José Valera Nocera

José Valera Nocera, better known as Pepe Valera (26 May 1916 – 13 May 2006), was a Spanish footballer who played as a forward for Real Betis in the 1930s, and later a manager, taking charge over the likes of Real Betis, Recreativo de Huelva, and Cádiz in the 1950s and 1960s. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Real Betis, which he served as an amateur player, as the youngest member of the squad that won the La Liga title in 1934–35, as coach of both its reserve team and its first team, and even as technical secretary.

Playing career Born on 26 May 1916 in Seville, Valera began his football career in Real Betis Cantera, the youth team of his hometown club Real Betis, where he quickly stood out from the rest, so he soon made his debut with the first team on 15 January 1933, in a friendly match against Xerez, helping his side to a 5–1 win, and just three months later, on 8 April, he made his official competitive debut for Betis in the first leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16 against Barcelona at Las Corts. At the time, he had not yet sign anything because his father did not want him to commit to the club, so he went to Las Corts on an amateur contract, receiving only a 500 peseta note, plus a 300-peseta bonus as a reward for knocking out Barça.

In 1934, Valera was sought after by Sevilla, whose president Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán was also his father's lawyer, so to avoid losing a player to their direct rivals, Betis signed him as a professional.

Managerial career First steps After his career as a player ended, Valera remained linked to Real Betis, now as a technical secretary, assuming this position in 1948, when the club only had 1,200 members, a weak financial situation, and no youth teams.

His new credentials allowed him to take charge of the first team of another Andalusian club, Recreativo de Huelva, a position that he held for two years, from 1953 until 1955. However, he only held this position for a little over a year, resigning on 23 October 1956, due to the team's poor run of results. A few days later, the Betis players offered him a dinner in an intimate and simple ceremony. He then took over third-division side Xerez for the 1959–60 season, finishing as champion of its group with five points more than the second-placed CD Puerto, but then lost the promotion play-offs to his former club Málaga. Valera briefly returned to Recreativo de Huelva in 1972, before returning to Xerez in 1973, where he stayed for two more seasons, until 1975.

Death Pepe Valera died in Jerez de la Frontera on 13 May 2006, just two weeks shy of his 90th birthday. At the time of his death, he was the last surviving member of the Betis squad who had won the league in 1935.

Honours Real Betis La Liga Champions (1): 1934–35