Fernando Giner (19), Fernando Gomez (19), and Voro (21). Then Alcañiz arrived at a very young age, Emilio Fenoll, Salva Revert... There were a lot of young players trying to make a change at a difficult time for Valencia CF, in which we'd hit rock bottom. I think that today's generation would be very proud of there being so many Valencians -or 'almost Valencians'- in the team from such a young age. I'm sure that they would have enjoyed watching the team.”

Being led by Di Stefano

“Maybe that was one of the keys: A young squad with the desire to grow, who knew that it was a difficult situation having been relegated. Not going straight back up could have generated a bigger economic issue. Then there was Alfredo Di Stefano taking over as coach again. All that work paid off.

It was necessary to have a leader. The figure of the leader meant somebody to guide us. He had his way of convincing us about how to do things. As I said before, along with Di Stefano there was Javier Subirats, Ricardo Arias, Sempere, Bossio -I think he'd played in the World Cup, or was in the Uruguay squad. They were people who generated respect. Deep down, I think that we all felt 'guilty' about the situation. We felt responsible for it, and that we had to take the club back up after having not responded to an historic situation the previous season. I think that the young players were up to the standard of the leaders, of Alfredo and the veterans. I think that is the way to reach the fans.”

Di Stefano’s uniqueness

“Di Stefano would be the Argentinian-Spanish Alex Ferguson, because he was something different. We learned something everyday with Alfredo. It was like if nowadays a generation of players or fans were coached by Maradona or Messi -the best in the world 20 years before their time. That’s what happened when Alfredo came in during the 19802. He’d been the best as a player. We learned through his examples, anecdotes and stories. We admired and idolised him, and enjoyed ourselves a lot, because he was a very fun person. He was really important in the transition and everybody respected him.”