Malaga Return to La Liga After Seven-Year Absence
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- Malaga CF returned to La Liga after a seven-year absence by beating Almeria 2-1 in a promotion playoff final, with goals from striker Chupe and winger David Larrubia sealing their rise from the second tier.
- The club's decline began after being eliminated from the 2013 Champions League quarter-finals by Borussia Dortmund; owner Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani was removed in 2020 over alleged misappropriation of funds, with European arrest warrants now outstanding against him and his three sons.
- Juan Francisco Funes, a former primary school teacher with no professional playing or coaching experience, was promoted from the reserve team mid-season and led Malaga's playoff push, reportedly drawing on film clips including Kung Fu Panda and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly to motivate his young squad.
- Malaga spent just £325,000 on permanent transfers between 2020 and 2025, compared to Almeria's £10m in a single season, relying instead on academy graduates and free agents — including 25-goal top scorer Chupe, Larrubia and defender Diego Murillo.
- An estimated 185,000 fans lined the streets of Malaga to celebrate the promotion, while kit supplier Hummel printed the names of all 26,550 season-ticket holders onto a one-off commemorative shirt.
Why it matters: Malaga open their La Liga return as relegation favorites, facing Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid in their first two matches while operating on a fraction of rival budgets — just £325,000 in permanent transfer spend since 2020 versus Almeria's £10m in one season. The club's revival under court-appointed administrator Jose Maria Munoz and rookie coach Funes shows what academy depth and fan loyalty (£26,550-strong season-ticket base) can achieve when finances collapse, but the squad will be tested immediately against Spain's elite.
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