Albion fans used to love seeing Vicente get on his bike for their team.

Be it for his first goal at Ipswich, in a superb friendly win over Chelsea or, most famously, a searing run and shot against the bar at home to Derby.

Such highlight moments are still imprinted on the minds of Seagulls supporters fans who saw the Spain international is his far too intermittent outings between 2011 and 2013.

Now pedal power of a more literal kind is keeping the former winger in shape back home in Valencia.

But he would love to be on his travels again and back in the world of football admin.

Vicente walked out on Valencia recently as part of the in-house politics which have provided a turbulent backdrop to the team’s preparation for tonight's friendly at the Amex.

Having taken a recruitment role and helped build Valencia’s best team for years, he walked away when he felt he was undermined by another appointment in his department.

He left with the first aim for the current set-up achieved thanks to qualification for the Champions League.

He said: “I keep fit. I enjoy cycling. We go out and do 100km or 130km.

“I play football for veteran teams representing Valencia and Spain.”

Vicente is aware his mate and former colleague Bruno has moved on to the coaching side with the Seagulls.

He said: “I don’t see myself doing the same. I see myself more on the admin side.

“Trying to recruit players, travelling to see players and trying to sign them.

“I’ve got my coaching qualifications to the second level, I’m just missing the third.

“But I really enjoy the recruitment side and I’d like to carry on doing that.

“Right now I am relaxing. I had two busy years with Valencia and it was very demanding.

“Long hours, lots of travelling, very little time at home. I was hardly with my family. I’ll have a break and then see what I want to do.

“If a club appears who interest me and they want me, I’ll weigh it up.”

For all his early days with his local side Levante and final flourish at Albion, Vicente will always be associated primarily with Valencia.

He will still go and watch them at Mestalla next season - not every match but a few -  but his second stint in their employment is over.

He said: “There were problems with the sporting director.

“I spoke to the general manager and said I couldn’t be in that situation with this bloke they put in.

“In my role, I went to see players. Not just me. We all helped build the team.

“We wanted to get in the Champions League, which we did, and we won the Spanish Cup. We worked hard and the results came.”

Vicente has been keeping an eye on Albion’s progress since his return to Spain.

He has also seen a couple of players he knows well head to the Amex in Mathew Ryan and Martin Montoya.

And, of course, there is the Bruno connection.

He said: “Bruno has had a very good career. At Valencia he played less but in England he has found his place. He has played there for seven years.

“He is very important for the club and he can help a lot, be it as a coach or whatever.

“I don’t know what the plans are because it is a month, month-and-a-half since I spoke to him.

“But he is a very good footballer and good person who can help the club whatever the role.

“It’s not easy to go from the Championship to the Premier League and stay there, as Brighton have. There are clubs who spend a lot of money.

“Mat Ryan is a very good goalkeeper and Martin is a full-back who is right for the Premier League, although I know it isn’t easy for the two of them.

“Martin has had a year of adaptation now – to the city, the club and the language, which isn’t easy.

“But he is a right-back good enough for Brighton.

“He has a good track record, he is an attacking right-back and also quite strong.”

Vicente has not been back since leaving Albion with an infamous parting shot in the direction of manager Gus Poyet.

But he said: “I had two good years there. I had no problem with the club except one person.

“My relationship with the coach in the last season wasn’t good.

“But, with the city and the fans and the club in general, I was very happy.

“I learnt a bit of English and I enjoyed it there, as did my wife and two children.

“It was a bit cold but we had a great time.”

Asked for moments which stand out, he said: “Lots of the memories are spending time with my colleagues.

“One day I’d love to come back. People treated me well, I had a very good contract and I was happy.”