For Spanish football enthusiasts, the returns of Deportivo La Coruna, Racing Santander and Malaga to La Liga are a welcome sight. All three have featured strongly in Spain's top flight in the past 30 years, before various factors meant they dropped out of professional football. Of the trio, Malaga seemed the least likely to recover.
Ten years after stunning Europe's elite in the Champions League, the Andalusians had no owner, no money, and seemingly no future. Yet thanks to a hungry group of youngsters, an unconventional teacher and a fanbase that refused to let their club die, 'los boquerones' are back. On 9 April 2013, Malaga were minutes away from reaching the Champions League semi-finals.
The competition debutants led 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund, but were dumped out in heartbreaking fashion after two stoppage-time goals from Jurgen Klopp's fearsome side. Regardless, Malaga looked set to achieve what countless others had tried and failed to - consistently challenge Spanish football's 'big three' of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. In 2010, Qatari Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser Al Thani bought what was traditionally a second-tier club and began transforming them into a European contender.
Manuel Pellegrini was installed as manager and provided with quality players including Santi Cazorla, Jeremy Toulalan, Ruud van Nistelrooy and promising youngster Isco. But Pellegrini joined Manchester City and Isco signed for Real Madrid in summer 2013 - and hopes of a golden era at Estadio La Rosaleda morphed into a decade of decline. The following season Malaga were banned from the Europa League for breaching Uefa's financial fair play (FFP) rules regarding overdue payments.
Mounting debts necessitated player sales, and relegation from La Liga followed in 2018. Two years later a regional court ordered Al-Thani's removal because of alleged misappropriation of funds. European and international arrest warrants have been issued against the Sheikh and his three sons, with prosecutors seeking prison sentences totalling 14 and a half years for alleged misappropriation, unfair administration and abusive corporate decisions.
Court-appointed administrator Jose Maria Munoz has overseen operations since 2020. Fire sales and years of relying on free agents and loan signings helped steady Malaga's financial position, but in 2023 a threadbare squad slipped into the regionalised third division. "I was at the last game in the second division against Ibiza.
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