

Nights Out in Valencia
By: Cesar | September 25th, 2007
I lived in Valencia for some time.
For those who haven’t been, it’s a wonderful place, full of energy, an emerging cultural center packed with wonderful architecture.
It’s a city known for many things.
Oranges.
Nice beaches.
Paella.
Great weather.
The aquarium.
One other thing it’s famous for around the world is its entertaining nightlife.
I spent many an evening enjoying the nocturnal delights of the Meditteranean port town, downing many glasses of manzanilla and agua de Valencia.
I didn’t work while I was out there, so my nightly play didn’t effect anything but the size of my bank account.
For Valencia CF players, that’s a different story.
One famous lad who enjoyed the Valencia club scene a little too much would be Romario, who dashed through the numerous hot spots of the city mere hours before matches. That didn’t go over too well with the head coach at the time, the current national team leader Luis Aragonés.
The gaffer should have understood: the temptations are just too much sometimes. I know I’ve been out before crucial matches and seen players galivanting, cruising the scene, trying hard not to be seen yet being noticed immediately.
Today’s news concerns one of our current players making the nightclub circuit. Seems Miguel let it be known he goes out on the town every Thursday and has smoked cigarettes since he was 14.
The Portuguese defender revealed his off-field activities in an interview in response to news that Ronaldinho’s nightlife was causing problems at FC Barcelona.
Coach Quique Sanchez Flores admitted that the revelation was unnecessary, but stated that as long as Miguel was performing he had no problems with what he does away from the club. I’d have to agree …
“Each of us looks for happiness in different ways and as long as he continues to do his job well, then that is fine,” Flores said.
“It has not surprised me. His words have not helped anyone, but everyone here knows who Miguel is and we know that he is one of the best full-backs in Europe. (umm, how about the world, QQ??)
“We also know that to play well, he has to be happy. He has chosen his own path to find that and I respect it.”
Reflecting on the club’s code of conduct, Flores stated that it isn’t popular but his team are professionals and wouldn’t consider breaking the rules.
“Almost nobody likes them because they are very strict and limit everyone, but that is how things are,” he said.
“Every player has their own way of living life, but it is always within the bounds of professionalism.”
Do you guys have a problem with Miguel going out for a few cheeky ones on a Thursday? After seeing (well, reading) his excellent play this weekend, I sure don’t.
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Comments
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I’m all about enjoying yourself and I think it’s great that Miguel is doing it. I love going out so I can understand why he doesn’t find it necessary to quit. He keeps a good balance and that’s all that matters to me

Posted from
United States

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I dont care if any of our players go out to nightclubs. Heck, they are gonna go out.
Most players are 20-33, alone or with each other most of the time, they travel every week and have the massive pressure to make all us fanatics happy with their performance or we call for their head, they need to go out for a while just to enjoy themselves.
Just so long as its controllable, and that they dont get injured or worse.
6 wins in 7 games, 3rd place in la liga, no vicente, sounds like a crisis to me.Posted from
United States

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I’ve got to agree, as long as he performs, there really can’t be any questions about what he does in his free time. He must realize that his body is not going to respond so quickly as he ages, and eventually he’ll have to cut back on the partying if he wants to keep playing at a top level.
Posted from
United States

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Miguel can do what he wants as long as he is in bed the night before a match, something Ronnie has not been doing lately.
Posted from
United States

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If they affected an innovative player like Ronalidnho, then why not to affect the performance of Miguel in the coming seasons, of course if he increased the frequency of sitting in nightclubs. Once a week sounds fine, right?
However, smoking and drinking still sound unprofessional for an athlete. On the bright side, that’s better than drug-addicted players…

Posted from
Jordan

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If he’s been doing like this since his arrival at Valencia, I don’t mind as long as he got that under control. Thursday night is either free or game night, unlike other days of the week there’s a match coming the next day. Choosing Thursday would minimize the effect of night club-going.
He’s been fantastic and very consistent, so the worries of him are not very serious. Let’s wait and see what will happen in the future. After all, players are humans, too. They need relax. And as long as it doesn’t go against the club rule, it’s ok.
Posted from
Australia

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