Unsung Barça hero steps out of shade

Because football has always been inherently unfair in which players get the recognition and which can only ever aspire to the best supporting actor Oscar, the part played by Víctor Valdés in FC Barcelona's domination of Spain and Europe in recent seasons has been widely undervalued.

In the 54 years of the Ballon d'Or award only one goalkeeper, Lev Yashin, has been elected Europe's best player so perhaps it has forever been thus. Even so, when the Barcelona No1 was christened Víctor, his parents got one thing right: Valdés is a winner.

He may have been forced to go in goal because no one else wanted to, and stand in the doorway of his family home so that his eldest brother's gang could shoot and head at goal, but he ultimately emerged triumphant.

Even en route to winning two UEFA Champions League finals, three Spanish Liga titles and one FIFA Club World Cup, he had to see off the claims of Roberto Bonano, the late Robert Enke and Rüştü Reçber. More than that, there were times when Barcelona's own fans whistled disapproval at him, as the homegrown custodian sought to excel in the notoriously harsh environment of the Camp Nou.

"It is true that my journey as a Barcelona player has been difficult at times, but I don't see it as a battle," the 28-year-old told UEFA.com. "As a goalkeeper I have endured tough moments and criticism. But I look at it this way – this road has led to many positive things, like titles, and I am personally rewarded.

"My job is simply to add something to the winning dynamic of the team. I don't view it as a battle with the fans in any way. They give their opinion and they have always given me the feeling that I am loved."

Apart from his two Ricardo Zamora trophies (honouring Spanish football's most iconic keeper and awarded each season for the Liga's lowest goals per game ratio), Valdés has developed another trademark: the one-on-one save he made from Rafael van der Vaart during Barcelona's 2-0 victory at Real Madrid CF on Saturday was typical.

Although his general housekeeping has become very consistent, this specialisation in one-on-one stops – witness the 2006 UEFA Champions League final, several battles with Didier Drogba, a handful of victories over Real Madrid, and shutting out Cristiano Ronaldo in five contests to date – has won the adoration of the Culé fans at the Camp Nou. It is not necessarily something he covets.

"I don't feel good if there is too much praise, particularly when I don't think it's deserved on a personal level. I like to tell my team-mates that they have done a good job too, because it's a team effort. That's very important," said a player who is still uncapped by Spain.

"As a Catalan I have a feeling of pride – pride because Barcelona continue to make history through this journey of trying to be the best team in the world. I also think this team has a secret and it is the coach. Guardiola is a very important figure for us, he has been the hero in the background. He is why we have won so many difficult matches."

Valdés may feel uncomfortable receiving bouquets, yet he happily hands out praise to his three goalkeeping rivals in the UEFA Champions League. Barcelona next face FC Internazionale Milano for whom Júlio César minds goal. "Júlio is one of the best in the world," he said. "People talk a lot about him and with good reason. He has tremendous qualities and shows such enjoyment in being a goalkeeper.

"Hugo Lloris [Olympique Lyonnais] is having one of the best goalkeeping campaigns of the season. He has saved many goals for Lyon and his performance in the Bernabéu [eliminating Madrid] stands out. Hans-Jörg Butt [FC Bayern München] is having a good season and I think he has a special talent for saving penalties. As for myself, I don't like stating my case, I'll leave that to others." The objective verdict, Víctor, is that alongside Josep Guardiola, you are Barça's unsung hero.