Carlos Soler returns to Mestalla with Real Sociedad 212 Sundays later

Carlos Soler returns to Mestalla this weekend as an opponent for the first time in a long while, wearing Real Sociedad colors and after 212 Sundays without stepping foot in Valencia’s stadium. According to MARCA, his last visit as a Valencia player was on 29 August 2022, when he captained the side against Atlético and the home team won 0-1.

The last farewell in 2022

The report notes that Soler was already living his final hours as a blanquinegro: the day before flying to Paris to sign for PSG, he played that Atlético game at Mestalla. Now, more than four years later, he faces Valencia again, at 21:00, but this time with a different shirt.

After leaving Valencia for 18 million euros, Soler moved to PSG, then later to West Ham, before joining Real Sociedad last season. He has once again felt important there, and MARCA adds that his clash with the Real squad is especially meaningful because it was the team he debuted against in LaLiga: on 10 December 2016 at Anoeta, he played a 3-2 loss.

“I’m coming back home”

Soler’s attitude mixes respect with caution. “I’m coming home… for me, playing at Mestalla is very important,” he said this week in San Sebastián, as MARCA reports. He also said he wants to enjoy time with his family and friends and mentioned he watched Monday’s match.

On how Valencia fans remember him, the midfielder says he understands the anger from the outside: “I understand that fans were upset.” But he insists most reactions are positive, with many people telling him things like “I wish you came back” when he goes to Valencia. Still, he closes with a clear tease for the fixture: he wants the best for Valencia… “except this Sunday.”