Valencia Club de Fútbol (also known as Valencia, CF or just Valencia or Los Ches) is a team in the first division of the Spanish Football League.

Founded in 1919, Valencia CF is based in the city of Valencia, Spain. The team's home stadium is the 53, 000 seater Mestalla, which was opened back in 1923.

Valencia CF were in the shadows for several seasons then started winning trophies again in 1999 and winning the Spanish title for the sixth time in May 2004, their second in three years.

Valencia CF won the UEFA Cup for the third time in 2004, tying four other teams for the most UEFA Cups won. After suffering recent tough losses in Europe in the finals of the UEFA Champions League in 2000 and 2001, the team was finally able to triumph in the finals of European play.

Thanks to excellent coaching, one of the best defences in world soccer, including the charismatic Italian Carboni and the fiery Argentinian Roberto Ayala and a very imaginative playmaker, young Pablo Aimar (also from Argentina), Valencia has grown into one of the world's great teams.

On June 1, 2004, Rafa Benitez stepped down as coach of Valencia amid rumors that he was headed to Liverpool F.C.; those rumors proved true, as he was hired by Liverpool two weeks later.

On June 8, 2004, Claudio Ranieri was named the new head coach, but following Valencia's failure to advance past the round of 32 in the UEFA Cup he was dismissed on 25 February 2005 and replaced by Antonio López.