Life beneath Mestalla’s tribune, the family who called Valencia’s stadium home | OneFootball

Mestalla was once more than a stadium for one Valencian family, it was their home beneath the tribune. Their memories reveal the quieter life that sustained the ground.

As reported by Superdeporte, Lola Pons, daughter of caretaker Constantino after the Civil War, and her son José Manuel recall how a job born of need made Mestalla their home.

Rebuilding and the 1957 flood forced a shift to a temporary house behind Gol Sur, where they lived until Constantino retired. Life unfolded among staff and stars, yet remained ordinary.

Constantino tended everything by hand, flooding the pitch with acequia water, cutting grass, drawing lines and caring for goals and nets. An artisan repaired reed seats, and offcuts fuelled family paellas.

Everyone helped. Lola’s mother cleaned the infirmary and dressing rooms, the first team’s laundry dried at home, and training brought hosepipe pranks between players and the caretaker. He even hid Don Ricardo, priest of San Pascual Bailón, in the scoreboard booth to watch unseen.

The present stirs pain. Lola mourns the club’s decline from the triumphs she knew. José Manuel says the soul stays with supporters, yet ownership sits about 8,000 kilometres away and the club’s direction feels distant.

The move divides them. Lola holds heavy nostalgia after 20 years inside, while José Manuel misses Mestalla’s vertical feel but welcomes a larger, modern, accessible, week-round venue. For him, the heart keeps faith even in Segunda B, and rare joys are unmatched.

Source: Superdeporte

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”