Cañizares keeps the faith

Valencia CF's sudden upturn in fortunes this season will come as no surprise to Santiago Cañizares. The veteran goalkeeper has experienced both highs and lows at the Mestalla in recent years, and at the age of 36 has seen it all. But any thoughts of retirement are far from his mind. Cañizares is in a rich vein of form and instead of considering stepping down is gunning for a return to the UEFA Champions League. The day-glo hair and fierce, almost manic, stare are Cañizares's trademark as much as the consistency he shows when repelling opposition attacks. His form this season has been such that after a season in the wilderness, Los Ché are back up challenging for the title.

Top form
In an era when Spain have a crop of outstanding young goalkeepers, including Iker Casillas, Víctor Valdés and Pepe Reina, Cañizares is threatening to outperform them all. Valencia have kept clean sheets in their last five league matches and Cañizares has not been beaten for 483 minutes. Suddenly the goalkeeper who famously missed out on a place in Spain’s FIFA World cup squad four years ago after reportedly injuring his foot by dropping a bottle of aftershave on it, is back in the headlines for all the right reasons.

Will to win
Cañizares's desire to win is evident after virtually every opposition attack when he barks at his defence and reorganises those he believes were at fault for allowing his goal to come under threat. Spectacular saves are not Cañizares's forte; his outstanding positional sense and reading of the game ensure he is in the right place before a shot is delivered, allowing him to stop the ball without the last-gasp dive. The fact that Valencia have conceded just 17 goals in 20 league games is also down to the strength of those in front of him. A variety of defenders have been slotted into the back four this season, but without any discernible change to a defensive rhythm the club became famous for under Rafael Benítez.

Benítez legacy
The current Liverpool FC manager drilled his Valencia side to keep it tight at the back and hit teams on the break, with fast and incisive moves which usually began with a throw out from Cañizares. The result, Valencia won the league and UEFA Cup double in 2004. Last season, with Benítez gone, they struggled to adjust to Claudio Ranieri's more open, attacking style of play. New coach Quique Sánchez Flores has wisely remodelled his side on the Valencia of old. Cañizares, in particular, has benefited from the change of system and has flourished as Valencia have climbed up to second in the league. The fact he has a defence-minded coach in a country that craves attacking football has played a huge role in Cañizares's success.

UEFA glory
Cañizares has been keeping clean sheets for years. His career spans six clubs and 17 seasons. He has been with Valencia since 1998, after signing from Real Madrid CF, and has been capped 44 times for his country. He was in the Valencia side that lost both the 2000 and 2001 UEFA Champions League finals, the latter on penalties. The defining image of that final for Valencia was Cañizares lying flat out on the pitch, sobbing after conceding the deciding spot-kick. Cañizares would finally get his hands on European silverware in 2004, shutting out Olympique de Marseille in the UEFA Cup final.

'Greater effort'
Cañizares, admits though, that maintaining such high standards is not getting any easier. "Every season I have to make an even greater effort," he told Levante-EMV newspaper. "Every season is more difficult, every season there is more competition and goalkeepers are more competitive and, of course, every season I am a year older. Fortunately for me, I can say that at both a physical and psychological level I have found a coach [Flores] who I really enjoy working with. The moment my effort goes down will be the first step towards retirement, so I have to make sure that I’m always well prepared."

Inspirational
Barcelona would do well to take note. With Cañizares on form, success for Los Ché tends to follow. He was inspirational as Valencia won the Spanish championship in 2002, and after an injury-plagued 2003 season, he returned in memorable fashion in 2004, conceding just 25 goals in 37 matches to help his side back to the title. It was enough to win a place in the Spain squad for UEFA EURO 2004™, but he has not featured for his country since August that year. A return in time for Germany might appear unlikely, but then after missing out in 2002 in such bizarre fashion, the veteran keeper may have earned the right to a change in fortune.