Víctor Valdés always shines in Paris

To the Arc de Triomphe once more

Víctor Valdés is returning to Paris, a city where he triumphs every time he goes. His performances in the French capital have gone down in history, whether wearing the Barcelona shirt or the shirt of the Spanish international team, although on those two occasions he was playing at the Saint Dénis stadium and tomorrow he will be playing at the Parc des Princes.
His first time was in 2006, when he ruined the evening for Thierry Henry, who was incapable of beating him, despite having two clear opportunities to do so. Valdés got his first Champions League win against Arsenal, contributing at the same time to Barcelona's second. And what was more, he ended up by convincing those who doubted whether he was good enough to be Barcelona's goalkeeper. That night Víctor resolved the whole debate about goalkeepers - a debate which had been going on since Zubizarreta had departed, twelve years before.
The second big occasion when Valdés proved his worth with a tremendous performance was last Tuesday in the match against France, which Spain won 1-0. 'La Roja' needed the win in order to be able to qualify for the Brazil 2014 World Cup.
With Casillas out injured, Valdés was the choice, and he saved the match with two spectacular saves. And so, he returns today to Paris with the intention of fulfilling the old saying that "all good things come in threes".