MÁLAGA
Club de Fútbol

Football in Málaga has got a long and rich history, and it has not been lacking drama - both on and off the pitch. There have been several clubs, mergers and bankruptcies, not to mention the mob killing of a club president.

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1904-1933 - The first ever football match in Málaga took place on April 3rd, 1904, and the club was called Málaga Foot-Ball Club. Málaga FC did not participate in any official tournament until 1921. A splinter group eventually started a new club in the city, Malagueño FC, while Málaga FC in 1927 became Real Málaga FC . In 1929 both clubs joined the inaugural Tercera División (4th level in Spain). One year later, in 1930, Real Málaga teamed up with Segalerva and became Málaga Sport Club.

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1933-1941 - In 1933 Málaga Sport Club and Malagueño FC became Club Deportivo Malacitano, and the team was ready for the first ever participation in the Segunda División the following year, when level 2 in Spain was extended from 10 to 24 teams. The grand opening of Estadio la Rosaleda, the home of Málaga CF today, took place in 1941. The first match was played against AD Ferroviaria on April 13th, 1941, ending with a 6-0 victory, while the official opening of the stadium took place on September 14th, 1941. This also marked a new name change, to Club Deportivo Málaga, and was a friendly match versus Sevilla. Málaga won the match 3-2 in front of 8,000 spectators.

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1941-1992 - For more than half a century, football in Málaga was played as Club Deportivo Málaga. The very first promotion to La Liga was secured in 1949, and several years up and down followed. During this period, the team set the Spanish record in the number of relegations and promotions, a total of 11. The 1952-53 season is remembered for a 6-0 win against Real Madrid at la Rosaleda, still the club record against Real.

What you could call a golden age for CD Málaga started later on with promotion in 1970, when the club set a record of five straight seasons in the top division. Chairman of the club during the promotion, who shortly after was nominated as club President, was the very popular Antonio Rodríguez López. He was a successful businessman who, among other projects, made good money as a hotel owner in Torremolinos, thanks in large part to the tourist boom in the 60s. In addition, the football club fared better than ever, and he was loved by the people of Málaga. Needless to say, it was a big shock to both the club and the city when López was the victim of a brutal murder on July 31st, 1971. CD Málaga still managed to further build on the project López had started, securing its best table positions with 7th place in both 1972 and 1974 respectively. The 1971-72 season also marked the club's first away victory at the famous Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona.

July 27th, 1992 is another anniversary, negative like, for the football in Malaga. In deep economic crisis, following relegation to Segunda Division B (Level 3) in 1992, it was over and out for CD Málaga.

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1992-1994 - After the bankruptcy, the best club in the city was Club Atlético Malagueño, a former reserve team of CD Málaga. We must turn back the time to 1948, when CD Málaga bought a junior club, CD Santo Tomás, with plans of establishing a reserve team. The reserves were named Club Atlético Malagueño, founded on May 25th, 1948. A coincidence many years later is the only reason why the reserve team of Club Deportivo Málaga didn't join the bankruptcy. In the 1959-60 season, CD Málaga was relegated to Tercera Division (Level 4), the same division as the reserve team. In order to avoid the degradation of the reserve team, the team was registered to the Spanish Football Association as a separate club. Thus, Club Atlético Malagueño could continue its life in 1992-93, when the team played in Tercera División Group 9 (level 4), and that season actually ended with promotion to Segunda División B. The following year however, the club went straight down again, and with big financial problems the club almost suffered the same fate as CD Malaga. Plans for a new beginning, with a new name, started to develop towards the end of 1993, and on June 29th, 1994, Málaga Club de Fútbol S.A.D. was presented.

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1994-2003 - After the name change, things accelerated, and with three promotions in just five seasons, Málaga CF was ready for La Liga in 1999, only 10 years after the last outing in the top division with CD Málaga. This time the stay lasted a little longer, with seven seasons at the highest level. Best position in the series was an 8th place in 2001, and after finishing 10th in 2002, the club qualified for the new UEFA Intertoto Cup. After wins against Gent, Willem II and Villarreal CF over two matches, Málaga won its only official trophy, and the first international title for the football in Málaga and Andalucía, on August 27th, 2002! The victory secured qualification into the UEFA Cup, and Málaga continued to impress with victories against FK Željezničar (who qualified via the Champions League after a narrow loss to Newcastle), Polish champions Amica Wronki, Leeds United and AEK Athens. The dream journey came to an end in the quarterfinals, after a fateful penalty shootout versus Boavista.

The team enjoyed a great spell with the former Spanish international Joaquín Peiró at the helm. However, when the popular manager resigned in 2003, several big players left the club. Among them Darío Silva, Kiki Musampa and goalkeeper Pedro Contreras.

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2003-2010 - The renowned Juande Ramos was the next man in charge, but only 9 months in to the job he moved to Seville. However, he is remembered for crushing Barcelona 5-1 at the La Rosaleda, Málaga's biggest win against the giant club. Another fun fact from this season, Málaga became the only club in Europe with one team at the top level, and the reserve team, Málaga B, at the second level. Despite this, and after several changes of manager, the decline slowly began, and relegation to Segunda was inevitable in 2006. The club encountered a new financial crisis, but still managed to get back in La Liga two years later. The comeback at top level was a success, 8th place finish and a new record in points. The following season was highly dramatic. To avoid relegation the club depended on points in the very last match, at home to Real Madrid. Real Madrid had 31 wins in 37 games, and a new club record in points. Against all odds Málaga managed a 1-1 draw, and stayed up on goal difference.

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2010-2018 - In the summer of 2010 the club was sold to a Sheikh from Qatar, Abdullah Al Thani, and investments soon began. Players like Salomón Rondón and Eliseu was signed, and after a poor start to the season Manuel Pellegrini was presented as manager. The squad cleanup continued that winter, and established stars such as Martín Demichelis and Júlio Baptista was purchased. The team got a boost and ended the season in 11th place. The shopping spree continued, and Málaga was at the time known as the fastest growing club in European football. New players entering in 2011 include Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jérémy Toulalan, Isco, Joaquín, Nacho Monreal and, of course, the club's most expensive signing of all time, Santi Cazorla (€ 21 million from Villarreal). Isco was a relatively unknown player arriving from Valencia, where he only made seven first team appearances, but he made his big break for Málaga in 2011-12. He even won the Golden Boy award (European young player of the year) in 2012. The season was a huge success, 4th in La Liga - the club's best finish of all time - and qualified for the Champions League for the very first time.

In the Champions League group stages Málaga was up against AC Milan, Anderlecht and Zenit St. Petersburg, and Málaga won the group as unbeaten. In the knockout stages last 16, the opponent was Porto, and it opened with a 0-1 loss away. Málaga still managed to progress with a 2-0 win at the La Rosaleda. The quarter-finals was against Jürgen Klopp's German champions Borussia Dortmund, and it still is one of the most dramatic Champions League encounters of all time. Málaga only managed a 0-0 stalemate at home, but were 2-1 up away after 90 minutes of play. Dortmund needed two goals in injury time, and they got it after an offside goal Manuel Pellegrini never has forgotten. Klopp and his Liverpool scored after a clear offside against Pellegrini's West Ham in 2019, and when Klopp whined about some other decisions, Pellegrini was quick to mention; "Klopp is used to winning with offside goals. He beat me with Málaga with a goal seven meters offside - so he can't complain about anything." Back to Spain. The season ended with a 6th place finish in the league, and basically a place in the Europa League. Due to a lot of financial debt after the squad investments however, the club was suspended by UEFA. Players were consequently sold; Isco to Real Madrid for € 30 million, Joaquín to Fiorentina and Toulalan to Monaco. In addition, Pellegrini was lured to Manchester City, and replaced by Bernd Schuster. The seasons that followed can in short be summed up as a steady decline, and in 2018, after 10 seasons at the top level, relegation to Segunda División was unavoidable.

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2018 - present - Málaga was very close to promotion in the 2018-19 season. After a solid start, a quick return to La Liga seemed certain, but suddenly everything turned. Manager Juan Muñiz was fired, replaced by Victor Sánchez del Amo. The team recovered, and eventually finished in 3rd place, but unfortunately lost to Deportivo La Coruña in the promotion playoffs. The decline continued the following season, culminating in chaos in 2020. Sheikh Al Thani fired Victor Sánchez, replaced him with Sergio Pellicer, shortly before he lost control of the club. He is still under investigation today, for financial clutter and embezzlement, while the club he owns is under administration. Sergio Pellicer did a good job in the 2020-21 season, after a rehaul of the entire squad and by far the lowest budget in the league. He chose to resign in the summer of 21, and the following season was a big disappointment. José Alberto López got 26 matches at the helm, Natxo González the following 10, before the former Málaga striker Pablo Guede took charge in April. The team finished in 18th position, two points above relegation. Despite the warning lights flashing red, the miserable club operations continued the following season, with poor transfers and constant replacement of managers. Pablo Guede was sacked in September. In came Pepe Mel, and he got four months before Sergio Pellicer returned to the club. The relegation was inevitable, and the 2023/24 season Málaga will find themselves in tier three of Spanish football.

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