Pepelu returns to the Ciutat de València, 974 days on, as Valencia centurion and captain | OneFootball

Pepelu returns to the Ciutat de València on 15 February 2026, 974 days after his last game there, now a Valencia CF centurion and third captain with both clubs fighting for survival. According to Superdeporte, his final appearance on that pitch was the Levante-Alavés match on 17 June 2023, the night Levante missed promotion.

A Levante academy graduate from age 13, he comes back as the derby’s focal point after his five million euro switch on 8 July 2023, a move many Levante fans rejected. He maintained the transfer benefited all sides and thanked his former club.

He later issued a heartfelt farewell, apologising to supporters, pledging lifelong allegiance to Levante and wishing the team well. He said the feeling of playing at the Ciutat would stay with him.

The transfer triggered online backlash and banners across the city, and almost three years on it still echoes. Then sporting director Miguel Ángel Corona has since noted that paying his release clause was not easy.

On the pitch, José Luis García Vayà, Pepelu, has 101 Valencia appearances since debuting on 11 August 2023 at Sevilla’s Sánchez Pizjuán. He was previously second captain under Rubén Baraja, played 39 games in 2023/24, 39 in 2024/25 and has 23 this season, and earned a first Spain call-up in summer 2024 under Luis de la Fuente.

This will be his first visit to the Ciutat as an opponent, although he faced Levante at Mestalla on 21 November 2025, a 1-0 win decided by a Hugo Duro overhead. The No 18 led Valencia that day for distance covered, 10,890 metres, recoveries, eight, and forward pass accuracy, 87%.

Source: Superdeporte