On a siding at Manchester United, the Spanish goalkeeper had agreed to restart on the banks of the Meuse. A transfer that no one saw coming, especially since the club was going through a complicated season after having, in particular, occupied the red lantern. “I had heard a few rumors but his arrival still surprised meremembers Guillaume Hubert, who then held the position of number one. I was in the Academy locker room after training, I looked up and saw Victor Valdés (smile). I wondered what a player with such a career was doing with us.”
When I saw the mud and the cranes, I went to warn him in the bus… but it didn't bother him.
The Catalan will subsequently explain that he wanted “become a footballer again” after several difficult years. Standard rolled out the red carpet for him with a tenure six days after his arrival, during an important trip to Louvain.
The images of this first duel quickly went around the world. Accustomed to playing in the most beautiful European stadiums, Victor Valdés discovers the cranes, the mud and the Den Dreef construction site, in full reconstruction and without a stand, as well as the Belgian rain. “When I observed the scene, I went to find him on the bus to warn him that the conditions were different from those he had experienced in Barcelona. He had already considered this possibility and it did not move him. He showed humility”says Jos Beckx, his goalkeeping coach.
All the spotlight is on the new star of the championship. A camera films his exit from the bus and follows him until he enters the locker room. The goalkeeper knows he is being observed and takes advantage of this moment of calm to mentally enter into his encounter. “He stepped aside for a ten or fifteen minute yoga session. At first, everyone was surprised because it’s not customary in Belgium but after two matches, we got used to it”he continues.
He took my jersey at the end of the match but I don't know what he did with it…
On the field, Victor Valdés did the job with three saves which allowed Standard to win (0-2) and launch their rise in the general ranking. “During the match, I ignored his record but afterwards, I said to myself that it would have been nice to score him a goal. It would have impressed my friends, but not my six-year-old son who, I don’t think, has ever heard of him.”smiles Jordan Remacle, who had missed his face-to-face with the Spanish goalkeeper.
Rudy Riou, the Leuven goalkeeper, has a more memorable memory. “For me, it is a monument of Barcelona because apart from Ter Stegen and Zubizarreta, few Barcelona goalkeepers have such longevity. Just before going onto the field, I whispered two words in his ear. First to congratulate him on his career and then to ask him for his jersey. It's not really my habit but my son entrusted me with this mission. When the final whistle blew, he immediately came to me to give me his jacket and he took mine. I don’t know what he did with it but it proves he’s a great man.”
Finally, the one who coached the U19s of Moratalaz (Madrilenian suburbs) and Barcelona did not leave a big mark in Sclessin. His eight matches allowed him to win a Belgian Cup which does not weigh heavily in the middle of his six Spanish championships and three Champions Leagues. A few balls, notably in Mechelen, showed that he was short of pace and that his best years were behind him. “He was in his world. He was nice but didn't talk with the other players. He was only focused on himself. He also had to adapt to Belgian methods. In training, we often did reps of six stops but he wanted to stop after two. He had to comply even if it wasn’t easy at first”finishes Jos Beckx.
