Gareth Messenger - @G_Messenger

If you have ever watched a Deportivo La Coruna game, you’d be forgiven for wondering what on earth the number 21 was even doing. A thin, awkward figure, at first sight many of us would think we were able to become a professional footballer – the eyes of the viewers fixated on this one player who just constantly looked to be playing in slow-motion. 

But - if by some sort of sorcery - this was only part of number 21’a box of magic tricks. At the wave of a wand, this relatively underwhelming figure produced spell-binding performances time, after time, after time. 

So, what do we find in this special box? The speed. Without the ball, this man resembled one simply strolling through a park. With the ball, he turned into an over-excitable dog playing with his new favourite toy. Then you see him do it again. And again. You see he’s controlling the game, prompting his team like they are chess pieces on an invisible board.

That is the key component which this magician confirmed to the audience that, at first glance, the ordinary has in fact done the extraordinary. Valeron performed this trick until the age of 40 at the very top level of Spanish football. 

So why do I emphasise his thin physique? Its synonymous with Valeron. He earned the nickname “El Flaco” – which translates as “the skinny one”. 

It’s widely believed that football on the Canary Islands is viewed differently to the rest of the world. Valeron is the biggest example of that belief. Born in 1975, Valeron learnt his trade playing on the streets of Gran Canaria. Starting out in the B team of local side Las Palmas, he would make the step up to the first team aged 20, going on to win promotion to the Segunda Division.

In 1997, he moved away from home, and went to another island on the shores of mainland Spain, to Mallorca where he helped the side from the Balearics secure a fifth-place league finish and the runners-up spot in the Copa del Rey. 

That was followed by two turbulent years at an Atletico Madrid side entering administration and facing relegation. Then came 13 years at Deportivo, where Valeron would establish himself as a cult hero, and a club icon.

While his numbers appear underwhelming on paper, he was a rare breed. Regularly deceived opponents and onlookers alike, head up and ball glued to his foot like some sort of small child not wanting to leg go of their parent’s leg, Valeron was in fact in full gear, gliding around fearlessly while making us think he was playing in slow-motion. The truth is he was always ahead of our time. 

His first season at Depor, Valeron and the team relinquished the title only to exact revenge the following year. His first piece of silverware. In 2002, he helped Depor win the Copa del Rey – a result which stopped Real Madrid securing a treble in their centenary year. 

At this point, the Spanish press were gushing over this elegant playmaker, naming him “Spain’s Zidane – only better”. The name triggered by his domineering performances in the Champions League, where he and Diego Tristan produced the perfect performance to beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford - it was as if Torvill and Dean were winning another gold medal at the Olympic Games.

Following that, Valeron put Arsenal to the sword at Highbury, scoring and creating a goal apiece that his reputation continued to grow. 

Yet the humble beginnings on the streets on Gran Canaria, made this seemingly immortal creature, more mortal. Valeron never lavished the spotlight, and just continued his craft while others – most notably Tristan and Roy Makaay – sought the headlines. 

When Deportivo fell to Porto in the Champions League semi-finals, those associated with blue and white would not predict the rapid decline of the club. Several big names left Depor, and while Valeron stayed, he too essentially became the biggest loss of all.

A serious injury. Torn cruciate ligaments in his left knee meant that over the next season and a half – Valeron would play just two minutes of competitive football. It plunged Depor into crisis as they fought, albeit successfully, two consecutive relegation battles. Such was Valeron’s importance, he was forced to wear a different coloured bib in training to remind teammates not to tackle him, while he made his long and arduous recovery. 

However, when he made his return in January 2008, with new tendons in his knee, it was a sight many across the world thought they would never see again.

Valeron’s career path was then altered by events in 2011. Approaching the age of 36, a 2-1 loss to Valencia on the final day of the season confirmed relegation for Deportivo. The tears flowed from the eyes of their midfield magician, as he fulfilled his post-match media duties.

Before this, retirement was hinted. The relegation was more incentive to continue the journey in Galicia. It proved inspired as Depor won the Segunda at the first attempt and returned to the top-flight. Despite previously winning the first division and a Copa del Rey, Valeron called it the “greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. I could not go without returning the team to the Primera”

With every great story, comes a tragic end. The return to La Liga was quickly followed by yet another relegation, and Valeron was looking like he was fighting the losing battle. Where does a man approaching his 40s go after this? One place; home – where the magic started. 

Valeron returned to his first club Las Palmas after 16 years, signing a one-year contract with an option for a second. He continued to be an important first-team member, achieving promotion to the top-flight in 2015. 

On 1 March 2016, after being featured in a 4–0 home win against Getafe, Valerón appeared in his 400th game in the Spanish top tier.

Then two months later, this magician for the ages produced his greatest trick of all. The disappearing act as he announced his retirement and waved goodbye to the sport he stupefied, mesmerised and charmed.