Valencia ace torn between city and country

No, this is not one of those cases where a football star has to choose between club and country. In the case of Valencia star David Albelda the tug of war takes place in his heart, the protagonists: the city of Valencia and La Pobla Llarga, the village where he was born and bred.

A Valenciano in heart and soul, Albelda’s first language is not Castellano (Spanish) but the local Valenciano tongue. The player who, but for a short spell on loan to local rivals Villareal, has been a stalwart defending midfielder for Valencia, is a favourite of the passionate fans of Valencia CF. “I grew up in a close family in a tight-knit village community, so moving from the province to the city of Valencia was a big step at 17,” says Albelda, “but it quickly became familiar territory and now I think of both places as my home.”

The player and his wife, the Valencian model and presenter Vicen Fernández, are still not entirely decided between city and country life. Known as a thinking football player with interests beyond the game, David places a premium on quality of life. Asked if he would make the move to another Spanish club and city, he answered: “I’m totally happy at Valencia and in the city, and at my age I don’t expect big guns like Real Madrid or Barcelona to come for me, so I’m happy to stay put.”

It is news the Valencia fans will be happy to hear. However, the lifestyle conscious player did add that if he were ever to be tempted by a move it would be to England. “Naturally the Premier League is huge, so playing for an English club would be great, but another important factor is the pull of London, and the opportunity to really perfect my English.” It seems the exciting diversity and possibilities of cosmopolitan London, along with their love of theatre, could swing it for the Albeldas, so Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham United be advised!

New post on at Friday, 4 September, 2009, 8:00 am and is archived in Interviews, Lifestyle, People, Sport. Subscribe to answers with RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or make a trackback from your web.