The highlights and lack of celebration from Real Madrid’s victory over Granada which preceded Ronaldo’s comments are still available on La Liga’s Official YouTube Channel.

Afterwards, in the mixed zone, someone asked him why. Watching the interview back now it doesn’t quite have the same level of shock as it did back in 2012, but at the time it stood out for not only being out of character for a footballer to say something so strong so publicly but because this was one of the biggest players in the world at one of the biggest clubs in the world, having just scored a brace saying something so fundamental. “I’m sad, and the people at the club know it, that’s why I did not celebrate the goals,” he told reporters. He said it was “professional issues.” Pressed further, he said his feelings were not related to Andrés Iniesta’s picking up the UEFA Best Player in Europe award before insisting there was nothing more to say. No elaboration, no clarification - just enough to set off weeks of speculation without giving anyone the material to actually resolve it.

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Our latest returning hero shared similar sentiments this week. When the transfer rumour mill began linking Álvaro Morata, former Real Madrid striker and Euro 2024 winning captain, with a move to Leganés of the Spanish Segunda - eyebrows were rightly raised. See, Morata is still only 33 years old, had just signed permanently with Como after a season-long loan and was on the verge of leading the Lombardy club into their first ever Champions League campaign. So no doubt that many commentators were surprised to see this move come to fruition as Álvaro Morata was presented in front of a baying press on Friday afternoon. Whilst the sceptic in me has definitely reached into the top drawer for the kitchen foil in regards to this move (given the obvious links around Leganés, Como and Real Madrid a la Morata, Paz and Diomande), the words he used in during his presentation showed that there was more emotion to this move than a commercial opportunity.

To be clear, this isn’t just a matter of Leganés splashing the cash after their Diomande windfall - it is a homecoming.

That’s not just necessarily in regards to Leganés by the way. It is worth remembering that Morata is one a handful of players to play for both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, as well as being part of Getafe’s youth set up as a teenager. Five years ago, Morata had expressed an interest to see out in his career with the south Madrid club, which is why signing for Leganés has raised so many eyebrows - but this wasn’t about a particular club, it was about returning to Madrid. He had expressed a need to be at a club where he felt loved but also where he could feel comfortable and Leganés offers him the opportunities of all of the above.

This adds Álvaro Morata to the long line of Spanish football stars who have forgone the riches of a swansong in a cash rich, sub-par football league and returned to their hometowns in order to excel the prospects of the clubs that made them. Whether it’s Jesús Navas returning to Sevilla, Lucas Pérez heading back to Depor or even this summer, Ander Herrera leaving Boca to help return Real Zaragoza back to professional football, there is an almost pathological yearn for some of Spain’s greatest players to come home. But what is the reason behind this?

Unsurprisingly there’s a psychological argument for this. In a study conducted by Dimoula, Torregrosa, Psychountaki and Gonzaléz Fernandéz published in The Spanish Journal of Psychology, they conclude that there is a defined ‘Southern European Perspective’ when it comes to ‘career termination’ (or retirement as we would call it). They argue that unlike their Northern European counterparts, the Spanish tend to stay embedded in the world and around the people who first gave them their athletic identity. There is probably nowhere in the world where this sentiment is stronger than in Spain, partially for two reasons. The first being that Spanish football clubs place far more pride on the own canteras and create a unique bond between player and the badge. This is why we hear so much about the academies of La Masia, Lezama and the Nervión Pipeline. The second being that for many players, they are part of a family connection to the club. Even after in the implementation of SAD status, many people were socios of their clubs and will always maintain that connection to their hometown club which further strengthens that bond between player and club.

The most famous and recent example of this would of course be Santi Cazorla. A proud Asturian, he was forced out of the Real Oviedo academy at the age of 18 when the club’s financial collapse wiped out their entire youth set-up and pitched up with Villarreal’s cantera. From there he would enjoy time with Recreativo de Huelva, lead Málaga into the Champions League and become a fan-favourite in North London with Arsenal - these stints sandwiched in-between earning legendary status with Villarreal, with the second return deemed almost miraculous given the seriousness of his previous injury that threatened to take his foot.

When his time with Al Sadd in Qatar ended, it became clear that there was only place where Santi was willing to go, back home to his beloved Oviedo. Such was his determination to return to his hometown club, he even offered to play for free. Unfortunately, that wasn’t permitted under La Liga rules but that didn’t deter Cazorla, who offered to play for the minimum amount required and he would then donate that to the academy that trained him.

“The truth is that he helped us a lot” said Real Oviedo President, Martin Pelaez. The effect of Santi Cazorla’s return wasn’t just measured by his impact on the pitch. His shirt sales boosted the club coffers and the membership crept above 20,000 for the first time ever. Then there are the parts that can’t be measured - the feel good factor around the city and the sense of pride in Oviedo stemming from the return of one of their own. It had been longed for in this corner of Spain but was always deemed too difficult to do, especially as they watched his career explode from afar.

Such was his impact on the club, despite his aging years, he led the club to a playoff final against Espanyol in his first season before going one better, scoring the decisive goal in the playoff final against Mirandés, to return Real Oviedo back to the top flight, 24 years after their last appearance. The club that had found itself relegated all the way down to the Spain’s Tercera División had returned to La Liga, inspired in small part by their homecoming hero.

After a year back in Primera and subsequent relegation back to Segunda, Santi decided call time on an incredible career that ended in the most miraculous way with his hometown club. In his retirment announcement to the world he stated:

Whilst Morata and Cazorla wanted to return to their hometowns, sometimes closing the circle means returning to the place that gave you your break. That was the case for another returning hero to Spanish football, coming back in a clubs time of need.

Real Zaragoza are one of Spain’s footballing powerhouses. A staple of La Liga throughout the 20th Century, multiple time Copa del Rey winners and European Cup Winners Cup Winner during the 1990s. They are a club who’ve had stars such as Cafu, David Villa and Pablo Aimar grace La Romareda as well as a talented Basque midfielder called Ander Herrera. He has returned to the club this summer on a free transfer with one aim - get Real Zaragoza back into the Spanish Segunda. The last time that the Aragonese side had been in the third tier was 78 years ago but in recent years, the slow decline has been noticeable and last season’s humiliating last place finish and subsequent relegation has hurt the pride of this great club deeply.

Herrera had been plying his trade in South America with the Argentine behemoth, Boca Juniors. His final game for the club was playing in the Copa Libertadores in one of the world’s temples of football, La Bombonera but last night, he was facing the brutal reality of Primera Federación captaining the club who developed him in a 2-0 loss away at the Nou Estadi Costa Darauda against Gimnastic de Taragonna.

In similar fashion to Santi, Ander Herrera has made the point to play for a free and is donating his salary back to the clubs foundation. He says he doesn’t need the money but what he does want is to help - “help my club, my team, my city.”

This is a similar sentiment that was shared by Lucas Pérez a few seasons ago. At the time, he was leading the line in La Liga with Cadiz before he bought himself out of his contract to the tune of €493,000 to sign for his hometown club of Deportivo de A Coruña for fourth time. Taking a 10-fold pay cut, he returned to the club once again in their time of need, scoring the goal that would secure their return to the Spanish Segunda. The sacrifices made by Perez undoubtedly correlate to the success Depor are having now, back in Primera where they belong, unbeaten in 3 games.

Whether it’s Herrera, Pérez or even Pablo Hernández, who returned to Castellón in the third tier (who now manages the club in the second tier) the pull of returning back to your hometown club in their time of need is almost as strong as the feeling of returning for the badge.

The final reason for why there is a phenomenon of Spanish players returning to their hometown club might be the simplest one of them all - love. As Dorothy once said, there’s no place like home and in many cases, players just want to return to the places they call home purely for the love and adoration they receive. It’s almost like the comfort of those surroundings can even bring out another level to your performances.

Take Iago Aspas at Celta Vigo. After an ill-fated spell in Liverpool and a mediocre season on loan at Sevilla, he returned to Balaídos and has seen his career soar to new heights. Shortly after returning to the club, he scored twice in a 4-1 win over Barcelona, he made his Spain debut and went to the 2018 World Cup in Russia with them. He’s made over 370 appearances in his second stint, scoring over 150 goals and led the club into European football. The club captain and record goalscorer put it simply:

He’s showing no signs of stopping either, renewing for another season and has already scored in his 11th consecutive season with the club.

This article could go on and on about the nature of ‘homecomings’. Be it Joaquín returning to Real Betis and leading them back into European football. Sergio Canales this summer re-signing for Real Racing Club after 16 years away. Ramos and Jesús Navas back to Sevilla. Laporte back to Athletic Club. The list could be added to more with Pedro seeking a return to Tenerife and Samu Castillejo looking for a return back to Málaga. Could we even see Isco return to La Rosaleda too in the future?

Whether it is the sense of duty, the urge to repay the club who gave you your break or with the case of Álvaro Morata, just going to somewhere to feel loved and feel at home, the cases of El Gran Regreso de Casa will no doubt continue as many more footballing greats in Spain look to ‘close the circle’ and fulfil their grandest ambitions of returning home.

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Although Eto’o had played a crucial role in Barcelona’s success during the 2008/09 campaign, Guardiola believed the team needed a different type of centre-forward. Ibrahimović offered height, strength and exceptional technical ability, capable of linking play as comfortably as he could finish chances inside the penalty area. His arrival was met with enormous anticipation, although many questioned whether anyone could truly replace a striker like Eto’o, who had just helped deliver the club’s first treble.

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As I’m wandering around Barcelona in the narrow streets between Born and the Gothic Quarter, I notice an array of posters aligning walls and shop windows, but there’s one that stands out to me. It is for Espanyol’s upcoming home game against Real Madrid in La Liga, kick-off pinned at 22 August, 9:30pm. Location: the RCDE Stadium. The sponsors: Kelme and Estrella Damm and CaixaBank and Škoda lined up along the bottom like a row of medals. Underneath the names of the two clubs, in blunt capital letters: “AUTHENTIC FOOTBALL”.

Perhaps it was the four cañas I’d had in close proximity (for hydration purposes) and the two crema catalanas I’d snacked on from one of the many panaderías along the way, or maybe it was the hangover of having attended the Joan Gamper Trophy at the new Camp Nou the night before, where Barcelona beat Egyptian giants Al Ahly 2-1, but this poster struck a chord with me. Whether intentional or not, the message on the poster hit me as a dig at Barça’s comparative commercialisation and the “Matchday Experience” model that FC Barcelona — like so many other big clubs nowadays — subscribe to. The ‘Yankification’ of the Camp Nou, which I witnessed in full flow the other night, and which was disappointing and painful in terms of taking the beautiful game away from the people and handing it to business, was a far cry from when I’d last visited the old Camp Nou.

I’ll be honest: the rebuilt Camp Nou left me a little cold. The over-commercialisation really has changed the game, and in my opinion, not for the better. Structurally the new Camp Nou, even in its unfinished state, is extraordinary. In fact although it is still a work in progress, it is clear that this is going to be one of the highest calibre sporting arenas in the world when it’s complete. There doesn’t appear to be a bad seat in the house, at least of the seats which have so far been installed. And of course there is also the fact that the club is to play regular football in it this season, among the tall cranes, portacabins and construction work, which is its own logistical miracle. However, the experience of attending a football match there itself felt like it had been focus-grouped somewhere far from Catalonia. Sponsor branding wherever the eye lands. A “Matchday Experience” that owes more to the “inspiration” of an NFL franchise than to anything the likes of Johan Cruyff would recognise of a football stadium.

It’s not that Barça are unique in this shift, of course they aren’t. Real Madrid have done the same with the Santiago Bernabéu, as has almost every top class club across Western Europe, even Tottenham (sorry for the cheap dig Spurs fans), as they chase revenue streams and the Champions League’s ever-growing appetite for “content.” You’ll notice that I have referred to the new Camp Nou as a sports arena, rather than a football stadium, because that’s how it felt. Like all modern stadia, this is designed with a 365-day venue in mind; multipurpose and to ensure efficient means of opening the wallets of all consumers that walk through the door. NFL inspired, cold hard, cash-extraction.

Perhaps it’s because it’s FC Barcelona that it this perception was more pertinent than at other clubs, because Barça built their entire self-mythology on being different. “Més que un club.” More than a club. It’s hard to keep saying that with a straight face when attending a game at the stadium feels, increasingly, like being in a content creation studio rather than a football match. The selfie sticks. Tourists laden in club shop attire, more interested in eating the large bags of popcorn (popcorn on sale at a football game is in itself a crime, but I digress), and crisps, than watching the game. The choreographed and commercialised spectacle of it all, just didn’t feel real, and yes it was the Joan Gamper Trophy and a La Liga game or a Champions League night will surely feel different but it’s hard to imagine by much.

I’m aware of how that sounds. Dinosaur. Nostalgic. The bloke moaning that the old Camp Nou, with its aged architecture, faded seats, poor sightlines and everything else was somehow superior to an ultramodern arena. Maybe I am that bloke. Maybe subconsciously I liked being up in the gods in the away section with the netting obscuring my view and struggling to make out the shirt numbers, like I was when Barcelona took on Manchester City in the Champions League years ago. But something has genuinely shifted in how the biggest clubs in the world relate to the people who watch them, and it’s not really about seats, or popcorn, or branding at all. It’s about who the product is being built for. Increasingly, it’s obvious that it’s not the person who grew up twenty minutes from the ground, and I know that is the way the modern game is going. It’s the same feeling I increasingly get when I attend games at the Etihad and as a season ticket holder I’m made to feel like an inconvenience to the club because they can’t optimise the money from my seat as much as they could with a day tripper.

“Més que un club” can be interpreted in more ways than one. And in 2026 it’s clear clubs like Barcelona only recognise ‘consumers’ not fans or socios.

Back to Espanyol and the poster. The fact this is a poster for a game between Barça’s local rivals versus Barça’s eternal rival, that made the strapline ‘Authentic Football’ all the more striking. Moreover, because the idea of Espanyol positioning themselves as the authentic, of the people club — more grounded, more working-class, more genuinely rooted in Catalonia than their far more famous neighbours — is hardly one of Spanish football’s great historical inversions, but it does go against the modern narrative that has been projected.

Espanyol were founded in 1900, a few months after FC Barcelona, explicitly by Spanish and Catalan students who wanted a club run by and for Spaniards, in conscious distinction to a Barça built substantially by foreign residents — Swiss, English, German — in the cosmopolitan mould (Joan Gamper himself, was of course, Swiss and his birth name was Hans Max Gamper-Haessig). For most of the twentieth century it was FC Barcelona, not Espanyol, that carried the flag of Catalanism, becoming the symbolic outlet for a suppressed regional identity under Franco, while Espanyol — rightly or not — picked up a reputation in some quarters as the more “Spanish” of the city’s two clubs, even the more establishment one. That’s a bigger topic than this article, so I’d recommend Miguel Lourenço Pereira’s excellent book ‘Pasión’ if you want to understand more about the history and culture - Miguel has appeared on El Partido multiple times and is a great guest, you can buy a copy of Pasión here.

Pasión by Miguel Pereira | Grab your copy here

Nevertheless, Espanyol’s self-image has long been that of the club without the empire, without the Galácticos, without the global marketing department: a club that stayed in its own neighbourhood, first in Sarrià and now out by Cornellà-El Prat, while FC Barcelona went off to conquer the world. There’s a version of Catalan identity, in other words, that Espanyol claim just as fiercely as Barça do — just a quieter, more local, less exported one. Less flag, more terraza.

So when Espanyol print “authentic football” on a poster advertising a game against Real Madrid they’re not just having a go at Madrid. There’s a second target in that tagline, and it’s the club a few kilometres up the road, still finding its feet in its own half-built home. Perhaps it’s a case of ‘we’re more authentically representing the region historically’, rather than a dig at authenticity from a commercialisation perspective. Maybe it’s just a poster.

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For Deportivo Alavés, simply being back in La Liga represented an achievement. After a decade away from Spain’s top flight, ‘José Bordalás had guided the Basque club to promotion from the Segunda División as champions in his first season in charge of the club. however, the board decided he wasn’t the right man for the job and in sacking him in June 2016, just 23 days after sealing the Segunda title, they publicly stated that they didn’t believe he was tactically suited or prepared for life in the Primera.

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It was Carlos Corberán that the Valencia hierarchy turned to, in the hope that he could turn the team’s fortunes around. The 41 year-old’s contract with West Bromwich Albion had a release clause which was reported to be activated for compensation of around €3 million. The man from Cheste in the Valencian Community had made an impressive impact with WBA in the second tier of English football, leading the Baggies to a 44% win rate across his 107 games in charge, but also with a clear vision of how he wanted his team to play and an energy on the touch line. It was this energy and meticulous work ethic that made Corberán a standout candidate for the Valencia job, and the fact that he had been a goalkeeper that trained in Valencia’s youth academy in his early days. Valencia announced Corberán’s appointment on Christmas Eve 2024, with the new Head Coach agreeing a deal that runs until the summer of 2027.

Given the club’s dire start to the campaign, Corberán would have to work fast to change the tide in the remaining 21 league games that remained. His first La Liga game in charge of Los Che was a home game against reigning champions Real Madrid at Mestalla on Friday 3rd January 2025, the Matchday 12 fixture having been rearranged following the ‘DANA’ floods which had caused so much devastation across the Valencian Community two months earlier. Ahead of the game Corberán had declared “I am a Valencianista who is going to work with great responsibility, and dedication that I am going to have to achieve the objective is going to be the maximum a coach can have”.

There was already a refreshed sense of resilience within the Valencia performance right from the kickoff and this was rewarded in the 27th minute when Hugo Duro gave the home side the lead. As the game wore on, Corberán’s team looked like they might be able to pull of an impressive result, but with just five minutes of regulation time remaining Luka Modrić equalised for Carlo Ancelotti’s side and in the fifth minute of injury time Jude Bellingham found the winner for Madrid, to deliver a stern reminder of the difficulty that the challenge that lay ahead for the new Valencia coach.

Corberán’s second game in charge would be a trip to the Nuevo Pepico Amat to take on Segunda Divisíon side Eldense in the Third Round of the Copa del Rey. Goals from Sergí Canós and Diego López were enough to see a much-changed Los Che side advance to the next round. Back in La Liga and Corberán’s next test would be a trip to face Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. A tentative affair again saw Valencia take the lead just after the hour mark through Luis Roja and again the team would have to work hard to hold on to get the result, but a 93rd minute equaliser from Adrià Pedrosa for Sevilla meant Corberan would have to wait a while longer to pick up his first La Liga win.

Another 2-0 win in the Copa del Rey, this time against Ourense, would see Valencia reach the Quarter-finals, but the focus remained on the La Liga survival bid. Carlos Corberán had by now started to get a feel for his squad and when Valencia hosted Real Sociedad under the lights at Mestalla on Matchday 20, the efforts of the Head Coach and his team were rewarded with a 1-0 win courtesy of a Hugo Duro goal. The victory took Valencia off the bottom of the table and a much needed morale boost. However, a 7-1 defeat to FC Barcelona in La Liga and a 5-0 defeat to the Catalan giants in the Copa del Rey Quarterfinals in his sixth and eighth games in charge respectively were harsh lessons as to the gulf in class between La Liga’s haves and have nots. However, Corberán and his side would put together a run of ten games without defeat spanning from a 3-3 draw at Osasuna on Matchday 26 to a 3-0 win over Getafe on Matchday 35 - a run which not only six wins, three of which were on the bounce, but also a 2-1 win away to Real Madrid.

The profits of the hard work and the impressive run of results during the latter part of the 2024/25 La Liga campaign meant that Corberán had taken the side from the bottom of the table to a 12th placed finish, picking up 34 points from a possible 63, courtesy of nine wins and seven draws, at an average of 1.62 points per game. For comparison and context, during that same spell, only Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti (2.48), Barcelona’s Hansi Flick (2.24), Real Betis’ Manuel Pellegrini & Girona’s Michel (1.86), Osasuna’s Vincente Moreno (1.81) and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone & Athletic Club’s Ernesto Valverde (1.76), had better points per game ratios for the same 21 game period, which considering the quality of those respective squads versus that of Valencia, is not to be scoffed at. It meant Valencia finished the season equal on points with Real Sociedad, and just six points off a European spot, something quite unthinkable given the position the club were in when he arrived.

The impressive impact Carlos Corberán had on Valencia meant that the club went into the 2025/26 season with higher expectations. However, the new campaign would provide to be a much harder test for Corberán, not least because of the simple economic reality of Valencia under the current regime, whereby departures of players who had been crucial in the resurgence heavily conditioned Corberán’s team. Goalkeeper, Giorgi Mamardashvili, who had been agreed in principle to Liverpool the previous August, duly departed for Anfield in a deal worth around €35 million. Defender Cristhian Mosquera followed, joining Arsenal for a reported €15 million - a significant fee for a 21-year-old but one that represented real footballing loss given his importance to Corberán’s defensive structure. Yarek Gasiorowski, meanwhile, joined PSV Eindhoven for €9.8 million, having left Valencia due to reduced minutes under Corberán - a decision that looked increasingly questionable as Gasiorowski went on to anchor PSV’s Eredivisie-leading defence and make a strong impression in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, as Valencia fans have had to to become accustomed to over recent years, the funds from big money departures were not reinvested in the squad, in fact you could argue that their replacements were somewhat underwhelming overall. Julen Agirrezabala arrived on loan from Athletic Club, Baptiste Santamaria came from Rennes for €2 million, Filip Ugrinic from Young Boys for €4 million, Arnaut Danjuma was signed outright from Villarreal for just €500,000, Largie Ramazani joined on loan from Leeds, and Lucas Beltrán arrived on loan from Fiorentina in the late window.

None of the new signings came close to matching the quality lost. Agirrezabala was a capable but unproven top-flight goalkeeper, Santamaria and Ugrinic offered industry and experience but lacked the dynamism of the Barrenechea-Guerra axis they were meant to replicate, and the loan-heavy nature of the attack gave the squad a fragmented, provisional feel. Ultimately, the most consistent performers across the season were players already at the club. Hugo Duro led the scoring with 10 league goals (his third season in a row of reaching double figures for the club), Javi Guerra and Luis Rioja each contributed 5 assists, and Largie Ramazani - the one new arrival who could be said to have genuinely made a difference - added just 6 goals from 25 appearances.

The difference in quality at his disposal unquestionably made life harder for Corberán during this last season, and the 6-0 defeat to Barcelona on Matchday 4 set the tone for what was to come: although there was a response in the form of a 2-0 win in the next game (at home to Athletic Club) Valencia fans had to endure a run of seven straight La Liga games without a win from Matchday 5 to Matchday 12, along with a 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid. It was looking as though the impressive finish to the prior campaign was a mere flash in the pan for Carlos Corberán. However, by the final handful of Matchdays in the La Liga campaign, his Valencia side were still in contention for a European spot.

With the exception of a 2-0 defeat to Atletí on Matchday 34, Valencia had rallied and picked up four wins in their final six games - including 1-0 at San Mamés against Athletic Club, a 4-3 partidazo at Anoeta against Real Sociedad and a 3-1 win against champions Barcelona at Mestalla on the final day. Unfortunately for Carlos Corberán and his side, it was too little too late, and they finished two points shy of a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League spot. A 9th placed finish, 49 points courtesy of 13 wins and 10 draws, could be viewed as an improvement, and in the wider context of contemporary Valencia under the Peter Lim regime, quite a good campaign. It was a 1.29 points per game average, they were 15 defeats in La Liga and it was another Quarter Finals exit in the Copa del Rey (this time a narrow 2-1 loss to Athletic Club, thanks to a 96th minute Iñaki Williams winner), but it was a strong campaign in difficult circumstances.

It sounds cliché, but Valencia are a club that have a lot of complexities around them. There’s the ongoing sagas of the ownership and stadium move, and the likelihood of some of the better players (the ones with the highest market value) being sold again this summer, with Javi Guerra’s contract situation already attracting interest from the likes of Manchester United, Milan and Atlético Madrid. What is no longer in question, however, is who will be occupying the dugout come the start of the new campaign. In July 2026, Valencia confirmed that Carlos Corberán had signed a one-year extension to his contract, keeping him at the club until the summer of 2028 - a deal that comes with the explicit backing of president Kiat Lim and football CEO Ron Gourlay, who described the Cheste-born coach as the ideal figure to lead the team’s growth in the seasons ahead. It’s a mark of just how far Corberán has come since taking over the club through the peaks and troughs of recent years of fighting off the bottom of the table, and a rare piece of stability for a club that has become all too used to upheaval. In the past, such statements of public support from hierarchy have often preceded a sacking, and with the way Valencia as a club operate under the Meriton ownership you can never be sure what to expect.

Despite the contract extension and the comments of Ron Gourlay, Corberán has steadily grown to be quite unpopular among a sizeable portion of the Valencia fanbase. Part of it is simply scar tissue from January, when chants for his resignation rang around Mestalla and the players were jeered off at the airport — memories that don’t fade just because the ending was happy. Part of it is stylistic: even in the good spells, critics point to a Valencia side that leans heavily on crosses and individual moments from Duro and Ramazani rather than any clearly discernible attacking model, an uncomfortable pattern for a coach schooled under Bielsa. And part of it, inevitably, is displacement — Corberán is the only figure at the club fans can actually shout at, whereas Peter Lim remains a name on a banner rather than a man who shows his face. Corberán himself seems aware of it: after the Barcelona win he admitted the “lack of consistency” had defined Valencia’s season — an honest diagnosis of exactly what’s kept a chunk of the Mestalla crowd unconvinced even as the hierarchy doubles down on him.

From a side staring down relegation to one now being backed for the long haul, Valencia have plenty to build on heading into 2026/27 - the question now isn’t who’s in charge, but whether the squad around him can finally match his ambition.

Barcelona had endured a disappointing end to the 2006/07 season. Frank Rijkaard’s side had surrendered the La Liga title to Real Madrid after leading the table for much of the campaign, while Barça B had suffered relegation to the Tercera División, the fourth tier of Spanish football. Joan Laporta’s board wanted to restore standards throughout the club, and Guardiola, one of the greatest captains in Barcelona’s history and a devoted disciple of Johan Cruyff’s footballing philosophy, was entrusted with rebuilding the reserve side. Despite his reputation as a player, Guardiola arrived without any managerial experience and with relatively modest expectations placed upon him.

By appointing Guardiola to the youth team setup the Board arguably showed the fans that the club’s connection to its footballing identity and philosophy had not been lost. That’s not to say that Pep was a purely political appointment, without qualification, in fact as anyone who has read Guillem Balague’s excellent book ‘Guardiola - Another Way Of Winning’ (a new, updated edition of which is available to pre-order now) [Grab Your Copy Here] will know, Guardiola had spent the latter years of his playing career laying the groundwork for his eventual move to coaching by obsessively analysing matches and tactics during his time at Brescia, Roma, Al-Ahli and Dorados. Pep had been known to seek out conversations with the likes of Cruyff, Louis van Gaal, Juanma Lillo and Marcelo Bielsa for opportunities to learn more about their coaching ideas.

Conversely, whilst there were those within the club that appreciated Pep’s coaching aspirations and studious nature and who recognised that not only could the appointment of such an important and popular former player be favourable with the fan base, there were undoubtedly some within FC Barcelona that held some reservations as to whether such a tactic-heavy coaching approach, to be delivered by an inexperienced coach may not have been ideal for the youth team. Nevertheless, Guardiola was given his chance by the board.

From the outset, Guardiola sought to establish a clear identity for his team and ways of working. Training sessions became more intense, punctuality and discipline were non-negotiable, and every exercise revolved around possession, positional play and pressing immediately after losing the ball. Guardiola’s ideas were heavily influenced by Cruyff, but he also placed his own emphasis on structure, collective responsibility and understanding space. Those who worked with him during those early months have often spoken of the attention to detail he demanded, insisting that every player understood not only what they were expected to do, but why they were doing it.

The appointment generated attention within Catalonia as it was a legendary player returning to an important role within the club that he built a career playing for. However, national newspapers largely viewed with limited excitement in the sense that it was the return of a respected former player to his old club, and there were no signs of what was to come given Pep’s inexperience as a coach. There were of course some in both the national and Catalan press welcomed the decision but questioned whether Guardiola’s lack of coaching experience might prove a disadvantage. Among supporters, there was optimism that one of the club’s greatest servants could help restore Barcelona B following relegation, although few believed they were witnessing the beginning of a future first-team manager. Nobody could have foreseen the impact Pep would have in that season at Barça B and that it would give immediate rise to his appointment as First Team Coach so soon.

Guardiola’s first competitive match in charge came on 2nd September 2007 against CE Premià, and it was a low-key start: a goalless draw in front of a modest crowd in the fourth tier. The opening weeks proved testing, with Barça B taking just one win from their first three fixtures, and for a moment Guardiola questioned whether his methods needed to adapt to the rougher realities of regional football. Yet he held his nerve, and it was during this early, unglamorous period — long before results caught up with his ideas — that the foundations of patient possession, collective pressing and positional discipline were first laid down. After that opening day draw against Premià, the turn around undertaken by Guardiola saw the team win seven of their next ten fixtures, scoring 21 goals. And yet, Guardiola was still not satisfied, and searched for more improvements throughout the season. His hard work and the ‘buy-in’ of the players would, as we now know, ultimately pay off.

Promotion back to Segunda División B was the primary objective for the season, but Guardiola also had another responsibility: preparing players for the first team. During the campaign, Sergio Busquets developed into one of the standout performers under Guardiola’s guidance, while Pedro Rodríguez, Jeffrén Suárez and Víctor Vázquez all featured prominently. Working alongside assistant coach Tito Vilanova, Guardiola created an environment in which technical ability alone was not enough; tactical intelligence, positional discipline and decision-making became equally important.

Barcelona B would go on to finish top of their Tercera División group before securing promotion through the play-offs, achieving the club’s immediate objective at the first attempt. By the end of the season, Guardiola had earned widespread praise within Barcelona for the team’s organisation, professionalism and commitment to an identifiable style of football. Meanwhile, events at first-team level would soon change the direction of both Guardiola’s career and the club’s history, as Frank Rijkaard departed following another trophyless campaign.

Looking back almost two decades later, Guardiola’s only season in charge of Barcelona B is remembered as far more than a successful promotion campaign. It was here that many of the principles which later defined one of football’s greatest teams were first developed in a competitive environment. His emphasis on positional play, collective pressing and tactical discipline became the foundations of the Barcelona side that conquered Spain and Europe only a year later. At the time, Guardiola’s appointment appeared to be a sensible decision to rebuild a struggling reserve team. In hindsight, it proved to be the first chapter in one of the most influential managerial careers the game has ever seen.

Welcome to La Crónica, a newly weekly installment from the team at El Partido where we bring things up to the present and talk about the biggest stories in Spanish football from this week.

In this episode, we discuss whether Real Madrid’s gamble of re-signing Jose Mourinho and going on another Galactico spending spree will work or whether it is a sign of desperation from Florentino Perez. We also discuss the fallout of Gianni Infantino’s plans to sell off the World Cup and what that might mean for Spain’s World Cup in 2030 as well as waxing lyrical about the return of 3 Sleeping Giants to La Liga and how we think they will fair this season.

Listen now wherever you get your podcasts and over on our YouTube Channel.

Also make sure to check out the new El Partido Store, for plenty of podcast merchandise as well as unique designs for fans of Spanish Football.

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It’s been around for four and a half decades. In August 1980, C.D. Leganés hosted the first edition of the Trofeo Villa de Leganés, a four-team pre-season tournament staged as part of the town's summer fiestas, featuring the hosts alongside Rayo Vallecano, Getafe Deportivo and A.D. Torrejón.

Rayo won that inaugural final on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Leganés, and it would take three more years before the hosts finally got their hands on the trophy that carried their name. That breakthrough came in 1983, a 3-1 win over Real Madrid Castilla. Although Barcelona’s Joan Gamper Trophy started 14 years earlier and Barça have won 47 of the 60 (78.3%) editions of their trophy, Lega’s grasp on their golden cucumber has still been one of the most one-sided honours boards in Spanish pre-season football. Of the 46 completed editions through 2026, Leganés have won 25, a share of just over 54 per cent, comfortably clear of Getafe in second with three titles, and Rayo Vallecano, Atlético de Madrid and Real Valladolid tied on two apiece. That dominance took a dent in the 2026 edition though, as C.D. Tenerife made their first appearance in the tournament count, beating Leganés on penalties after a goalless ninety minutes at Burtqaue to lift the Pepino de Oro in the forty-sixth edition, adding their name to the prestigious list of golden cucumber winners.

The tournament's format has shifted considerably across its four and a half decades. Early editions followed a straightforward knockout structure between four Madrid-region sides, but as the years passed it settled, more often than not, into a single showpiece fixture between Leganés and an invited opponent, occasionally venturing further afield for its guests. Sporting Campomaiorense of Portugal travelled to face Leganés in 1998, and Qatar Sports Club made the trip in 2013, a pair of fixtures that briefly turned a local festival game into something with an international flavour, even as the tournament's identity remained firmly rooted in Leganés itself. The sole departure from the two-team format came in 2011, when a triangular involving Leganés, Alcorcón and Getafe saw Getafe lift the trophy after beating the hosts 1-0.

What has never changed is the prize itself. The winners are presented with the Pepino de Oro, the Golden Cucumber, a trophy that nods to Leganés' history as a centre of horticulture and cucumber growing before the town's rapid urbanisation in the second half of the twentieth century. The phallical shape of the trophy has brought the competition wider attention thanks mostly to the reactions on social media. The runners-up receive the lesser-known Pepino de Plata, the Silver Cucumber, and between them the two prizes give the competition a distinctly civic character that few pre-season tournaments in Spain can match, less a generic summer friendly than an annual reaffirmation of local identity, staged in step with the town's fiestas rather than around it.

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Leganés' grip on the trophy has tightened considerably since the mid-2000s. Having shared the earliest editions among Rayo, Real Aranjuez, Atlético Madrileño, Badajoz and Salamanca, the hosts became the tournament's default winners from 2006 onward, a period that has tracked the club's own rise from the regional leagues into a fixture of Spanish football's second and, more recently, first tier. Between 2012 and 2019, Leganés strung together eight consecutive titles, a run that included a 4-1 defeat of Real Madrid Castilla in 2014 and further wins over the likes of Villarreal, Alavés and Rayo Vallecano. The pandemic forced the only true gap in the tournament's history, with no edition played in 2020, though the trophy returned in 2021 as Leganés saw off Rayo Vallecano on penalties, and the club has retained it in every edition since, beating Villarreal B's win in 2022 aside, most recently seeing off Levante in both 2023 and, after a dramatic 3-3 draw settled by a 4-3 shoot-out, in 2025.

A women's edition of the tournament has also returned in recent years, following the establishment of a senior C.D. Leganés women's side, reviving a competition that had lapsed during the 1990s. Leganés beat Getafe Femenino 4-1 in front of 4,600 spectators in an early staging of the revived event, a reminder that the tournament's local pull extends well beyond the men's game.

Nearly half a century on from that first final against Rayo Vallecano, the Trofeo Villa de Leganés remains something rarer than most pre-season curtain-raisers: a genuine piece of civic tradition, tying a football club to the town's summer calendar and its horticultural past in equal measure. The Pepino de Oro may not carry the prestige of silverware won in May, but for Leganés and the neighbours who return to face them each August, it has become exactly what a trophy of this kind should be, a fixture nobody in the town would want to see disappear.

We’ll update this article after today’s game - the 2026 edition of the tournament - after Leganés have taken on CD Tenerife.

In true Superbowl Half-Time Show style, a choreographed American flag would make way to Oprah Winfey to welcome 750 million worldwide viewers to the US installment of the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’. The opening ceremony’s star performer was introduced and Diana Ross emerged from a crowd musicians in a bright red power suit as she serenaded the world with her hit single ‘I’m Coming Out’. Half the length of the field away, a ball was placed onto the penalty spot in anticipation for the Supreme to rattle one into the top corner. Unfortunately for Miss Ross, she dragged her penalty wide but as they say in Hollywood - the ‘show must go on’ and the crossbar duly split in two as to make way for the stage for the performance to continue. A parade of the participating nations would follow before two now disgraced Presidents, Clinton of the US and Blatter of the FIFA, made their speeches before we reached peak Americanism when 4 F-16 fighter jets passed over the stadium above the chorus Star Spangled Banner.

As weird and wonderful as it was, it wasn’t even the showpiece of the day as a few hours later, OJ Simpson would speed his White Bronco through the freeways of Los Angeles after his arrest warrant was issued for the murders of Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Whilst this is no less than we would have expected from the United States of America, it very much set the tone for how this tournament was going to be played - it was all about going BIG. After Argentina had reached the final of Italia ‘90 by only scoring 5 goals, the rules were changed to encourage and reward attacking play in a charm offence to the American audience as football attempted to ‘crack America’. A win would now be rewarded with 3 points rather than 2, the offside rule was relaxed and back passes outlawed. It work as the goals would flow and fans were treated to some of the best thrilling, attacking football the World Cup had seen.

Not that it mattered though, as FIFA’s hopes of creating a new ‘super soccer’ market fell flat as the interest in football during the 1994 World Cup failed to translate into growth of the game through their closed shop and franchised Major Soccer League. But for the audience at home, there will always be fond memories of one of the first tournaments which could claim to have a truly worldwide audience, as the technology of the 1990s took the World Cup to the next level.

Now, I was only 4 years old when the tournament was being played across the Atlantic, but as for lover of all things nostalgia - I’ve consumed my fair share of this tournament and here are the great things I think it should be remembered for!

Brilliant Brazil

One of the teams who ensured they capitalised on this new lust for attacking football and the rewards it offered were Brazil. They came into the tournament as one of the favourites, as per usual. This being in spite that they hadn’t won a World Cup in 24 years but arrived on US shores with a squad capable of rivalling anybody in the world. They were led by the newly crowned captain Dunga, had Barcelona’s free-scoring striker Romario as well as Depor’s Brazilian double-act of Bebeto and Mauro Silva. They’d even bring a smiling, young forward from Cruzeiro along for the tournament named Ronaldo.

They would breeze through their group, made up of Russia (more on them later), Cameroon and Sweden, with only Henrik Larsson’s side taking a point from them in the group stage. They would then find themselves in the most surprising fixture, coming up against the host nation who had somehow made it out of their group against the odds. As much as many of us would have assumed Dunga and Co would have swept aside the plucky Yanks, the home side made much more of a fight than many expected. Wearing their iconic grey star spangled kit, the Americans only lost this game 1-0 in front of almost 85,000 in Stanford and the home nation bowed out with their heads held high and the Seleção would come up against their first truly big test.

The match against The Netherlands was being held in Dallas, under the excruciating heat of the Texan sun. Despite this, we were treated to one of the games of the tournament. The Brazilians would find their way in behind Koeman and Valckx with ease and it wasn’t long into the second half before Bebeto found the space to square it across to Romario to score his 4th goal of the tournament with ease. Not content with being a provider, Bebeto would capitalise on a rare error from the Netherlands pairing before rounding Ed de Goey to double their lead and subsequently then providing the crowd with the now infamous ‘rocking the baby’celebration after the birth of his son Matheus two days before. A cool and calm finish from Dennis Bergkamp pulled one back for the Europeans before the Brazilians two-goal lead was wiped out when Aron Winter rose highest to power home a header from a corner to make it 2-2.

With time chipping away, a tough tackle mid way into the Dutch half presented free-kick specialist, Branco with an opportunity of glory. In a fashion that would inspire future set-piece specialist and purveyor of thunderbastards himself, Roberto Carlos - Branco would charge his run up from an almost ridiculous 15 yards away from the ball before striking it 30 yards into the Dutch bottom corner to send Brazil into the semi-finals.

They would squeeze past their group rivals Sweden, with Romario’s 5th goal of the tournament and earn themselves a place in the showpiece final at the Pasadena Rose bowl against Italy, in a repeat of the 1970 final. They would be coming up against the might of Baresi, a young Paolo Maldini and the darling of Serie A football, Roberto Baggio, who all walked out onto the pitch in the most resplendent Diadora anthem jackets. The match itself lived up to expectation but the only thing that was missing were the goals. Uncharacteristically, Bebeto and Romario, who had scored 8 goals between them so far, could not find their way past Gianluca Pagliuca - with the Italian having a brilliant game. The big Italian chance would fall to their talisman in the second half,as Baggio would try a bit of magic from distance as he unleashed a spectacular half-volley to force a brilliant save out of Claudio Taffarel.

After 120 minutes, the two sides couldn’t be seperated and penalties would have to settle it. Baresi would miss his spot kick but the favour was returned by Santos as Pagliuca pulled off a brilliant save. Not to be outdone, Tardelli would pull off an equally brilliant stop from Massaro whilst captain Dunga would bury his penalty to place all of Italy’s hopes on their starman’s shoulders. Roberto Baggio, with his iconic ponytail thing, stepped up and just like Diana Ross in the opening ceremony, missed the target to hand Brazil their first World Cup in 24 years!

Momentus Maradona

1994 was supposed to be the year that Diego Maradona returned to his glory. Following a positive drugs test after Napoli’s game against Bari, he was cast out from the game with a lengthy ban. After serving a 15 month suspension for drug useage, he had returned to football, firstly with Sevilla in Spain and then Newell’s Old Boys back in his native Argentina. With the clubs he played for, you could still see glimpes of the Maradona that had led Napoli to the Scudetto but his time out of the game had made him slightly more sluggish and his appearance was traditionally ‘football’ as he was before. But what did remain was the passion, the wit, the natural talent that had helped him lead his nation to two World Cup since his debut - and that would be his driver for making the competition in USA 1994.

Argentina had reached the final at Italia 90 and with the squad containing the likes of Gabriel Batistuta and Diego Simeone amongst their ranks - they were preparing to wrestle back the trophy on American turf. However, despite the giddy optimism, Argentina struggled through qualifying and the nationa began to call for their fallen hero to rise once again. As they headed into a two-legged play off with Australia, Diego was brought out from the cold and helped push his nation across the line. Following a draw Downunder, Maradona helped them eek past the Aussies 1-0 in Argentina and had qualified for the World Cup.

Equal parts excited and overwhelmed, Maradona almost pulled out of the tournament citing the enormous pressure on him was too much. However, in the same breath, he was training harder and stronger than ever before to ensure he was at his peak best for his biggest shot at redemption. As he stepped out onto the pitch at the Foxboro Stadium, the tanned and short haired captain looked every inch the part. The young blood had Argentina off to the greatest starts against Greece, with a young Simeone laying into the bath of Batistuta to put them ahead under 2 minutes. The football was free-flowing with Maradona conducting this young side as if was an orhcestra with a series of flicks and backheels which sent the Greeks chasing shadows. The second Batistuta goal came just before the stroke of half time, Redondo combining with Chamot to give the #9 the space to lash it in from 20 yards out into Minou’s top scorer.

Then, after an year, the moment the world had been waiting for. Maradona, following six brilliant one touch football alongside Oscar Ruggeri and Claudio Caniggia, opened himself up to take a shot from the edge of the box that would power past the goalkeeper. In textbook Maradona fashion, he had given himself half a yard to really wrap his foot around and then cue the mayhem. In a moment of absolute passion, Diego ran over to the cameras, mouth and eyes wide open as if he was screaming at the viewer down the lens. This would be the moment that many speculate led to the ‘random drugs test’ but for a single moment, Maradona was back on the world stage doing what he does best. Batistuta would complete the hat trick from the penalty spot in added time as they ran out 4-0 winners in the group opener.

In the second game, they faced a much toughter test against Nigeria but came through unscathed as Diego completed 90 minutes at the Foxoboro. The strange incident incident in this game occured as the final whistle blew, with a nurse led Maradona off the pitch to a drugs test area - something usually reserved for when players return to the changing room. The sceptic might suggest this was an act of deliberate display ahead of the devastating news that was to come…

Despite all the hard work, the training, the effort taken to clean his image following his previous drugs bans, Diego Maradona failed his drugs tests and Argentina were charged for failing their anti-doping conditions. He was slapped with another 15 month ban and unceremoniously removed from the World Cup - the final time he would ever play for Argentina. He would go onto protest his innocence, explain that his trainer provided him with a US made supplement that he wasn’t aware would provide a positive drugs test. Argentina would suffer too. Without the conductor, the orchestra descended into chaos and their confidence just dropped, eventually succumbing to Gheorge Hagi and Romania in the first knock-out round.

But for a short moment, USA ‘94 provided us with something that had not been seen in years. A Diego Maradona playing with a smile on his face and rolling back the years in the La Albiceleste of La Selección.

If you want to know more about Maradona and his time at the World Cup in 1994, it is definitely worth giving David Arrowsmith’s book a read. Listen to our episode with him and grab your copy through the link below!

Grab your copy of Killing Maradona by David Arrowsmith Here

Craic’ing America

There was something truly unique about this World Cup and this is that no British nation had qualified for the tournament, the first time since 1950 that this had happened. So naturally, British eyes cast elsewhere for a team to follow across the pond and rather than pine over a young Zizou playing for France, attentions turned to our celtic friends across the Irish Sea.

After their tremendous exploits in Italia 90, the Irish were back again and in no way there to make up the numbers. With John Aldridge up top with Andy Townsend, Dennis Irwin marauding at left back and young lad who had just won his first Premier League under Sir Alex Ferguson, called Roy Keane. Led once more by the brilliant Jack Charlton, there was optimism that they could cause an upset in the USA.

They’re tournament began against the very side that had sent them home from the World Cup in 1990, Italy. They would come up against familiar foes, led by their pony-tailed star Roberto Baggio and on paper, it looked like it there was only going to be one result. But, as the old tail goes, football isn’t won on paper… It’s won when Ray Houghton lashes one over possibly one of the world’s best keepers after just 10 minutes of play. There’s no better way to describe the feeling they must have had than in the picture above, as the Irish crowd roared at the Giants Stadium. The disbelief etched onto both Houghton’s and Pagliuca’s faces were noticable but both told a completely different story. They’d go onto hold onto their lead for a famous victory in New Jersey and will always be remembered as one of the highlights of Irish football history.

The memorable moment worth mentioning is that of John Aldridge and Jack Charlton absolutely losing their minds with the officials in their next game against Mexico. Seeing them both scream and a man wearing a powder blue jacket and bright yellow hat - it became fever pitch. Take a look below!

There are so many more memories and moments that I’d love to talk about, including the inclusions of our first unified Germany team, the post-Soviet Union squad, the Colombian side with Carlos Valderama and Rene Higuita plus so much more. Perhaps we’ll have to do a Part Two!

This is the story of Gipuzkoa.

Gipuzkoa is the smallest province of Spain, home to roughly 700,000 people, which is less than the city of Leeds. Wedged inbetween the Pyrenees and the Atlantic Ocean, it is a place of fierce cultural pride and a deep sense of identity which borders on being almost tribal. The capital is Donosita-San Sebastian, famous for its beaches, pintxos bars and the highest concentration of Michelin star restaurants per square metre than anywhere else in Europe.

It is also, right now, home to the most productive factory of elite football managers on the planet.

Whilst San Sebastian born Arteta may have lost the Champions League final last night, he has achieved greatness this season by bringing the Premier League back to North London for the first time in 22 years - whilst he was also crowned Manager of the Year. The day before Arsenal were crowned champions, Unai Emery - from the coastal town of Hondarribia - won a record breaking fifth Europa League trophy with Aston Villa, winning their first trophy since the Intertoto Cup in 2001. Andoni Iraola of Usurbil, a town of just 6000 people, strengthened his CV ahead of possible move to Liverpool or Milan by helping Bournemouth qualify for Europe for the first time in their history and Xabi Alonso from the small town of Tolosa was named the new Chelsea manager.

That’s just the beginning of the list. Former Real Sociedad manager Imanol Alguacil and former Spain manager Julen Lopetegui call Gipuzkoa home. Just across the provincial border, Jose Luis Mendilibar, Jagoba Arrasate and Pep’s long term assistant manager Juan Manuel Lillo all come from this small area of the Basque country that has a higher concentration of coaching talent that has no parallel anywhere in world football.

So where did this all begin?

At the heart of this phenomenon is a modest amateur youth club from the outskirts of San Sebastian - a club called Antiguoko. Whilst the club has no professional side and isn’t a youth academy to the scale of La Masia or Lezama, they have still managed to produce 3 of the football managers who are at the forefront of world football right now.

"This is something that, in Gipuzkoa, we have in our blood," says Montiel. "From childhood, what you are taught is to know how to compete. You can win or lose, but you must always compete."

Arteta, Alonso and Iraola all passed through the club ranks, with the two former playing alongside each other at youth level before Arteta made the move to La Masia. Those players haven’t forgotten their routes with Antiguoko and regularly make appearances at the club to show their support to the club that forged them , with Iraola even going one step further, coaching the Under-18s there whilst he was studying for his UEFA Pro-Licence. The philosophy that Antiguoko instill in their players is telling. The emphasis relies on possession based football, technical development of players and footballing intelligence - traits you can see that run through the likes of Arsenal and Bournemouth today and especially with Alonso’s Leverkusen side during their unbeaten season in the Bundesliga. That high-energy brand of football that is now so highly sort after in Europe’s elite football clubs has stemmed from this small provincial club in Gipuzkoa.

There are instances of these kind of stories everywhere, take Wallsend FC for example. So what is it about this particular corner of Spain that makes football managers so good?

When Arteta was asked the question, his response was “We have the best food in the world”. He may have said it jokingly but there is probably some truth to that. As Virginia Woolf once said:

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

Those who study the region of Gipuzkoa more seriously point to something much deeper about how the people from this small province think. Gipuzkoa has a long tradition of industrial and entrepreneurial achievement that expands well beyond the Michelin star restaurants of San Sebastian. They were first people to circumnavigate the globe during the Magellan expedition led by Juan Sebastián Elcano of Getaria. They are pioneers in social services and co-operative enterprise with the Mondragón Corporation being one of the world’s most famous worker co-operatives. When the Franco regime attempted to eradicate the Euskadi identity during the years after the Civil War, Gipuzkoans kept the culture, the language and identity alive in the face of fascist tyranny. Their culture is one of collective endeavour, continuous improvement and fierce pride.

You can see the same influence of that culture on the regions footballing institutions. Whether it is the youth sides of Antiguoko embracing their philosophy or Athletic Club’s policy of only fielding players of Basque heritage, that fierce pride and collective endeavour has helped this region become a global footballing powerhouse. The biggest club in Gipuzkoa, Real Sociedad, has a long tradition of producing some of Spain’s best talents with Arteta and Alonso both passing through it’s club during their formative years. Every manager who has been mentioned in this article so far have passed through a Basque system in some form - absorbing its values, the technical demands and its sense of identity!

In spite of the aura of majesty around these managers, they’ve also had to earn their positions. Arteta spent years playing under Arsene Wenger before becoming an assistant manager to Pep Guardiola. Alonso spent his playing career under the guidance of Benitez, Mourinho, Ancelotti and Pep whilst Iraola was a mainstay at San Mames under the likes of Biesla and Valverde. The outlier here will be Unai Emery who forged his own path, studying and adapting obsessively over the last two decades to get him the opportunities he’s had. The point being, none of them arrived at the top through luck - they prepare as if coaching were a profession to be mastered like any other, just like a Michelin star chef or a voyager aiming to explore the world.

In a sport that increasingly rewards financial power, global footballing networks and corporate machinery, it is testament to the character and culture of this small area the size of Surrey that has produced something that no transfer budget can buy - a generation of managers who know not just how to win, but how to build something incredible that can guarantee success.

Whilst the celebrations of this weekend will have naturally centred around the staggering 20 trophies he’s amassed over the last decade, including 6 Premier League titles and the much coveted UEFA Champions League in 2023, the tears being shed at the weekend were more akin to saying goodbye to a much cherished member of the family. The love of a family isn’t measured in silverware, it’s measured in memories - he would state as much in his leaving speech on Sunday.

“The luggage of memories I put inside is more than other. Without 20 trophies, they would have sacked me before, but you are not at home and see the trophies and say ‘Oh, how happy I am.’”

Whether it’s the dreamland of becoming the first Premier League team to amass 100 points; the first English team to win all four domestic trophies in a single campaign; becoming Treble Winners; watching Oasis reform whilst wearing his retro City shirt; or even the shared grief felt across the city in the aftermath of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack (which Pep’s Wife and daughter were caught up in), Pep has walked every step and breathed every breath in sync with a city that prides itself on community, resilience and heritage. He not only took the time to not only learn about Manchester’s history and culture, which he so eloquently demonstrated in his monoglots announcing his departure, but he embraced it all and formed a deep bond between himself, the club and the city of Manchester. So naturally, the question will be what’s next?

In this article, we want to explore what will be next for Pep Guardiola after decade where he achieved everything any man worth his salt will have dreamed of achieving, but also what next for Manchester City and perhaps why they should cast their eye for another Spaniard to take the helm post-Pep.

Unlike many other managers, Pep Guardiola has never been short of suitors. He is probably the first manager we’d ever heard of going on sabbatical - taking a year out to live in New York. Now after 10 years in Manchester, we imagine another rest will be on the cards, but what could the future hold for the man who has taken football to its next evolution…

The Top 5 Scenario

There is currently just one manager who can proclaim that they are a serial title winner across European football. Don Carlo Ancelotti is the only manager to win league titles in all of Europe’s top five leagues with Milan (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain), Chelsea (England), Bayern Munich (Germany) and Paris St-Germain (France). It is a mantle that will be difficult for any manager to take but if there was a manager who had the ability, it would be Pep.

While Luis Enrique is probably the closest challenger to the crown bestowed to Guardiola, we imagine his time in Paris will end when he decides (just like Pep) that it’s time for a fresh challenge somewhere else. PSG would prove to be a likely good fit for Pep Guardiola and a chance follow in the footsteps of Don Carlo. Whilst losing Enrique would be sad for PSG, there’s no doubt that Nasser Al-Khelaifi and his QSI colleagues would target Pep Guardiola as a superstar signing that can continue their success on both domestic and international fronts. For a French option, it would be the only option that could possibly afford Pep unless Bernard Arnault took his ambitious Paris FC project to the next level. However, without getting all geo-political, the close friendship Pep shares with Khaldoon Al Mubarak, City’s chairman and a man who holds many other job titles as a key representative of Abu Dhabi in the business world, it would be hard to see Pep move to a QSI project which is considered a notable rival to UAE interests.

Another option could be Italy. Whilst both Milan clubs and Juventus would match the profile that Pep has worked for in the past, there is something beautiful about the idea of him managing Napoli to a Scudetto. Whilst the pockets of Aurelio De Laurentiis aren’t as deep as those in the north, the almost mythical nature of Napoli as a club could lend itself to a manager who may now want to chase glory under different circumstances. Much like with the arrival of Maradona in 1984, the support Pep would receive almost instantly in the city under the shadow of Vesuvius would be incredible and it would no doubt be a short time before his image is immortalised on one of the many murals around the city.

However, if it was to be Italy he chose, there is another club he’s mentioned he would love to rejoin…

Back to Brescia

Pep Guardiola played for Brescia either side of a stint in the Italian capital with Roma. His decision to sign for the Lombardy club was mainly down to his desire to play alongside the legendary Roberto Baggio as well as work under the management of Carlo Mazzone. Under his stewardship, not only would be helped Pep & Co achieve mid table finishes in Serie A but the influence of Mazzone would go on to become a key pillar of Guardiola’s coaching philosophy. He would frequently cite his time under Mazzone a major inspiration and when the Italian passed away in 2023, he wore a t-shirt dedicated to him during City’s game with Newcastle.

Despite only being there for a combined total of 24 months, the city and the club left a mark on him and Guardiola maintains a deep affection for them both. He has on occasion expressed his desire to return to Brescia in some capacity and even paid a surprise visit to the Stadio Rigamonti to watch the reformed Union Brescia play in the lower tiers, following the clubs dissolution in 2025. It is even widely speculated that Pep has set his heart on managing the club one day, a desire shared by his former teammate Luca Toni.

Union Brescia find themselves just one step away from a ‘return’ to Serie B, should they win at home against Salernitana and no doubt Pep will have one eye on this fixture but possibly managing the club one day feels like a long stretch - though perhaps being involved in some form of ownership capacity sounds a lot less far-fetched.

The City Family

Would it be impossible to see Pep remaining within the stable of the City Football Group after a short stint of rest? Whilst Manchester City are the crown jewel of Sheikh Mansour, they are just one of 11 clubs within their portfolio. Whilst seeing Pep turning up at Shenzhen Peng City or Montevideo City Torque is unlikely, a possible role at any of New York City, Melbourne City or Yokohama Marinos could be a possible next step. The former would seem to be the most convincing option, with the CFG ambitions of MLS dominance placed on the back burner in recent seasons. Though, with the growth of Inter Miami as inspiration and the World Cup taking place on US soil this summer, there could be a renewed appetite to ‘crack America’ and what better statement to make than bringing the world’s greatest manager to the MLS.

Alternatively, Pep could take a leaf out of his former rival, Jürgen Klopp’s book and take a move upstairs. The City Football Group’s current managing director of global football, Brian Marwood, has just turned 66 years old and should he be thinking of taking a retirement, then could the opportunity for Guardiola to takeover as a head of global football ops be one where he could take his football philosophy to new heights, by imprinting it across 11 different teams.

The International Job

Perhaps following in the footsteps of Don Carlo once more might be the ideal next step of Pep Guardiola’s career? International football management has tended to be a little slower on the day to day activities but ultimately, more international sides are screaming out of the Guardiola-style manager who can build a brilliant squad mental cohesion as well as be tactically astute for both qualifying and tournament football.

Whilst the natural fit for Pep may be Spain, especially with him being the architect of the philosophy that has seen the nation dominate international football through this century, it probably wouldn’t be his first call. He made 47 appearances for Spain over his career and probably would have made more if he hadn’t fell out with Javier Clemente in 1996 and suffered an almost career ending injury in 1998. No, the possible misfit for him now with the Spanish national side is two-fold.

Firstly, the RFEF have adopted a new model following the fiasco of the 2018 World Cup where they are looking to promote from within. After Enrique had resigned, they turned to the under-21’s manager Luis de la Fuente and it wouldn’t surprise us if they turned to David Gordo to replace him if necessary. The second reason is the optics - Pep Guardiola has become an ever-growing face for Catalan Independence. He has never hidden his desire for an independent state of Catalunya and even made 7 appearances for the Catalonia football side during his playing days. His appearances at many independence rallies and even his admittance that he would participate in a pro-independence coalition back in 2015 means that he wouldn’t appear to be a unifying figure for the national side with so many strong regional identities.

However, don’t rule out a possible international role elsewhere and before Thomas Tuchel was appointed England manager, he was the preferred choice of the Football Association to replace Gareth Southgate. It would also be a good fit for Pep Guardiola too, using his now extensive knowledge of the English game to the benefit of the national team could be the difference going into the World Cup in his native Spain in 2030 and if he ever wanted to truly achieve immortal status on these shores, then bringing a World Cup to England for the first time since 1966 would certainly do that.

Whatever or wherever Pep Guardiola turns up next, you are guaranteed at least two things - a passionate, motivated and incredible manager AND then guaranteed success.

The Difficult Follow Up Album

So what of Manchester City? They should only look across town at the chaos that ensued following the loss of Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford as to how far a team can drop from their top shelf without a suitable replacement lined up. Whilst former Pep assistant, Enzo Maresca, is pretty much letting the ink dry on his contract to replace his former boss, we’d be possibly suggesting that a different Spanish manager could have been the better option for a new era after Guardiola.

Andoni Iraola’s availability appears to be flying under the radar at the moment, with really only Crystal Palace and as of today, AC Milan expressing an interest in bringing the Basque manager to their respective clubs. However what he has achieved with Bournemouth would rightly be considered a miracle in some circles, helping them this season qualify for Europe for the first time in their history. His tactics and philosophies are more or less aligned to Pep’s and he’s also from that mystical region of Gipuzkoa where the world’s best hail.

What Maresca does offer over Iraola is stability, he’s known around the club and it appears after today’s exodus of Pep’s backroom staff, he’ll be bringing in people he knows from his previous time as well. But, despite getting promoted with Leicester, his time with Chelsea showed that he isn’t infallible and like other Pep disciples, hasn’t found it plain sailing trying to replicate their Messiah’s teachings elsewhere. The worry would be he would struggle to fill the shoes that left before him and like many other big clubs who lose a long-term manager, quickly find themselves in a spiral trying to restore order with short term fixes. The other alternative is possibly Vincent Kompany but pulling him away from Bayern at the moment seems like an impossibility.

Whichever direction the club goes in next, they will always struggle to find someone of Pep Guardiola’s character, ability and brilliance. But as the Oasis song goes, it’s all part of The Masterplan.

If you’re not already aware, as well as being a supporter of Spanish football, I am also a supporter of Blackpool FC and love every part of being from the seaside town that can sometimes carry a bad reputation. Whilst I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, a post caught my eye that instantly grabbed my attention as my two worlds collided.

22nd May 1957 - Barcelona 3-3 Blackpool

This was something I was never aware of from my time supporting Blackpool or following Spanish football and subsequently, there isn’t also a lot written about the match up from either side. However, what makes this game really interesting is that it was one of the final games to be played by Barcelona at their iconic home estadio of Camp de Les Corts.

Whilst the fortunes of Blackpool and Barcelona couldn’t really be further a part nowadays, back in 1957 they were a lot more closely matched than you would think. The 1950’s were the Golden Era for the Seasiders, appearing in 3 FA Cup finals with 5 years since the post-war restart, as well as achieving their highest ever league finish of 2nd in the top division, runners up to the Busby Babes of Manchester United in 1956. Three years earlier they had also won one of those 3 FA Cup finals they contested, arguably one of the greatest finals the competition had ever seen. Coined ‘The Matthews Final’ after the influencial display from the Tangerines tricky winger, it was Stan Mortensen who would prove decisive in the final as his hat-trick of goals helped them edge out Bolton by 4 goals to 3. Under the stewardship of Joe Smith, Blackpool were not just a team making up the numbers in this friendly, they were equals with one of the crown jewels of Spanish football.

Barcelona were also obviously footballing royalty too. The inaugural champions of La Liga back in 1929, the 1950s were also the beginning of a Golden Era for the Blaugrana, as they began to dominate La Liga as well as win multiple Copa del Generalisimos (now the Copa del Rey) including one just before this fixture in 1957, beating city-rivals Espanyol at Montjuic. The squad was starting to fill up with stars and with some of the best around Europe. Players with now legendary statuses such as the Brazilian Evaristo, a young Luis Suarez and Hungarian powerhouse Laszlo Kubala were amongst the squad. The two former would play a part in the game against Blackpool at Les Corts, lining up against the likes of Sir Stan and Jimmy Armfield.

Whilst the record of the goalscorers of Blackpool appear to be lost to the sands of time, the records on Barcelona’s archive tell us at least half the story of how great this exhibition match must have been to watch, with the game ending 3-3.

Ramon Villaverde opened the scoring for the Catalans - with the Uruguayan a mainstay in Domènec Balmanya’s team. The Montevideo native had arrived from Millonarios in Colombia a couple of seasons before. The real drama would occur right at the end, with the Seasiders leading Barcelona 3-2 going into the final moments of the game and much like the decades to follow, Barcelona requiring a little bit of Brazilian magic to avoid a loss. Evaristo is rightly regarded as one of the club’s greatest pieces of business and his goalscoring exploits have earned him hallowed status in the corridors of the Camp Nou. It is widely believed that this game against Blackpool could have actually been his debut game for the club, as he had only joined Barcelona following the conclusion of his commitments in South America. The Brazilian came to the attention Barcelona secretary Josep Samitier following his 5 goals for Brazil in their demolition of Colombia in the 1957 South American Championship. Further scouting during Brazil’s qualifying campaign for the 1958 World Cup saw him trade Flamengo for Barcelona and lining up against Blackpool a month later. His equaliser in the 83rd minute, one of the first of many he’d score for the club, rescued a draw in a farewell game to Les Corts.

Barcelona leaving Les Corts was as symbolic as it was practical. Yes, the reason for the move was mainly down to the fact that the club were unable to expand their existing ground beyond the capacity of 60,000, but it was also a stadium that will have held a lot of mixed sentiments for people in the city. Whilst being a stage for the club to launch it’s successes in the 1920’s, it was also shut down by dictator Primo de Rivera after the Spanish national anthem was jeered and ‘God Save the King’ cheered during a visit from the British Marine Band in 1925. This saw the dictator accuse Barcelona Founder and President, Joan Gamper of inciting Catalan Nationalism and he was forced into exile and Les Corts was closed for a period of time. The stadium would also become a military camp during the Spanish Civil War and following the Fall of Barcelona to the nationalists, it became closely monitored by the Franco regime. During the first game when Les Corts was reopened, it saw many speeches given by officials from various military authorities, proclaiming that the club would no longer be used as a symbol for anti-Spanish sentiment and that the club would become a Spanish sports icon under the new regime - all whilst the flags of Nationalist Spain, Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany waved in the breeze.

So whilst the final whistle on the 22nd May 1957 wouldn’t be celebrated for winning 3 points or the lifting of a trophy, it would be one of the last times Barcelona would ever play at Les Corts. For me personally, this will always be fascinating that one of the final teams to ever play in a stadium so steeped in history, glory as well as dark history would be my own beloved hometown of Blackpool, that went toe-to-toe with one of the finest Barcelona sides in history and is a testament to the gems you can find by mindlessly scrolling through the Metaverse.

If you want to hear more stories like this, then definitely give a follow and read his book, The Defiant. We spoke to him in one of this season’s episodes about Football and Fascism. Check it out!

In this article, Paul takes us back to 2008 when Real Racing Club played their solo season in the UEFA Cup and what it meant to see the famous green and white in Europe!

Throughout its 112 year history, Real Racing Club de Santander has arguably carried with it the pride of the city, and in doing so the hopes of the wider Cantabria region. The picturesque sights of the historic city, its seafood cuisine, the golden sands which line the coast and the piercing mountains inland, provide an exquisite backdrop for the club’s home of Estadio El Sardinero. The 22,000 capacity stadium may not always be full, but it often provides a vibrant atmosphere for the men in white and green. Los Racinguistas scooped up no less than 13 Cantabrian Championships in the early part of the 20th Century, but in terms of the wider reach, their triumph at the end of the 2021/22 season in topping the third tier and returning to the Segunda was a big step back for the club, but would have counted for nothing if they failed to stay up and consolidated their status at the first time of asking. They managed that and are currently rebuilding a platform.

Although Racing currently have two Segunda titles to their name, this is a club which has spent 44 of its 113 year existence in the Primera and there’s somewhat of a vibe around Racing that gives the impression that this is a club which, characteristically at least, belongs at a higher level than the turbulent events and results of the last 15 years or so would point to. Throughout its recent history club has seen extremes of adulation from the fans as the team stood in the centre circle refusing to take part in a huge cup game, and conversely seen fans storm the director’s box in disgust, as well as financial troubles. Winning the Primera División RFEF title on 3rd June 2022 is a notable high in a turbulent period for Racing. This is a club that has seen a lot on and off the pitch, fans have had to endure Administration in 2011 and relegations, the wind has changed; the club is much more stable now, it has unveiled plans to redevelop their stadium (though at the time of writing there has been some objections raised by the local council), and after last night’s 4-1 demolition of Real Valladolid, Racing returned to the top flight after 14 years away. And on that note, let’s turn our attention to the time Racing Santander took on Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City in European competition.

Looking back to 2008 and that UEFA Cup campaign, all six matches of it that is, there was a buzz around the town as Racing took on clubs from England, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland. It was an exciting new step into European competition for the first time in the club’s history. Further still, a key stat that comes from that memorable campaign, is that Racing Santander are the only team in Spain which can boast a 100% win record vs Manchester City in competitive fixture – Valencia fans may jump in here and point out that they have never lost a competitive game vs City, and they would be correct but given that one of the their two meetings in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup ended in a draw, it’s not quite the perfect record that Racing can boast.

Racing’s UEFA Cup campaign began in the First Round on 18th September 2008, with a 1-0 home win over Finnish side, Honka, courtesy of a Jonathan Pereira goal in the 46th minute. The Cantabrian’s then travelled to Finland for the second leg on 2nd October and were able to repeat the result, this time it was Edu Bedia who gave Racing the edge with a goal in the 4th minute of the tie. Such was the format of the UEFA Cup in those days, Racing were then entered into a Group Stage, which saw them drawn against FC Twente, Schalke 04, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. The format of the competition meant that the top three sides from each group would progress to the knock-out rounds and each team played one another just once in games that took place between 23 October and 18 December.

The first Group Stage game saw Racing travel to De Grolsch Veste, home of FC Twente Enschede, who were at the time managed by Steve McClaren. The Dutch side took the lead in the 7th minute and calmly saw out a 1-0 win over Racing. It was a learning experience for Los Racinguistas.

Three weeks later 15,000 fans entered El Sardinero to see Racing take on German side, Schalke 04. The Bundesliga side had overcome French outfit PSG in their first game and were expected to challenge for a spot in the knockout phase. A resolute performance from Racing saw them take the lead courtesy of Tchité just before the hour mark, but their lead lasted less than five minutes as Orlando Engelaar equalised for the visitors. A 1-1 draw was not a bad result considering Schalke were considered one of the favourites in the group and the home crowd had just got their first real taste of European football.

For the third Group Stage game Racing travelled to France to take on Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on 27 November 2008. This was three years before Qatar Sports Investment took over and people still commonly referred to by its name ‘Paris-Saint Germain’ rather than the branded ‘PSG’. At the time the French club had spent the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Ligue 1 seasons narrowly avoiding relegation, and they had actually only qualified for the UEFA Cup by winning the – now defunct – 2007-08 Coup de la Ligue. Despite the comparative impoverishment PSG were going through back then, their squad contained recognisable names such as Claude Makélélé, Stéphane Sessègnon, Mateja Kezman and a young Mamadou Sakho.

Former Atletico Madrid striker, Kezman gave PSG the lead in the 5th minute after some poor Racing defensive work. He then turned provider, as Peguy Luyindula (dedicated FIFA ‘06 players may remember him) doubled the lead for the home side in the 32nd minute. However, Racing were by no means out of the running and just five minutes before the end of the first half, they reduced the deficit to one, thanks to a pretty calamitous own goal from PSG’s Sammy Traoré, as tried to head away a Pedro Munitis free kick from deep. Gonzalo Colsa levelled things up in the 55th minute with a golazo. Racing were able to see out the result and the draw in Paris meant if Racing could beat an already qualified Manchester City at home in the final game and Paris St Germain were to lose to FC Twente, then the Cantabrian side would be through to the knockout stage.

The El Sardinero was filled with 18,360 fans on Thursday 18 December 2008, as Racing were poised to take on the nouveau riche Premier League club Manchester City. The English side had been taken over by Sheikh Mansour on the final day of the summer transfer window barely three months earlier, and famously stated their intent by signing Robinho from Real Madrid under the nose of Chelsea, as well as having already secured the likes of Vincent Kompany from Hamburg and Pablo Zabaleta from Espanyol earlier in the window, to add to a squad which contained the likes of Elano, Kasper Schmeichel, Stephen Ireland, Joe Hart and Micah Richards, as well the ageing duo of Darius Vassell and Didi Hamman. There were also a couple of other names La Liga fans may be familiar with that were on the books at City in the shape of former Atletico Madrid winger, Martin Petrov, Spaniard Javier Garrido had joined City from Real Sociedad, and striker Felipe Caicedo was in the squad – he would later go on to play for Malaga, Levante and Espanyol. Meanwhile, the Racing team that faced City contained Ezequiel Garay, but they also had Sergio Canales and Nikola Zigic on their books at the time too. Racing took the lead against the English side after just 18 minutes had been played. After a quick free kick was taken, Oscar Serrano crossed the ball low from the left wing into the City penalty area. The low cross was parried by City goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel and fell to Jonathan Pereira and the striker slotted home from close range. It was a dream start on a night where Racing needed to win to have any hope of making it through o the knockout phase.

Serrano found himself on the score sheet just after the half-hour mark, following some nice passing play with the aforementioned Perreria. Racing were firmly on top at the break, and just nine minutes into the second half they had a third goal. City failed to clear a corner and Juan Valera pounced on the opportunity. City did claw a goal back, but it was merely a consolation for the visitors in the end – substitute, Felipe Caicedo was the scorer. It was a memorable night at El Sardinero as Racing got a historic win over Premier League opposition, but the late City goal and a flurry of goals for Paris Saint-German late on in their game against FC Twente, meant the French side would be the ones to progress to the next stage of the competition and Racing would miss out.

The difference between PSG’s progression in the UEFA Cup in 2008 and Racing’s elimination was just one goal. Four years later, Los Racinguistas were relegated from the topflight and they would go on to spend seven out of the next 10 seasons in the third tier of Spanish football. Promotion back to the Segunda in May of this year, by winning the Primera RFEF (1a – Group 1), which was sealed in front of a home crowd of 21,000 fans in El Sardinero with a 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo B, meant everything to the fans and they will righty feel like the club is slowly but surely on its way back.

In the time since that UEFA Cup run, the club was bought by an Indian business tycoon, Ahsan Ali Syed. During the early years of his tenure, the club burnt through managers and players regularly; in 2012 they went through three managers in the same season. The club also went through its centenary year enduring institutional and economic crisis and saw staff go without pay, leading to protests from fans and players alike, including an infamous cup tie against Real Sociedad in which the team refused to play, and the club was then banned from the copa for the following season. However, despite a few setbacks, including a brief return to the Segunda in 2019 before coming back in 2022, to where the club now find themselves Champions in 2026!

With the good feeling around El Sardinero and the fact that La Liga has shown itself to be so competitive for European places, don’t discount Real Club Racing de Santander once again plotting their course for another European adventure once again!

It appears today that in one of the many offices in the bowels of the Santiago Bernabéu, somebody was perhaps keeping an eye on the events behind the famous black door of 10 Downing Street. Whilst Kier Starmer is clinging onto power with the very edges of his finger nails, trying to calm a backbench rebellion through the art of calmness and diplomacy, I picture Florentino Pérez strategizing on how he may solidify his stranglehold on power at Real Madrid after a week to forget. However, unlike Sir Kier, Florentino has always been somewhat of a strong leader and has ran the club for combined 23 years in his vision and his announcement of an ‘emergency press conference’ this afternoon is not an unusual tactic for the businessman.

Whilst some speculated that this could have been an announcement for the impending return of ‘The Special One’, Pérez instead took a leaf out of the 21st century ‘strongman’ playbook and went on the offensive. Not even 48 hours after Real Madrid lost the La Liga title to the hands of their fierce rivals, the Los Blancos President was digging up every possible reason as to why the blame for Real Madrid’s failures sit anywhere but at his door without even talking about the season in hand. It is the kind of rhetoric we see a lot from hard-headed leaders of late, where the blame isn’t because of something ‘I’ve done’, it’s all because of something else etc etc.

In today’s press conference:

He called out those conspiring against him from inside the club, especially those claiming he is terminally ill.

Stated that there is an orchestrated effort in the Spanish media to discredit him and Real Madrid before reading out all the ‘fake news’ from his phone.

Told the room he is the best President in Real Madrid history after bringing 77 titles to the club.

Claims HE could have won titles as 7 of them were stole from him.

Vented his frustrations that some referees from the Negreira case and that it was the worst scandal in football history.

Called a Presidential Election 3 years early and dared anyone to challenge him and the existing board.

It was truly fever pitch stuff and adds further fuel to the fire that Real Madrid really are a club trapped in a chaos cycle. However the ‘Trumpian’ manner in to which Florentino Pérez addressed the media this afternoon has done one thing - we’re not talking about Barcelona winning the title, we’re not talking about fights at training grounds and we’re not talking about over 40 million people signing a petition for them to get rid of Kylian Mbappe for going on a club-sanctioned trip to Italy.

What the true purpose of this afternoon’s press conference, we’ll never know, but it is definitely one of the oddest we’ve seen from Florentino Pérez who has never been one to hold his tongue when required. Should the rumours of José Mourinho’s impending return be confirmed in the coming days then I reckon we can expect even more chaos to possibly come…

If you wanted to read more about why we think Real Madrid and Florentino Pérez’s are in danger of falling behind, then read our article: The Theory of Never-lution.

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El Boletín

Whilst today’s news intentionally or unintentionally eclipsed the happenings of Sunday evening, we must remember that Barcelona retained the La Liga title and did so at ease against a poor showing from Alvaro Arbeloa’s side. Whilst the backdrop of chaos and in-fighting was one thing, the remarkable Hansi Flick was once again lofted in the air at the final whistle for the second season in a row.

Whilst he joined in the celebrations at the end of the game, it must have been extra difficult for him to truly enjoy his achievements knowing that hours earlier, he was being told his father had passed away back in Germany. However, knowing his side were on the verge of a famous glory, the first time an El Clásico game has decided the title, he remained to see out the job. The whole story further enhances Hansi Flick’s tenure as manager of Barcelona, where some were sceptical that he would be able to emulate or even better some of his predecessors at the club. However, he has proved those doubters wrong and brought balance to a Barcelona side who could have easily have spiralled given their financial concerns and the fact that they had to play away from the Camp Nou for an extended period. His combination of tactical astuteness and brilliant man management has helped transform Barcelona back into the powerhouse that they should be, blending experienced stars a long with a re-emerging conveyor belt of talent coming from La Masia - with the latter feared to be falling behind during the brief era of high-spending.

German’s in Spanish football are a rarity, as there has only ever been 5 but Hansi Flick is well on his way to becoming the best to represent his nation in La Liga and on the evidence of today’s events will definitely be feeling confident about making in a hat-trick of titles next season!

I do once again come with a bug bear I need to share and once again it is the filiales of Spain that will bear the brunt of my frustration. We are in the midst of the Segunda RFEF Playoff Semi-Finals and (unfortunately) we have some B teams participating for a chance to move up to the third division. One of those sides is Getafe B, who finished 4th in Grupo 5 this season and they were subsequently drawn with UD Logroñes in the first round of games. Now Getafe are club that never shy away from controversy and do not feel they need to endear themselves to fans of other clubs. In the run-up to this week’s game, they announced that tickets for away fans from UD Logroñes will not be available and this was down to the fact their capacity was reserved for “home fans” who wished to watch their B team instead.

This isn’t new territory for the Madrid based side, as they did exactly the same to Numancia last season and blamed their 1500 capacity training ground as a reason why they couldn’t invite fans from the well-supported Soria club to watch their side in the decisive games. Whilst some UD Logroñes fans managed to find their way in to watch the Rioja side establish a firm 2 goal lead going into the second leg, it left a sour taste in the mouths of those who wished they could have been there. To add insult to injury, the first team were playing away in Oviedo this weekend so in theory, the much larger stadium a mere 250 yards away could have been utilised. However, Getafe are not alone in this scheme as it was announced by Deportivo Alavés that no tickets would be available for travelling fans of Real Jaen to watch their side away in the second leg this coming weekend.

The Andaluz side trail by just one goal and despite being a 4th tier side, are one of the best supported clubs in the division so it is not unthinkable a fair few would travel to Victoria for the game to help their overturn the 2-1 defeat from the first leg. It is once again another example of filiales using tactics which would be scolded if they were committed by any ordinary club. If a team is going to compete in the playoffs for a chance to move up to Primera Federación, then they should be prepared to allow away fans to watch their side compete in both legs and if they don’t like, then they should make way for a side who will!

Partido of the Week

The much fabled ‘Gol Olimpico’ is a real rarity in football. For those unfamiliar, this is the Spanish name given to a goal scored directly from a corner. Unlike the ‘Panenka’ penalty, this style of goal wasn’t named after the innovator of this technique, otherwise we would be calling it an ‘Onzari’ but unfortunately the Argentine didn’t get the credit.

This weekend, we were treated to not just one Gol Olimpico but TWO, both scored by Europa players in dramatic fashion. Whilst trailing 2-0 at their temporary home of Can Drago, Europa scored at the quintessential ‘best time to score’, on the stroke of half-time as Roger Escoruela bent his corner right into the top left-hand corner of the goal to put the home side back into the game. Whilst the Catalans would go onto equalise in the second half, they once again found themselves trailing coming into the final moments of the game when this time, Adnane Ghailan stepped up to take his corner in the 87th minute and deftly placed the ball into the top right, ricocheting off the post and into the back of the net with Ruben Gomez now one of the few victims, if any, to concede two Gol Olimpicos in one game.

The draw did neither side any good in their attempts to solidify their play off spots but it was a great game between two sides who have been surprise packages in Grupo 2 this season. Check out the highlights now and especially those two special goals!

Blast from the Past

Much was made this weekend on the performance of Pedri in El Clásico and naturally his influence as a midfielder and a captain drew complimentary comparisons to the one and only Andrés Iniesta.

As it happens, it was Iniesta’s 42nd birthday on Monday and it had me reminiscing over truly one of the greatest midfielders to have ever graced football. The winner of a whopping 35 trophies including 4 Champions League’s with Barcelona and a World Cup with Spain where he scored the winning goal, it is a crying shame that he never won a Ballon D’Or as he truly deserved it back in 2010, despite Lionel Messi scoring his 60 goals.

So why not join me in thinking about how great Andrés Iniesta was by enjoying this compilation of his ‘Greatest Moments’.

Ones to Watch

CD Eldense v Atlético Madrileño

(Primera Federación 16.05.2026 8:00pm - Nuevo Pepico Amat)

Deportivo de La Coruña v FC Andorra

(La Liga Hypermotion 17.05.2026 1:00pm - Riazor)

CF Talavera v Ourense CF

(Primera Federación 17.05.2026 5:00pm - Estadio del Prado)

Levante v Mallorca

(La Liga 17.05.2026 7:00pm - Ciutat de Valencia)

Athletic Club v Celta Vigo

(La Liga 17.05.2026 7:00pm - San Mamés)

Now this has certainly been the case this weekend when a tweet put out by the GradaProB account stated that Primera Federación were preparing to make an announcement on Monday. Fairly innocuous but such is the way X (formerly known as Twitter) is nowadays, announcements of this nature with no stated purpose leave a vacuum that will often by filled by misinformation. The announcement is likely to be around television rights for next season, as La Liga have announced their national platform LaLiga+ will be shutdown this summer - this is where most people can access and watch all Primera Federación games (unless you live outside of Spain - appalling decision). However, the rumour that quickly spread on the back of that tweet is that the RFEF and La Liga were preparing to announce La Liga 3, Spain’s long-awaited and somewhat overdue third professional tier.

There have been many attempts to professionalise a Spanish third tier and the current set up with Primera Federación is as close to La Liga 3 you are probably going to get but there are elements that still means it’s far from recognised as an equal to the Spanish Segunda above. First of all, the league is actually two leagues comprised of 40 teams - split regionally between a rough line drawn every season depending on the relegation and promotions from above and below. This often means some clubs can be very fortunate with the level of travel and in other cases, not so much. Take SD Tarazona of Aragon for examples - last season they played in the Northern section of Spain with a lot shorter travel and costs associated whilst this season is the opposite and they face the longest journeys (bar Tenerife but these travel by air), often by coach, down to Spain’s Atlantic Coast to play Atlético Sanluqueño in a massive 1800km round trip.

The first issue as you can see also goes hand in hand with second - the money! If you fall down El Pozo (The Well) then you can expect lose close to €10 million in revenue which is a colossal gap to fill when you’re a big club coming down. However, for the smaller clubs trying to compete, the money is nowhere near big enough for provincial clubs. These teams often have small gates, rely on the ‘old school’ commercial revenues and backed by either a local business owner, the fans or the local Junta - or often, all three. It sounds cheap to say but the reason why Spain struggles to fully professionalise it’s third tier is because the money doesn’t filter down from the top divisions the same way we see in England and La Liga’s top two leagues remain a closed shop - but is that where Javier Tebas comes in?

We note in these rumours that it wouldn’t be a matter of fully professionalising Primera Federación, it would be a La Liga 3 and that part is important. The plan would be that the current third tier Primera Federación, would shift down to being the fourth tier and a new league (La Liga 3) comprising 20 teams would play in a new, all professional league with 4 teams promoted to La Liga Hypermotion and 4 teams descending down to Primera RFEF. Now how those 20 teams would be decided, we don’t know and when that league would start - again, no idea. Now remember…

THIS IS UNLIKELY TO BE THE ANNOUNCEMENT

But it doesn’t mean we can’t have some picking out what teams we’d like to see in this rumoured third professional tier. Below, we have taken the 20 teams from the current Primera and Segunda Federación leagues and explain why we think they would be great clubs to play in any newly established La Liga 3.

AD Mérida

We start with one of the most interesting projects currently in Spanish football. AD Mérida are not only an historic side in under their former guises, but are now currently owned by Best Intention Analytics, the group owned by Matthew Benham and twinned with Brentford FC in the Premier League. They are currently building the infrastructure to compete at the highest levels, with a new training ground on the way and a scouting network aiming to recruit the best Iberian and South American youngsters using the same data models that has seen the west London side rise from League Two to the Premier League.

Add to that they are a former La Liga side back in the 90’s and the club has spent most of it’s existence bouncing between the second and third tiers, AD Mérida would be a perfect candidate.

AD Alcorcón

We love Alcorcón. A brilliant club located just on the outside of the capital and one that is run very well. Madrid is a tough place to attract a fanbase but Alcorcón, along with their near neighbours Leganes and Getafe manage to hold their own when it comes to their fan base - who are passionate, loyal and make an awful lot of noise at the Estadio Santo Domingo.

Another club who have recent experience of playing at the higher levels, being a Segunda club as recently as 2024 after spending a decade in the second tier, they are also owners of one of the few Copa del Rey games to ever be remembered by it’s own name - the Alcorconazo! This the memorable game where Alcorcon beat the Galacticos of Real Madrid 4-0 in the Copa del Rey first leg tie in the Madrid suburbs and is often considered the biggest shock in modern Spanish football.

FC Cartagena

Cartagena is one of the oldest towns in Spain. Settled back in 227 BC and named after the ancient city of Carthage in what is now modern day Tunisia. Not only is it home to stunning ruins, the Spanish Navy’s Mediterranean fleet but is also the home of FC Cartagena.

One Murcia’s ‘Big 3’, the club has 20 seasons of playing in the third tier under their new guise of FC Cartagena. They have recently played in the Spanish Segunda, only being relegated last season and fighting for an immediate return back. They also play at one of the most impressive settings in the third tier, the Estadio Cartagonova and have one of the most passionate fanbases you will find in Spain. They also have a tendancy to attract big names to the South East as well - just ask Pascal Cygan, Shinji Okazaki and Ruben Castro!

CD Extremadura

This is a club aiming for the very top. This new club has a previous history under other names but since having to start again in the 7th tier in 2022, they have achieved 4 successive promotions and will be competing in the third tier next season - which is brilliant considering the complexity and arduous nature of ascending through the divisions in Spanish non-league.

Similar to Mérida, this club named after the region to where it belongs, finds itself in Spanish football’s final frontier but is a growing hot bed of football. They also enjoyed a heyday in La Liga, when none other than Rafael Benitez took them to the top division in the late 90s before going on to become a double La Liga winner with Valencia a few seasons later.

CD Eldense

Eldense are a bit of an outlier in this list, as unlike many other clubs being mentioned they have spent most of their existence playing in the Tercera División (which is oddly not Spain’s third tier but it’s fifth). However, in recent years the club from the small Valencian town of Elda has been making a name for itself.

Last season, they were relegated from the Spanish Segunda after two seasons in Spain’s second division - a place they hadn’t been since the 1960s. They are not a club of massive means, in spite of their new Colombian backers but they play in a unique estadio named after one of the legendary players, the Nuevo Pepico Amat and have a growing fanbase that loves making a fair bit of noise. I went to watch Malaga here last season and it was a brilliant place to visit!

CE Europa

If you haven’t heard of CE Europa then where have you been? Based in the Barcelona barrios of Gràcia, Europa are a former Copa del Rey runner up as well as a founding club of La Liga back in 1929. Whilst their heyday may be approaching a century ago, Europa have turned themselves into a destination for many groundhoppers, with Nou Sardenya hosting one of the best atmospheres in Spanish football whilst being towered over by apartment blocks right in the centre of the barrios.

Europa are also one of a handful of clubs who are fan-owned, who thrive on their values and are at the heart of their community. In their first season back in the third tier, they have exceeded everybody’s expectations and currently occupy a place in the playoffs for a chance to play the Spanish Segunda next season - somewhere they haven’t played since 1968. A must visit and as a La Liga founder, a perfect club to have in a newly established La Liga 3.

Hércules CF

The term ‘Sleeping Giant’ is one that gets thrown about a lot and often used frivolously - but not in this case. Hércules CF are a club who have been down on their luck in recent years, falling as low of the fourth tier but are currently fighting their way back to the top. Named after the legendary Greek hero, the club have a a long history of sitting at the top table of Spanish football and most recently appeared in La Liga back in 2010, with World Cup winning striker David Trezegeut leading the line.

Whilst their home estadio is falling into neglect, the 29,500 capacity Estadio José Rico Pérez is a stadium that is steeped in history. Not only aligned with a glittering history for Hércules, but it was also a host stadium for the 1982 Copa Mundial where a young Argentine called Diego Maradona would make his World Cup debut - he didn’t do to badly in the end.

Gimnàstic de Tarragona

Founded all the way back in 1886, Gimnàstic de Tarragona are one of the oldest clubs in Spain. A club that is very well supported, the Catalan club are just enough distance away from the metropolis of Barcelona for it’s people to fully fall under the spell of the Blanguara, though we suspect some may have split loyalties.

They play at the brilliantly named Nou Estadi Costa Darauda and have had made brief appearances in La Liga, most recently in 2007 but have spent much of their existence flirting between the second and third tiers. They are a club with a lot of potential but just need to break that glass ceiling, with promotion back to the Spanish Segunda eluding them and having lost out in the play-offs in 4 of the 5 last seasons.

CD Numancia

The club from Soria are the late bloomers of Spanish football. Despite spending much of their existence in Tercera División, they announced their arrival onto the main stage during the 1995-96 Copa del Rey where they knocked out Real Sociedad, Real Racing Club and Real Sporting, who were all La Liga clubs at the time. They would then go on to back up that run with several appearances in La Liga during the late 90s and early 00s before spending over a decade in Spain’s second tier.

Despite playing 23 seasons in the top two tiers, Numancia found themselve foul of the league’s restructuring in 2020 and were relegated to the Segunda Federación (fourth tier) and have yo-yo’ed ever since. They fell short of another return to the third tier last season, losing in the playoffs despite just finishing second. They have another shot this season through the same route but one of the main reasons Numancia would be a great addition to any La Liga 3 is their fantastic supporter based in Soira.

Pontevedra CF

Here’s the first of our two Galician clubs and Pontevedra is where we start. The club play at the fantastic Estadio Pasarón but were at the peak of their powers back in the 1960s. Since then, they have mainly been a team that sat beneath the waterline of professional football whilst their neighbours Celta Vigo, Deportivo de La Coruña and even SD Compostela enjoyed incredible success during the boom era for Galician football.

However, what makes Pontevedra the perfect candidate for the third tier is the potential for growth. They are club with a growing fanbase, good infrastructure and most importantly, a stunning kit. But with the right leadership and potentially some investment, Pontevedra could easily have a very successful future, beginning in the new La Liga 3.

Racing Club de Ferrol

Another famous naval town, Ferrol being home to Spain’s Atlantic fleet and was one of the cities than helped the Spain maintain it’s Empire across the New World. It was also the birthplace of Generalissimo Fransisco Franco, the former Dictator of Spain and with those two factors you may have expected this Galician side to be a bit more well known.

That isn’t the case, as this club have never made it to the top tier but have spent most of their existence bouncing between the second and third tiers. It has only been in the last 15 years that the club has fallen below the third tier on occasion but they have more recently enjoyed time back amongst the best in the Spanish Segunda. However, from my perspective, there is only one way that we could admit Racing Club de Ferrol into this new La Liga 3… they must abandon their kit deal with Adidas and return to the beautiful shirts made by Lotto!

Real Jaen CF

Jaen is a place that fascinates me. A city in Andalucia that is stunningly beautiful yet often overshadowed by it’s regional rivals, Cordoba and Granada. Like those cities, Jaen was an important city to the Moorish rulers following the Arab conquest of Spain and became an important administrative centre of Al-Andalus. Despite 3 seasons in La Liga during the 1950s, this club could be named the quintessential ‘third tier’ club after spending a whopping 59 years playing in Spain’s level 3.

Similarly to some previously mentioned clubs, they have only recently found themselves fallen on hard times after being relegated to the fourth tier during the league restructure. Since then, they are slowly coming back to where they belong and have a shot at returning to Primera Federación during the playoffs this season. Combine that with a brilliant fan base and plans for an expanded stadium, Real Jaen will have their eyes set on playing higher than the third tier but would be a welcome addition to La Liga 3 where they belong.

Real Murcia

Another candidate for the ‘Sleeping Giant’ tag is Real Murcia. There are not many regional capitals that don’t have their clubs playing in the top two tiers but Murcia has been one of a couple of regions massively underrepresented by the capital in recent years. But being from the regions capital is not what makes them a ‘Sleeping Giant’.

On any given match day, they can easily fill their 30,000+ Nuevo Condamina stadium to the brim with faithful and noisy Pimentoneros, which is incredible for any club in the third tier and they hold the record for highest attendance in Primera Federación. Whilst this season may not be up there with the most successful the club has experienced, they have a pedigree at playing in La Liga and the Spanish Segunda and consistently being in the top two leagues.

Real Union

Whilst the Basque country is often dominated by the powerhouses of Bilbao and San Sebastian respectively, other clubs have managed to carve out a history and tasted success over the years. Now you may have to go back a few years to find that in Irun but there is no doubt that Real Union are an historic club. Like Europa, they were one of the founding clubs of La Liga and are also previously Copa del Rey winners, lifting the trophy 3 times between 1918 and 1927.

Fast forward to today and Real Union aren’t quite hitting the heights of their ancestors but are a club with an interesting story nonetheless. They have spent the majority of that time since that era in the third tier though did spend a solitary season in the Spanish Segunda back in 2009/10. The interesting story about Real Union now is who is backing them as they are currently owned by the Emery family - yes, that Emery. Not only does Unai and his family own the club that his father and grandfather played for, they have brought outside investment from the same owners at Aston Villa and the club has benefitted in recent years of receiving some exciting loan players as well as regular use of their Broadheath training facilities during their pre-season preparations.

Recreativo de Huelva

If there was any club we couldn’t leave languishing outside of this new level of professional football, then it would be the ‘Abuelo’ of Spanish football itself - Recreativo de Huelva. Widely acknowledged as the founder of football in Spain, where the British brought it to Spanish shores during their involvement with the Rio Tinto copper mines.

Like in many cases of clubs being the ‘starting point’ they soon found themselves being left behind as football exploded across the rest of the nation and in the case of Huelva, interests settled themselves in the more metropolitan city of Seville during that time. Still, despite being on the very edge of Spain’s Atlantic Coastline, Recre have done well to compete over the decades and were last seen in La Liga as recently as 2009 after spending 3 years amongst the Spanish elite. Whilst consistently a second and third tier side throughout their history, Spanish football’s founding father is another one of those clubs who fell foul of the reorganisation and dropped as low as the Spanish 5th tier!

CE Sabadell

Sabadell are flying this season and if any club deserves to do the double and bounce through into the Spanish Segunda then it’s them. Under Ferran Costa, they’ve been brilliant where he’s got an extra yard of pace, an extra goal and extra spirit out of team where most of the players were playing in the Segunda Federacion last season.

Another club who are seemingly enjoying the uprise in support as of late due to people falling out of love with Barcelona, this club are one of many to stake a claim to being the city’s third biggest club - mainly due to their time spent in Spain’s top division, especially during the 60s, 70s and 80s. Whilst they haven’t reached those heights as of late, they have always been a reliable third tier level club and are a great destination for watching football. Whilst the once upon a time Copa del Rey runners up will hope to be spending next season in the second tier, they’d be a great side to have represented in La Liga 3.

UE Sant Andreu

There are few stories like the one Sant Andreu are living at the moment. One of the fastest growing clubs in Spain but one that is again thriving due to the dissatisfaction with FC Barcelona but is also fast becoming the club that represents Catalan identity on the football pitch along with Europa.

Whilst they may have only spent 11 seasons in the second tier during their 117 year history, they are one of the best known sides in Spanish football and were even the subject of a Copa90 documentary recently. Matchday at their Narcis Sala home is a must visit for any groundhopper looking to experience the best of Spanish football and that atmosphere is matched by the ambitions of their co-owner, Japanese technology company owner, Taito Suzuki. He initially became involved in Spanish football through his investment into Mallorca after admiring his compatriot Take Kubo playing for the Balearic club but then recognised the growth potential of Sant Andreu and bought the club. This season they’ve just been promoted as Champions to Primera Federación and his ambition is to not end there!

CD Tenerife

Now they won’t be playing in the third tier next season after waltzing to the Primera Federación Grupo 1 title earlier this month but for now, we’ll keep things as they are. Undoubtedly, Tenerife are probably one of, if not the biggest club on this list. They are not really a Sleeping Giant as they’ve been playing in the top two tiers of Spanish football continuously now for 40 years bar two seasons around 2010.

Yet another former La Liga club, who spent the entire 90s being a thorn in the side of Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as being UEFA Cup semi-finalists in 1997, the islanders are well supported and well followed despite the logistical issues of being based in the Canary Islands. I imagine that they will once again see this season in the third tier as a blip on their record and if the trajectory of other former Primera RFEF promoted sides is to go by, they’ll be competing for a place in the top tier before we know it.

Unionistas CF

Another fan-owned club but this one is truly special. Based in the beautiful university of Salamanca, the fans of this club had to deal with the pain of seeing their former club dissolve out of existence - sort of. Whilst there are now two factions of fans in Salamanca following the fall of UD Salamanca, Unionistas CF were the first side set up to help preserve the memory of their old club.

They were not willing to fall foul of the previous issues over ownership and are set up as a purely fan-owned club with shareholders from Salamanca, across Spain and many other countries across the world. Even the city’s most famous son, World Cup winning manager Vicente del Bosque is a backer to the club. Whilst they may just be over a decade old technically, their rise has been rapid, rising from the sixth tier to the third tier in just 4 seasons and have been a stalwart in the third tier since 2018, just missing out on the playoffs 3 times!

Zamora CF

Last but by certainly no means least are Zamora. The club have never played above the third tier but have always been in and around it. However in the last few seasons, they have been showing real ambition and have been assembling a squad that could probably have pushed for the Grupo 1 title if the group hadn’t have included the behemoth of Tenerife.

Whilst they hail from a part of Spain this often underrepresented in Spanish football, having them in third tier would be an exciting addition purely for the rivalry they have with the side above. Whilst Unionistas are the plucky fan-owned club, Zamora are now more likely seen as the progressive club who are being cleverly backed by impressive infrastructure and smart recruitment in the transfer market. They are definitely a side that could handle themselves in any La Liga 3 concept and would likely thrive more.

Whilst the announcement on Monday will very much unlikely be about a La Liga 3, there is a strong argument for it’s introduction as Primera Federación has done a brilliant job of professionalising many of their sides, but the lack of money and struggle around logistics in a two-league system means that the natural evolution would be for one national league that demonstrates the growing strength of the Spanish football pyramid.

Let us know below which 20 clubs you would select in any possible La Liga 3 in the comment box below and if you want to hear more about the third tier in it’s current setup, then definitely give a listen to our podcast all about Primera Federacion, El Pozo: The Primera RFEF Show wherever you get your podcasts and on our YouTube channel.

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We have mentioned plenty of times that within the pyramid below the Spanish Segunda, there are plenty of sleeping giants who just need to the right opportunity to wake up. Whether that is the proprietor of a 30,000 seater stadium like Real Murcia or a former La Liga side who famously put Pep’s Barca to the sword with a World Cup winner leading the line like Hércules. There are plenty of sides who have fallen down ‘El Pozo’ and struggle to make it back out - a worry that won’t concern Club Deportivo Tenerife.

When the island club fell out of the Spanish Segunda last season, concerns around an exodus on the pitch combined with ownership issues meant there was a real concern that club would be looking at a long stay in Primera Federación. The club that had once proven to be a thorn in the side of Real Madrid and Barcelona alike, who made it to the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 1997 and launched the career of Rafael Benitez was now falling into uncertain future.

Those concerns feel like a long lost memory now though as the Estadio Heliodoro hosted a party atmosphere on Friday night, where promotion back to La Liga Hypermotion was confirmed without even kicking a ball. As it was a public holiday in Spain on Friday, we had an early kick off between two filiales, where Osasuna Promesas dented any hopes of Celta Fortuna catching Tenerife at the top. That being said, this has been a long time coming…

Tenerife have become only the second side ever to seal an automatic return to the second tier at the first time of asking. Plenty of clubs drop into the division and find it difficult to compete with the more arduous football you find behind Spain’s two professional divisions - you only have to ask the fans of Castellón, Depor and Málaga on that one. That hasn’t been an issue for Álvaro Cervera and his players, who have led Grupo 1 since Jornada 2, a whopping 37 games in top spot. So where have Tenerife succeeded where plenty of others have failed?

The first piece of the puzzle was keeping Cervera in place. He came in to help save the club last season but without success, though as the club’s third manager of the campaign, they knew what keeping him long term was going to be part of the plan. See, Álvaro Cervera is an expert of getting clubs out of ‘the well’ - he’d previously taken Cadiz and Tenerife up the to Segunda. Having an expert in promotions to the second tier is one thing, but add the experience of the likes Eric Gallego, Marc Mateu and Jesus de Miguel into the mix and you can see why many tipped them for an instant return.

With promotion back to the the Spanish Segunda confirmed, attention will turn of course to making sure they don’t return to El Pozo in a quick fashion. For inspiration, they only need to look at the likes of the aforementioned Castellón, Málaga and Depor - all previously massive Primera RFEF clubs that are currently vying for promotion back to La Liga - a place where a club the size of Tenerife would find themselves comfortably placed.

Listen to more about Primera Federación and Tenerife's title celebrations on our sister podcast, El Pozo.

El Boletín

The managerial merry-go-round has started in earnest for next season, as usual in Spain even before the previous season has ended.

One of the first announcements was the confirmed departure of Ernesto Valverde from Athletic Club at the end of the season and it has been confirmed today that former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzić will take over in the summer. Whilst it was rumoured previously that he was the Basque clubs preferred candidate, many saw the opportunity to bring Andoni Iraola back to the club where he is rightly revered as a legend would be too tough to turn down. The current Bournemouth manager, who made over 400 appearances for Los Leones as a player, had announced that he was leaving the South Coast club at the end of the season and many had only drawn the conclusion that his hat was in the ring. He wasn’t the only manager soon to be available that would satisfy the club’s “Basque Only” policy as Pamplona-born Iñigo Pérez also looks set to leave Rayo Vallecano this summer. Not content with leading the Madrid side into to European football last season (against all the odds), he has them with one foot into a European Cup final in Leipzig - unthinkable given the lack of investment, infrastructure and facilities available at Vallecas.

However, Iñigo appears to be another manager who Athletic Club are happy to pass on and it is widely believed the 38 year is heading to Villarreal to replace the brilliant Marcelino at the Estadio Ceramica for next season - as the club announced today that he was leaving this summer. Again, a strange scenario considering he has delivered them back-to-back Champions League qualifying finishes and a record points total is on the cards. Even more impressive is that this has been achieved following a summer transfer window where arguably his 3 best players were sold and many thought he would struggle to replicate the previous seasons success.

So no to Iraola, no to Pérez and no chance of a return for Marcelino, Athletic Club have gone for ‘an outsider’. It is the one element of the club that doesn’t require compliance with the Basque Only philosophy, as previous ‘outsiders’ have brought plenty of success to the club. Most people will cite Jupp Heynckes and Marcelo Biesla of the previous two non-Basque managers who succeeded in Bilbao and a lot of the reasons behind that was down to the fact ‘they understood the brief’.

That’s why Edin Terdić could turn out to be a masterstroke. At Borussia Dortmund, he walked within the youth department and fully understood the potential of the clubs academy when he was lofted into the top job. Under his coaching, he developed players to perform well beyond their potential, including the likes of Karim Adeyemi and Nico Schlotterbeck who are now fully-fledged internationals as well as his work with now global superstar, Jude Bellingham. This would bode well for a club who rely on their cantera to refresh the squad year in, year out and would also be beneficial to revitalise some of the existing squad who still have potential to perform beyond their current output. Another plus for the German-Croatian manager is the brand of football he plays. Terzić likes to employ a high-intensity style of play that is attacking but can also be defensively pragmatic when required. His fondness of a 4-2-3-1 formation will also probably suit the existing crop of players at his disposable but the entertainment factor at San Mamés will be what he lives and dies by with the Athletic Club faithful.

The rest of the merry-go-round still has plenty more spins to go and it remains to be seen where Iraola, Marcelino and even Jose Bordalás will end up - the next vacancy appears to be at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu but that one is currently being earmarked for one of either Unai Emery or a return for ‘The Special One’, Jose Mourinho.

Partido of the Week

There are few places in Spanish football that are truly a fortress but Ipurua is definitely one of them. The legendary 8000 capacity stadium, with the apartment blocks towering over them, is a unique place to visit and has been a difficult place for any side to visit this season - where Eibar have only lost 3 times this season, winning 13 games and boast the second best home record in the division.

Saturday's game offered a tasty prospect between two promotion chasing sides, hell bent of finishing this season inside the playoffs. Málaga arrived in Gipuzkoa looking to bounce back after two defeats to playoff rivals that was looking to derail their La Liga ambitions, whilst were looking to make it 3 wins in a row to consolidate their playoff spot.

First blood would go to the away side, after Malaga were finally awarded a penalty (eventually) following a foul Diego Murillo in the box and VAR confirmed that he had taken Olaetxea’s arm to the face. Up stepped Chupe to convert from the spot for his 19th goal of the season - a tally that has seen the eyes of La Liga club scouts flocking to La Rosaleda to catch their in-form striker in action. Eibar would reply 10 minutes later as Sergio Alvarez managed to latch onto the ball during a scramble around the goalmouth before the home side doubled their lead through José Corpas on the third attempt. In control and ahead at half-time, it looked like a probable win for the Basque side but then came what some are calling the best 45 minutes of football by Málaga all season.

Niño grabbed the equaliser after the hour mark, with Chupe turning provider and the former Atlético Madrileño man finishing first time at the back post. Ten minutes later, Darko would put the Andaluz side ahead with a neat finish into the bottom corner for the Serbian’s first goal for the club before Niño then guaranteed 3 points flying back to the Costa del Sol with a brilliant piece of individuality, side stepping two Eibar defenders to finish in the bottom corner.

It’s a win that lifts Málaga back into the play off positions and leaves Eibar 3 points adrift but with all still to play for with 4 games left to go - check out these highlights below!

Blast from the Past

Five years have passed since Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona triumphed over Athletic Club to lift the Copa del Rey, and it means it is also five years since Athletic Club uniquely lost back-to-back finals in the space of a fortnight.

In what was effectively a rematch of the Supercopa España, Barcelona and Athletic Club met at Seville’s Estadio La Cartuja, on 17 April 2021. Ronald Koeman‘s Barça side were seeking their first trophy of a new era and Los Leones looking to bounce back from their defeat in the 2020 Copa Del Rey Final (…which finished 1-0 against Real Sociedad and had taken place from just two weeks prior due to the postponement caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic!). When the two sides met back in January of 2021 in the final of the Supercopa de España, Barça had twice taken the lead only for Los Leones to find equalisers. Asier Villalibre’s goal in the 90th minute to make it 2-2 meant the game went to extra time. Athletic cult hero and legend in the making Iñaki Williams scored what would turn out to be the winner in the 93rd minute, whilst Lionel Messi of all people was sent off after being adjudged to have struck Villalibre.

Although they are a club which has historically dominated the competition (this appearance was their 39th Copa Del Rey final appearance and their second successive) Athletic Club hadn’t actually won the trophy since 1984. That win had been their 23rd triumph in the competition and coincidentally came against Barcelona. The 1984 final is perhaps best remembered for the post-match brawl which took place on the pitch and saw Diego Maradona kick more than just a football. At the time of that victory, no club had won the Copa on more occasions that Los Leones, but in the 37 years which passed since that day, their record had been surpassed by quite a margin by FC Barcelona and the Catalan side were going into this game looking to lift the trophy for the 31st time.

Despite Barça starting the brightest and almost grabbing a goal within the first 5 minutes, with Frenkie de Jong hitting the post, the first half was relatively low-key and neither side was able to find a breakthrough. Ronald Koeman had chosen to go with a back three of Oscar Mingueza, Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet, with Jordi Alba and Sergiño Dest operating as wing-backs, offering more width and control higher up the pitch. However, Marcelino‘s Athletic Club looked happy to absorb pressure from deep whilst also looking to crowd out the passing lanes in midfield in the hope of finding a goal on the break.

With the half-time passing and both teams level, there was a sense that things would need to go up a gear in the second half for the deadlock to be broken, and that’s exactly what happened. Ronald Koeman’s side took the initiative as they scored four goals in the space of just 12 minutes. Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring on the hour mark, three minutes later a goal from Frenkie De Jong doubled the lead, before a superb brace from Lionel Messi secured the win. It has to be said that De Jong had been instrumental, proving two assists, but also imposing a controlling influence in the midfield throughout the game; he really was beginning to look like the player Barça fans had been hoping for.

A 4-0 scoreline line was an emphatic victory for FC Barcelona, and a painful defeat for Athletic Club. The Basque side had suffered a blow by losing to their rivals just weeks prior and the second chance to lift silverware had finished with a heavy defeat to superior opponents. The famous barge, Gabarra, that the club traditionally celebrate major trophy wins on would have to remain in dry dock.

Meanwhile, Ronald Koeman celebrated his first and what turned out to be his only trophy as Barcelona manager, as well as the club’s first of a new era under the second presidency of Joan Laporta. The loss meant Athletic Club set the record for becoming the first side since Getafe in 2008 to lose successive Copa del Rey finals - albeit, in Athletic’s case it is unique given the two defeats come just weeks apart. After losing 1-0 to Real Sociedad a fortnight earlier, the journey back to Bilbao will have seemed even longer this time.

There were other noteworthy stats from the night; Sergiño Dest became the first American to win a top level trophy in Spanish football. Meanwhile, his brace in this final meant Lionel Messi had scored 9 goals in 10 Copa Del Rey finals since 2009. The 2020-21 Copa del Rey would also turn out to be the only trophy of Antoine Griezmann’s Barcelona career.

If you'd like to hear more about Athletic Club from our El Partido deep-dive, listen to our episode with Christopher Evans, author of Los Leones!

The Spanish Segunda is rightly one of the most competitive leagues in world football. Like any second division, the ultimate goal of making the top tier means that there is as much excitement as there is jeopardy, where teams spend big on the gamble of promotion and fallen giants litter the league dreaming of a return to ‘the good days’. To quote a podcast we’re rather fond of “Segunda doesn’t mean Second Best!”.

It is very much proving to be that way this season. In theory, a huge 8 teams are still within touching distance of automatic promotions and are all certainly within the playoff picture. These include former Champions League sides such as Málaga and Depor. Former La Liga stalwarts such as Racing Santander and UD Las Palmas as well as the big dreamers and brilliant stories of Burgos and CD Castellón. Going into Matchday 37, we saw the latter defeat Malaga at La Rosaleda to tighten their grip on a playoff spot. Gerard Pique’s Andorra thrashing Leganes 4-0 away at Butarque and Sergio Arribas grabbing a world class hat-trick for Almeria away at Granada in an Andaluz Derbí. All this and so much more is what we should be discussing about the Spanish Segunda this week - but we’re not…

Instead, we’re talking about an incident in Aragon that saw an already dismissed goalkeeper PUNCH his opposition captain in the face. Yes you read that right. Beside the fact that this was a heated Aragonese Derbí between the fallen giant Real Zaragoza and their regional rival Huesca, but the fact that both of these clubs are staring down the abyss of El Pozo should have given them extra motivation to get a much needed result. In the end it would be the home side Huesca who would triumph over the the former Intertoto Cup winners but their penalty was scored way before the commotion that Esteban Andrada hunt down Jorge Pulido and attempt to remove his head from his shoulders. It was truly one of the most bizarre moments we’ve ever seen in all our years of watching Spanish football and basically, with a lengthy ban expected, ends Andrada’s time with the club and has probably put Real Zaragoza’s time as a Segunda club to the sword. If you haven’t seen the incident, take a look for yourself:

Esteban Andrada did come out with what felt like a very heartfelt apology after the game, noting it wasn’t a good look for him, for the club and that he had lost his head in the heat of the game but regardless of whatever kind of dark arts were used against him to get a second yellow, there’s no excuse for assaulting a fellow professional in the manner that he did. As mentioned, it will likely be the last time he plays for Zaragoza as a lengthy 12 match ban is already being mooted but with the loss of his quality means on loan Adrián Rodríguez now has the job of trying to keep the fallen giant in the Spanish Segunda.

“Yes, honestly I’m really really sorry about what happened. It’s not a good image for the club, for the people and not just for a professional like I am.” - Esteban Andrada

Catch up with more on this story and the rest of La Liga Hypermotion on the Spanish Segunda Show.

📰 El Boletín

You’re never big to go down. Those are the kind of words that will reverberate around the corridors of many football clubs who find themselves in exile from the Spanish top tier. Whether it’s Málaga, Depor, Hércules or the aforementioned Real Zaragoza, all these clubs have learned the hard way that not matter the size of your fanbase, of your stadium or how many trophies you have in it - nobody has a god given right to being in La Liga.

The very same will be being whispered in the corridors of the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán this week, as another lacklustre performance from the Andaluz side saw them slip into the relegation zone. For a side who have spent most of their existence in the top flight (only 13 seasons out of 95 have been spent out of La Liga), won two Copa del Rey trophies since the turn of millennium and established themselves as one of the most successful European sides in the last 20 years by winning a huge SEVEN UEFA Cup/Europa League titles, you would think they were built to survive in La Liga quite comfortably, even when they’re not at their best. The years of managed decline have really started to take its toll on this great club and year-on-year, the spectre of relegation has been looming for the last few seasons.

A 2-1 defeat at El Sadar on Sunday will leave Sevilla’s latest incarnation of a manager wondering what on earth happened, as 2 goals for Osasuna, one with 10 minutes to go and the hammerblow in the 99th minute, completed the remontada for Lisci’s side. Luis Garcia, who has only won one game in charge of the club since taking over Matheus Alymeda, will be wondering what his team need to do to start picking up points, as they joined Levante and Real Oviedo in the relegation zone. As sad as it sounds, it already feels as if the writing is on the wall for the former Alavés coach - being asked pre-game whether he would be sacked if he lost the game in Pamplona.

“You’re really talking to me about the sack? You leave me ‘frozen’ but OK, OK.” - Luis Garcia

In one mind, you would have to agree with him that he’s only been in charge for 4 games and he’s picked up 3 points in that time but such is the mess in the way the club is being run, you wouldn’t discount a change in manager with just 5 games of the season left to go - especially not unusual for a club who have had 15 managers in just 10 seasons.

So would it be a disaster for Sevilla to be relegated? Honestly, probably not. Relegation could serve as a much needed reset for the club and may also break the impasse in the current ownership of the club with Sevilla-born Sergio Ramos waiting in the wings with a potential takeover of the club. When they were last relegated back at the turn of the millennium, their subsequent season in the Spanish Segunda allowed them to clear the decks and create a squad they knew would compete for the top spot in the second tier - pipping city rivals Real Betis to the Championship. Whilst falling into the league below their cross-city rivals for the first time in decades would be hard to swallow for this huge club, the possibility to reset, rebuild and be reborn could be a necessary evil, as long as the warring Del Nido’s step out of the way.

This has been a very dour El Final so far and I’m afraid, it’s not going to get much better. There’s something happening in Primera Federación that we’re not a fan of… a queue of filiales (B teams) has formed in the playoffs are in real danger of getting promoted into the Segunda next season.

As you can see, 4 out of the 10 sides in the automatic and playoff spots are the B teams are clubs at the top end of La Liga and they’re also hitting form at the right side of the season. Whilst Tenerife can wrap up the automatic spot in Grupo 1 on Friday, Celta Fortuna and Real Madrid Castilla have been two of the teams to beat so far this season. The same can be said in Grupo 2, where Atlético are Madrileño, under the guidance of Fernando Torres, are very much still in the title race and pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot and Villarreal B once again in the hunt to return to the Spanish Segunda.

If Primera Federación was to finish today, we would see both Madrid B teams go head to head in a semi-final (we’d at least lose one contender) but we would also see a possible 3 filiales go into the finals should Celta Fortuna beat Europa and Villarreal B beat Zamora. That is possibly 2 filiales joining Real Sociedad B in the Spanish Segunda next season - unthinkable!

The part that has really irked me about these sides more recently has been their commitment to ‘other’ competitions that have real knock-on effects to the league they’re in. Real Madrid Castilla’s game against Ourense was brought forward recently so they could compete in the UEFA Youth League Final (which they won) and Real Sociedad B have been rotating midweek commitments in some form of European league alongside their real world fixture in the La Liga 2. Hopefully the likes of Barakaldo, Cartagena and Algeciras can put a good run together to displace the kids in the playoff picture because it would be a real shame to see Spain’s second division littered with teams that will have literally nothing to play for next season take the spot of someone more deserving.

Partido of the Week

One of the most exciting leagues in Europe this season can be found down in Segunda Federación Grupo 4, where the top 4 sides in the division are separated by just 3 points with one game to go.

However, Aguilas FC could be left to rue a missed opportunity to go into the final weekend top of the pile after they conceded a 97th minute winner to relegation battling Estepona on Sunday. It was none other than former Celtic, Getafe and Málaga man, Stefan Scepovic, who lobbed the goalkeeper in spectacular fashion to get his side a huge 3 points in the fight for survival. Watch via the highlights below but only Stefan will be able to tell you whether he meant it…

Blast from the Past

16 years ago today marks the date where we saw Jose Mourinho for ‘Full Jose’ as his Internazionale side bested Pep’s Barcelona over two legs to reach the Champions League Final.

Despite losing 1-0 on the night, the aggregate score meant that the Italians could celebrate their first Champions League Final appearance in 43 years and celebrate Jose did. The clip of him wheeling away, weaving in between devastated Barca players who would miss the opportunity to defend their title in Madrid, will always live fondly in the memory. The whole situation felt like it was more than just a manager getting one over on his former employer but was also the prelude of one of football’s fiercest rivalries between Jose and Pep in the years to come - some also say it was vindication for the apparent snub of Mourinho when they hired Pep Guardiola to replace Frank Rijkaard…

Partidos of the Week

Atletico Madrid v Arsenal

(UEFA Champions League 29.04.2026 8:00pm - Metripolitano)

Rayo Vallecano v Strasbourg

(UEFA Conference League 30.04.2026 8:00pm - Estadio Vallecas)

Tenerife v Barakaldo

(Primera Federacion 01.05.2026 6:00pm - Estadio Heliodoro)

Castellón v Eibar

(La Liga Hypermotion 02.05.2026 5:30pm - SkyFi Castilia)

Sevilla v Real Sociedad

(La Liga 04.05.2026 8:00pm - Ramon Sánchez-Pizjuán)

Real Madrid are argubaly the most celebrated and supported club in the world. A global footballing superpower with a history to rival any other club but what do we really know about that history?

Read more

It’s been a tense couple of months between Spain and the United States of America, with Pedro Sanchez and Donald Trump going head to head on the issues that certainly don’t belong in a football blog. But there is one American who is doing his damned best to make sure that the USA is still admired on Spanish shores and that man is now a title winner on European soil!

Pellegrino Matarazzo led his team out onto the pitch at La Cartuja on Saturday night knowing that he could well earn himself legendary status after just 4 months in charge by winning only Real Sociedad’s 4th Copa del Rey. As it was my Wife’s birthday on Saturday night, I had to catch up on this game the next day but by that time, the celebrations in San Sebastian were too big to ignore. Lifting the Copa del Rey after defeating Simeone’s Atléti on penalties marks a whirlwind start to life in the Basque Country for the American, who has also taken La Real from being relegation contenders to within a handful of points from a possible Champions League spot.

When he was appointed back in December, Real Sociedad President Jokin Aperribay knew he was taking a punt on a manager who had never coached in La Liga before and even admitted to using ChatGPT to find out more about the American ahead of his appointment (it actually told him not to hire him). However, it was the suggestion of Erik Bretos that led to the appointment and the Basque businessman is thankful for trusting his sporting director as the remarkable turnaround has bore fruit.

Along with a stellar interview, Matarazzo has proven over the years to be a unique character with a fascinating backstory. With a degree in Applied Mathematics from an Ivy League University, you would expect a man of these qualifications to be earning a huge fortune in business, R&D or striving towards being a Bond villain like the electric car chap who ruined Twitter. But no, he left New Jersey at the age of 22 to pursue a career in football and played professionally in Germany for many years. He immersed himself in Germany and as he transitioned from player to coach, he made sure to apply that same passion to his approach to management with Stuttgart and Hoffenheim respectively.

He has definitely brought that approach to Spain with him, telling Sid Lowe in an interview with ESPN earlier this week that he loves living in the city of San Sebastian, heading out in the evening for pinxos and even learning Basque as well as Spanish. The joie de vivre he has for his job and the connection he builds has certainly rubbed off onto his players, giving them the confidence to not just turn their season around but also end it with silverware.

“That’s football for you: a coach who perhaps wasn’t very well known in Spain, but from the moment he arrived he conveyed his ideas to us. He told me he thought I was going to be a very important player, and when you’re given that kind of confidence, I personally thrive. He’s given confidence to the whole group and has managed to get everyone to perform at their best at the same time.” - Carlos Soler

After only losing 3 games since arriving in Gipuzkoa, he has certainly set the standard for moving forward and already has the most cynical of fans dreaming of a return to European Football next season and perhaps a chance to defend a trophy they’re getting quite good at winning!

📰 El Boletín

I saw a tweet today that suggested someone was thinking about paying over €800 for a ticket to go and watch the El Clásico at the Spotify Camp Nou next month…

Bear this in mind. Barcelona are currently 9 points clear of Los Blancos in the table and by the time this fixture is played, could well be crowned La Liga Champions already. So where’s the jeopardy or the attraction that would justify anybody paying that kind of money for one game?

Let me answer that for you… There isn’t any.

This weekend, we saw UE Sant Andreu get promoted to Primera Federación for the first time in 10 years. This club, along with many others in Barcelona are growing exponentially mainly due to the fact of what we are discussing above. Barcelona are a club steeped into the fabric of the city that lends it name to the club but have been haemorrhaging support locals who feel they are being priced out with such ludicrous pricing. The growth of non-league football was further emboldened this week with the news that Lionel Messi has acquired UE Cornella and becomes their sole owner. This is obviously very exciting for a club that has struggled to find a place in the scene over recent seasons but was proudly proclaimed to be Barcelona’s ‘third club’. We’ll watch that space with interest as the the amount of clubs in the Barcelona area going through rapid growth could cause a few more issues with stadium availability…

One project we do admire here on El Partido is the one underway in Extremadura, where Matt Benham’s Best Intentions Analytics, who also own Brentford, are plotting a course of AD Mérida to return to La Liga by growing the profile of the football in one of Spain’s forgotten regions. He spoke with Alejandro Pérez, the General Manager of AD Mérida, about their plans for the future - check out our interview below.