Valencia CF emerged as a world football heavyweight thanks to reaching the final of the Champions League. New coach Héctor Cúper focused heavily on making the defence invincible, but despite the general perception of a much more defensive Valencia, they actually conceded the same amount of league goals as under previous coach Claudio Ranieri. Among the key players were playmaker Gaizka Mendieta (voted as the best midfielder in the Champions League), goalkeeper Santiago Cañizares, winger Javier Farinós, fellow midfielder Gerard and striker Claudio López, who was bought by Lazio after the end of the season. The same Lazio was the opponents in the quarter final of the Champions League, which resulted in a 5-2 victory against the eventual Italian champions. Gerard was also brought back to his club of nurture, when Barcelona splashed £15 million on the youngster.
In the semi finals of the competition, Los Che took on Barcelona in a La Liga clash, where Valencia prevailed, much due to a 4-1 crushing at home. A mere 2-1 defeat at Camp Nou saw the team progress to the final at Stade de France, where they came up against Real Madrid, in the first ever all-Spanish final of the competition. Valencia's dreams were shattered by a clear 3-0 defeat.
Squad
Goalkeepers
Defenders
Midfielders
Attackers
La Liga
Matches
Topscorers
Champions League
1st Group Stage
2nd Group Stage
Quarter Final
Semi Final
Final
Retrieved from :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999%E2%80%932000_Valencia_CF_season
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