The Connection Between Valencia CF and River Plate

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Valencia CF

·24 de mayo de 2025

The Connection Between Valencia CF and River Plate

Valencia CF first faced Los Millonarios on August 26, 1978, in a preseason friendly. The game, played at the Estadio Ramón de Carranza, ended in a 2–2 draw, with goals for Valencia CF scored by Mario Kempes and Lobo Diarte. Six years later, Valencia CF met River Plate again in the 1984 Trofeo Naranja, held at Mestalla, and emerged victorious thanks to goals from Javier Subirats and Enrique Saura.

Some15 players and managers have been part of both clubs: Kempes, Roberto Ayala, Pablo Aimar, Alberto Di Stéfano, Fernando Cáceres, Claudio Caniggia, ‘Chori’ Domínguez, Fernando Morena, Lucas Orbán, Ariel Ortega, Enzo Pérez, Juan Antonio Pizzi, José Sánchez Lage, Kevin Sibille, and Bruno Zuculini.