Saura: “Gayà is a standard-bearer of the team and I’m proud that he has surpassed me” | OneFootball

On March 14, 2026, in the match against Real Oviedo, Gayà further enhanced his legacy at the club by equaling Enrique Saura with 400 official appearances for Valencia CF. As of today, he has already surpassed him with 401 matches. The current Valencia captain and the Castellón-born legend met at Mestalla to talk about this historic milestone.

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“It’s a source of pride to have reached that number, and hopefully there will be many more. Surpassing players is something I’ve never really focused on—I’ve always tried to just accumulate matches—but when you start overtaking footballers as important as Saura, you begin to realize what you’ve achieved,” said Gayà.

“It’s a source of pride to have reached that number, and hopefully there will be many more. Surpassing players is something I’ve never really focused on—I’ve always tried to just accumulate matches—but when you start overtaking footballers as important as Saura, you begin to realize what you’ve achieved,” said Gayà.

Walking along the wing of Mestalla, Enrique Saura and Gayà recalled some moments from the career of the Castellón legend. The player from Onda competed for 10 seasons (1975–1985), during which he won three titles (the 1979 Copa del Rey, the 1979–80 Cup Winners’ Cup, and the 1980–81 UEFA Super Cup).

“The only thing I can tell him is to keep being the Gayà we all know, to remain just as humble—keep playing, listen to the coach, help your teammates, and the rest will come naturally. You are the team’s standard-bearer,” said Saura.

José Luis Gayà joined the Valencia academy at the age of 11, and from his first appearances he showed quality, effort, and commitment to the club of his life: Valencia CF. “I’m a true Valencianista, I was raised that way, and so being able to defend this shirt every match is a source of pride,” emphasized the captain.

Gradually, he developed into one of the key players for VCF Mestalla. He made his first-team debut on October 30, 2012, in a Copa del Rey match against UE Llagostera. From that moment, his growth was exponential and his importance at Valencia CF continued to rise, even becoming the second-youngest player (28 years and 289 days) in the club’s history to reach 350 official matches. The first was Fernando Gómez Colomer, who reached that milestone at 27 years and 239 days.

“I became captain at a very young age, at 24, and being captain of such a historic club as Valencia CF is a huge responsibility. I’ve always tried to handle it in the best possible way, focusing on my game and understanding that we represent a fanbase and a city. We have a great group where everyone pulls together, and I’m very happy,” said Gayà.

Both concluded this emotional and pleasant meeting by recalling the importance of the support at Mestalla.

“Valencia CF’s fans are a ‘10’. The player feels more protected, more motivated, and as a result, the effort from the footballer increases,” Saura highlighted.