During summer the club appointed
Luis Aragonés as its new manager. In the
1995–96 La Liga Valencia were involved in a title race for the first time since the late 1970s. After a series of impressive performances, stretching from January to March the club reached the second place of the table with a 4–1 victory over Cruijff' FC Barcelona. On 11 March 1996 club star and Forward
Predrag Mijatovic signed an agreement with
Real Madrid for an upcoming season (
1996–97) contract. During April their league form faltered, and the title challenge looked over. However the club managed to re-establish itself back at the top in May. An emphatic 2–3 defeat of Atlético de Madrid at Vicente Calderón Stadium in April was the team's signature performance. The club's fanbase and the entire province paid tribute to the squad regardless of their failure to win the trophy. ==Squad==