A historic celebration for Malaga CF's promotion

Malaga CF promotion

The side have returned to the top flight and the celebrations, both in Almeria and in Malaga itself, on Saturday night were immense; the official promotion tour will be on Monday

Jorge Garrido

Málaga

A spectacular celebration for a promotion that could mark a paradigm shift for Malaga football club. And what a night it was. Following the team’ ... s promotion in Almeria – a match played 200 kilometres from Malaga, which was attended by several thousand fans without tickets – Malaga supporters erupted with joy as the Blue and Whites’ return to Primera was confirmed eight years on.

Everyone experienced this day in their own way. As for the players - the stars and architects of this triumph - they immediately made their way to the foot of the away stand, at one of the corners (Larrubia had climbed up there shortly before to celebrate his stunning goal, which ultimately secured their promotion) of the Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos to celebrate, sing and enjoy the moment with their supporters, who have stood by them throughout this journey. Many continued to back the team even when they were struggling, and now they too are being rewarded for all their efforts. Around 300 supporters were gathered in that stand.

This promotion is historic, for many reasons, not least because of the bond between the squad and the fans, which has reached levels never before seen at Malaga. After half an hour of chants and expressions of gratitude, the real party began for the players.

The footballers’ celebrations

Some, such as Dotor, had to honour a promise; Montero, from Madrid, shaved off a large chunk of his hair in the changing room (leaving him with half the hair at the back of his head). Meanwhile, Montero later turned up with his hair dyed in the club’s blue and white colours, and Murillo appeared with red hair.

The atmosphere inside the changing room was one of sheer jubilation: the players, in high spirits, interrupted head coach Juanfran Funes’s official press conference to chant “To Primera, hey! To Primera, hey!” A scene that will undoubtedly go down in the club’s history.

Una publicación compartida de SUR. El periódico de Málaga (@diariosur)

Ecstasy in the city

Around 10,000 people of all ages took to the streets (many were already out to watch the decisive match). The city was awash with blue and white, and the crowd made their way, as is customary, to the Plaza del General Torrijos.

The area was filled with the smell of flares, blue-and-white flags and, above all, faces beaming with genuine happiness. Sweat and tears streamed down the faces of the Malaguistas, who flooded various parts of Malaga city centre with their passion and dedication. 'Malaguismo' in its purest form. Nobody, absolutely nobody, wants to wake up from this dream.