Valencia XI if they hadn't sold their best players

Striker: Roberto Soldado (Granada)

Roberto Soldado could never replicate his Valencia heroics with any side after leaving the Mestalla.

After struggling to break into Real Madrid's first team, Robert Soldado established himself as one of the deadliest finishers in La Liga after successful spells with Osasuna and Getafe before joining hometown club Valencia to replace the outgoing David Villa in 2010.

The Spaniard enjoyed the most prolific period of his career at the Mestalla, scoring 81 goals in 141 games for Valencia across three seasons, which included a 30-goal haul in the 2012-13 season.

| 🔥 | Remember when Tottenham broke their transfer record for Roberto Soldado? The former #THFC striker scored 81 goals in three years at Valencia and just 16 in two at White Hart Lane.He's back in #LaLiga, signing for recently promoted Granada || https://t.co/xi2uszKBhI pic.twitter.com/qMpErBnWZD

— ELEVEN SPORTS UK (@ElevenSports_UK) July 16, 2019

Tottenham Hotspur paid a club-record fee of £26 million for his services that summer. However, Soldado has since struggled with injuries and loss of form. Last year, he returned to the Spanish top flight with Granada.

---

Striker: David Villa (Retired)

David Villa established himself as one of the greatest strikers in Valencia's history.

Spain legend David Villa was already one of the hottest players in the country by the time he joined Valencia in 2005, after bagging 80 goals across the previous four seasons with Sporting Gijon and Real Zaragoza.

At Valencia, the striker improved his goalscoring rate further, scoring 129 times in 224 appearances to firmly establish himself among the deadliest finishers on the planet.

📅 1 Year Ago Today:😢 @Guaje7Villa announced he'd retire at the end of the season.🏟 644 Games🇪🇸 98 Caps⚽️ 386 Goals🎯 89 Assists🏆 15 Trophies✅ Spain’s all-time top goalscorer.✅ @NYCFC”s all-time top goalscorer.🙌 What a career. pic.twitter.com/pMTigRLpWa

— SPORF (@Sporf) November 13, 2020

He led his side to Copa Del Rey success in 2008 and also finished as the most prolific Spaniard in La Liga in four out of five seasons during his time at Valencia, with his best return coming in the 2008-09 season, when he netted 31 goals.

Villa then went on to enjoy trophy-laden spells with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and New York City before seeing out the final year of his career with Japanese side Vissel Kobe in 2019.