Miguel L. Pereira can be found on social media here, and if you’re hungry for more, Miguel has also written a book delving into the heights and depths of Spanish football, and all it’s cultural and social layers. Find out more about it here.
It used to be the death knell, but now it’s far from it. There was a time when many high-profile Spanish clubs would only whisper in fear about the possibility of getting relegated to the third tier. It was like being damned to an eternal purgatory. Clubs on the brink of total oblivion, supporters believing they would never see the light of day ever again. Fast forward to now and something has changed. The Primera RFEF new model has been a complete success, and it’s no coincidence that fighting for a place for promotion to La Liga we now find three clubs that only a couple of seasons ago were competing in the third level of professional football in Spain. Even if fans of Real Zaragoza are already predicting doomsday, it might not be as disastrous as foreseen if the club gets relegated,
Racing Santander were in the first edition of La Liga, but few know how they got there. The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) decided to kick off the league on behalf of Real Madrid, the main driver of the project, yet they only had nine names to take part in the inaugural edition. Those were the previous finalists of the competition that then became the Copa del Rey, but they were one short.
Instead of selecting one of the many candidates, a play-off was organised among several sides that were growing in their respective regional championships, despite not having nationwide appeal. Racing won the battle, made their debut and even fought for the league title a couple of seasons later. Later Cantabria’s primary power slid away, returning to the elite from time to time, and regained popularity by the end of the century thanks to a local prodigy named Pedro Munitis. In the following decade, the Cantabrians enjoyed success with the attacking partnership of Munitis and Serbian giant Nikola Zigic. Big man-little man, a combination that as old as football itself.
Then a young, promising star, Sergio Canales, came from their youth ranks and promised yet more, but the club were already in foreign hands and would soon drop to the third tier. In 2022, they were still there, despite the odd promotion that never lasted more than a season. It seemed the glory days were all but gone, but here they are, once again putting up a decent fight to get back to La Liga, where they haven’t played in more than a decade. And they are not the only giant sitting with a coffee after a long nap.
Deportivo La Coruna are the only side ever to win the Spanish league that currently plays in the second tier. Worst of all, they spent much of the past decade in the third division and only got promoted back to Segunda seasons ago. Long gone are the days of Super Depor. Filing for bankruptcy in 2013, everything went sideways. Restored by their faith in a fantastic youth setup, and the brief return home of the prodigal son, Lucas Perez, Depor have a connection with their fans not seen for two decades. With Riazor packing more support than they ever did in their golden years, here they are, ranking second behind Racing and with their eyes set to a revival of the Galicia Derby against Celta Vigo.
Malaga, another first-division old-timer, a side that was minutes away from playing a Champions League semifinal back in 2013, were also a victim of poor ownership and fell into the oblivion of the third tier a decade ago. The club were almost disbanded, but have leaned on some talented additions and La Rosaleda, also counting on a grassroots support that grew during their years in the mud. Now they are in the play-off promotion positions in the league table, and many have already assumed that if anyone wants to play in La Liga next season, they will have to endure La Rosaleda – less of a rosegarden than the name suggests.
In reason 576 of why we love @LaLiga2 …
In the 630pm kick offs tonight, @MalagaCF can move to within 1 point of an automatic promotion spot, or might be dumped out of the playoffs all together if they lose and @Burgos_CF win away vs @SDEibar pic.twitter.com/CDIUEQzGWd
— The Spanish Segunda Show (@SegundaSpanish) March 15, 2026
Yet arguably no story is as powerful as that of Castellon. A club that hasn’t played in the top tier since the early 1990s, the original power in the region without the financial cannon of the Roig family at Villareal, was also consumed by debt when a Canadian poker player decided to buy the club. Harabolos Voulgaris decided to take the Moneyball philosophy into football after success in the NBA, and made Castellon his lab experiment.
Bringing the Alvinegros back to the second division in 2024, doing so in style in only his second full season at the helm. At the beginning of this season, things seemed to be going wrong, and he took the bold decision to sack Dick Schreuder, the man who got the club promoted. What looked like a desperate attempt to salvage something from the campaign turned out to be another successful gamble by Voulgaris, who now has Castellon fighting for a play-off spot in 5th. There’s a real possibility of a Castellon-Villarreal derby next season, clubs that sit only a few miles from each other and are in their own way proof that managing a football club in Spain can be done differently.
Of the sides who currently sit in the top six Liga Hypermotion table, four have played in the third tier over the past five seasons. Almeria – now partially owned by Cristiano Ronaldo – and Las Palmas are the only two sides that played in the top tier in recent years. It’s evidence of the competitiveness of the second tier, but also that getting relegated to Primera RFEF is no longer the end of the world. The financial restraints sometimes help clubs reshape, shed debt, find their faith in youth setups and even help cherrypick the best their fanbase has to offer. Those juggernauts who dropped to the third tier were supported in numbers, even more than when they played in La Liga or Segunda, because people actually cared.
Other iconic clubs, such as Real Murcia or Hercules, know a thing or two about it as well. It has not been for lack of support that they are in the third tier, and Tenerife, recently relegated, boast record numbers this season with their eyes on climbing back to the second tier. Getting relegated is bad news, but it is proving an opportunity to start anew, and sometimes there are sporting projects that really need to take a step back so they can bounce forward.
The Deportivo example is what Real Zaragoza supporters should be looking at right now. Despite never having won La Liga, Zaragoza have their own spot among the icons of Spanish football culture. It’s not only their two European trophies or six Copa del Rey, or the magic of La Romareda. It’s the story of a club coming from Spain’s deserted interior to compete with the nation’s elite. Zaragoza were an anomaly as a football club, just as the city itself is. A place that links Madrid and Barcelona, and seems to have the best of both worlds.
Still, all of the mistakes made by Zaragoza over the past 15 years are easy to spot among their fallen and now risen contemporaries of the last 30 years. After decades of toying with relegation, a UEFA Cup regular now look as if they will not beat the drop, sitting 20th and four points from safety. With La Romareda being rebuilt almost from scratch for the 2030 World Cup, perhaps this is exactly the time when being demoted might actually help Real Zaragoza to become the side it once was. They are right to be scared, but Deportivo, Racing, Castellon and Malaga have shown that it is possible to bounce back stronger and with an eye on the biggest prize.
In all likelihood, next season will see a club that was playing in the third tier this decade back in La Liga. It is also very likely that Real Zaragoza could end up being demoted to the third tier for the first time since 1949. Both events tell the story of how complex Spanish football can be, a place where giants can become minnows and giants again if they play their cards right. A place of Quixotes and windmills, both on and off the pitch.
