Gaizka Mendieta was the creative fulcrum of Valencia during the club’s turn-of-the-millennium resurgence, captaining the club to the 1999 Copa del Rey and to back-to-back Champions League finals.
His form at the Mestalla led to persistent speculation that some of Europe’s biggest teams were looking to sign him, with Lazio eventually landing the 40-time Spain international in the summer of 2001 in a £29million move.
