The grievances between Real Madrid and Valencia went back a long way, but their more recent feud had begun in the late 1990s.
Back then, Real Madrid, under Sanz, had approached and signed Valencia's star player Mijatovic through private contact, paying his release clause outright to buy him from Los Murciélagos. This had caused Valencia to become completely hostile toward Real Madrid.
It was not just the fans who were enraged. Even Valencia's management had been thoroughly provoked. That was why the so-called anti-Real Madrid clause had appeared, and several Valencia stars were subsequently barred from transferring to Real Madrid. The most famous case was Mendieta.
Under the guidance of Argentine Head Coach Cúper, Mendieta had risen to become a top European midfielder. Reaching two Champions League Finals had been regarded as the peak of his career, and for a time, he had even possessed the ability to challenge for the World Footballer of the Year and the European Golden Ball Award. Florentino's Real Madrid had pursued him relentlessly, and Mendieta himself had hoped to transfer to Real Madrid.
Unfortunately, because Valencia had been extremely hostile toward Real Madrid at the time, they had refused to let Mendieta join them, instead sending him to Lazio in Italy. His transfer fee had been nearly fifty million euros, second only to Zidane's record seventy-six million euros. That showed just how highly valued Mendieta had been back then.
Regrettably, after moving to Lazio, Mendieta had declined sharply. He subsequently drifted through several clubs but never managed to put together particularly impressive performances. In the end, he had gradually faded away and been forgotten.
Everyone had originally believed that reaching two Champions League Finals would mark the beginning of Mendieta's rise to the pinnacle, allowing him to use them as a springboard into a