On A Day Like Today: Mestalla's first international

On June 14th, 1925, Mestalla held its first international fixture in history. A game between Spain and Italy, 95 years ago, marked the occasion, ending in a 1-0 win for the hosts. Some 30,000 fans were in attendance for the debut of the ground on the international scene, and a plaque would even be erected as a reminder of the historic moment.

The decision to hold the contest at Mestalla reflected a movement of great growth for the club in their first 6 years of existence, on both a sporting and social level. It was also an opportunity for Valencia CF player Cubells to feature in his third match for Spain, earning a place in the starting lineup alongside Zamora, Quesada, Pasarín, Simitier, Gamborena, Peña, Piera, Errazquin, Echeveste and Alcázar.

The Italian first XI consisted of Combi, Rosetta, Calligaris, Genovesi, Burlando, Gandini, Conti, Baloncieri, Della Valle, Mangozzi and Forlivessi.

Since that day, Mestalla has hosted a total of 31 games for the Spanish national team, the most recent of which was last year during the Centenary celebrations, against Norway in the Euro 2020 qualifying stage. Three Valencia CF players were featured in the squad, although Rodrigo (scorer of one of Spain's two goals) and Dani Parejo were the only two to get minutes, whilst José Luis Gayà was on the bench.