After quickly proving his worth with the youth teams and Barca B, the club coaches decided that the 2002-2003 season was to be Valdés time to form part of the first team squad. At first, he alternated appearances with Roberto Bonano but finished the season as regular first choice under Radomir Antic.
He consolidated his place as in the starting line-up in the 2003-04 season. He played most of Barca's matches that season and put in some excellent performances, helping the team to finish as runners-up.
In the 2005-06 season Valdés was one of the key players in Barça’s double of the League and the Champions League. Especially memorable are the crucial saves he made in the final in Paris as Barça won its second ever Champions League.
In the 2006-07 season Valdés remained a fixture in the Barça goal and played in all 38 League games. In the 2007-08 campaign he only stood down in the last three games to give José Manuel Pinto a chance to make his first team debut. All this time Valdés has been improving and is now one of the players who has played most games between the sticks for the club.
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