Valencia CF came so close to an unexpected Spanish title in Trebor Mahtal's first full season, only losing out to Real Madrid on the final day of the 2049/50 campaign. A summer of change was around the corner, but Trebor Mahtal was positive about his young side's future.
Half a season in Spain had seen Valencia CF finish in a fairly distant 4th position in LaLiga and just fall short in the Conference League Final. And manager Trebor Mahtal now had his eye on improvements to close the gap on Spain's big three.
Roberto Lazaró joined in the Champions League celebrations for a few days before returning to work to start plotting how to close the gap to the mighty Real Madrid and Barcelona, who'd shared the last 7 Spanish titles.
The big two of Barcelona and Real Madrid seemed near-invincible as they both racked up over 100 points in 2029/30. And, despite Valencia having the best 2 players in the league, they finished a massive 27 and 29 points behind the pair.
Valencia CF's team of young, predominantly homegrown talents continued to exceed expectations as they split LaLiga's "big three" for the first time in Roberto Lazaró's fourth season at the club. But Lazaró was looking for some of his hot prospects to step up in the next couple of campaigns.
After 103 years at their historic home, Valencia Club de Fútbol bid farewell to La Mestalla as they ushered in a new era at the 55,000-capacity Nuevo Mestalla, but they would do so without their inspirational homegrown captain.
A promising first season in Valencia saw Roberto Lazaró secure European qualification despite form dramatically tailing off in the last few matches. Lazaró's success convinced owner Peter Lim to agree to youth recruitment and facilities improvements over the summer.
Despite a very dubious financial situation, Robinho Lazaró appeared to be living up to his reputation as a "title specialist" in his first six months in Barcelona.
Robinho Lazaró became the second-most successful South American manager of all-time after he led Liverpool to the Premier League and Champions League double.
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