Editing Roberto Ayala (section)

==== Valencia ====
After signing with Valencia in the summer of 2000, Ayala made 275 appearances during a seven-year spell at the club.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://en.valenciacf.com/ver/10324/ayala.html|title=Ayala|access-date=12 March 2016|work=Valencia CF}}</ref>

On 24 September 2000, Ayala made his debut for Valencia in a 3–0 [[La Liga]] win over [[CD Numancia|Numancia]].<ref name=years>{{cite news|url=http://en.valenciacf.com/ver/44150/15-years-of-ayalas-debut-with-vcf.html|title=15 years of Ayala's debut with VCF|date=24 September 2015|work=Valencia CF}}</ref> He soon established himself as a first choice central defender for ''Los Che'' and started alongside compatriot [[Mauricio Pellegrino]] in the [[2001 UEFA Champions League Final|2001 UEFA Champions League final]], where Valencia lost 5–4 to [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] after a [[penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shootout]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2001/may/23/minutebyminute.sport|title=Bayern Munich 1 – 1 Valencia|date=24 May 2001|work=The Guardian}}</ref> He was later named [[UEFA Club Football Awards#Best Defender|best defender]] for the [[2000–01 UEFA Champions League|2000–01 tournament]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11946/9877400/champions-league-final-runners-up-xi-the-best-players-never-to-win-it|title=Champions League final runners-up XI: The best players never to win it|date=6 June 2015|publisher=Sky Sports}}</ref>

The following season, Ayala was part of the Valencia team that won the [[2001–02 La Liga]] [[List of Spanish football champions|title]]. He scored the opening goal of a 2–0 defeat of [[Málaga CF|Málaga]] which secured the championship on 5 May 2002.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/11/rafa-benitez-newcastle-united-manager-career|title=Rafa Benítez: 10 key wins in new Newcastle United manager's career|date=12 March 2016|work=The Guardian}}</ref> In 2003–04, Valencia again won the [[2003–04 La Liga|La Liga]] title and beat [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] 2–0 in [[Gothenburg]] to win the [[2003–04 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]].<ref name=years/>

During the [[2004–05 La Liga|2004–05 season]], injuries kept Ayala from much of the La Liga campaign as well as the [[2004 UEFA Super Cup|UEFA Super Cup]] victory over [[FC Porto|Porto]].

During his time with Valencia, he was widely regarded as one of the finest central defenders in the world and is considered to be one of the club's all-time legends.<ref name=years/>