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Málaga

Full name

Málaga Club de Fútbol, S.A.D.

Nickname(s)

Los Albicelestes (The White and Sky-Blues)
Los Blanquiazules (The White and Blues)
Los Boquerones (The Anchovies)

Founded

25 May 1948; 77 years ago as Club Atlético Malagueño

Ground

La Rosaleda

Capacity

30,044

Owner

Abdullah Al Thani

President

José María Muñoz

Head coach

Sergio Pellicer

League

Segunda División

2022–23

Segunda División, 20th of 22 (relegated)

Home colours

Away colours

Third colours

Málaga Club de Fútbol, often just called Málaga, is a football club from Málaga, a city in Andalusia, Spain. They play in the Segunda División, which is the second-highest football league in Spain. They recently got promoted from the Primera Federación in the 2023–24 season.

Málaga has won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2002. This win allowed them to play in the 2002–03 UEFA Cup (now called the UEFA Europa League), where they reached the quarter-finals. The club also made it to the quarter-finals of the 2012–13 UEFA Champions League, which is a huge achievement! Since 2010, the club has been owned by Qatari investor Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani.

History of Málaga CF: A Football Journey

How Málaga Football Club Started

Málaga's football story began with a club called CD Málaga, founded in 1904. Club Atlético Malagueño was created on May 25, 1948. It started as a reserve team for CD Málaga.

In the 1959–60 season, both Club Atlético Malagueño and CD Málaga ended up in the same league, the 1959–60 Tercera División. Usually, a reserve team would have to move to a lower league if this happened. To avoid this, Club Atlético Malagueño became its own independent club. This decision helped the team survive after CD Málaga stopped playing.

In the 1992–93 season, CA Malagueño played well in the Tercera División and moved up to the Segunda División B. However, the next season, they were relegated again and faced money problems.

Becoming Málaga Club de Fútbol

On December 19, 1993, the club's members voted to change the name. So, on June 29, 1994, Club Atlético Malagueño officially became Málaga Club de Fútbol S.A.D.

In the early 2000s, Málaga had many talented young players. Their stadium was also modern. Even though they didn't aim for the UEFA Champions League, Málaga was successful under their popular coach, Joaquín Peiró.

They played in the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2002 and won their only official trophy! They beat teams like Gent, Willem II, and Villarreal. Málaga's journey in the UEFA Cup was also amazing. They reached the quarter-finals but lost on penalties to Boavista. Along the way, they beat teams like Željezničar Sarajevo and Leeds United.

After coach Peiró retired, many key players started to leave. Players like Darío Silva, Kiki Musampa, and Julio Dely Valdés moved on. Juande Ramos became the new coach. Under him, Málaga had a huge 5–1 win against Barcelona at home. This was their biggest win against the Catalan giants. However, Ramos left for Sevilla, and Gregorio Manzano took over.

Challenges and Financial Troubles

Estadio de La Rosaleda, Málaga's home ground.

Even though Manzano helped Málaga finish tenth twice, the team struggled and was relegated. They finished last in the league with only 24 points.

Málaga started the new second division season well. But then their performance dropped, and they were almost relegated again. Luckily, they managed to improve and stayed in the Segunda División.

The 2007–08 Segunda División season started very strongly, with seven wins in a row. It looked like Málaga would be promoted easily. But they had another dip in form and were overtaken by Numancia. In their final game at home against Tenerife, they needed a win to get promoted. Two goals from Antonio Hidalgo gave them a 2–1 victory, and Málaga returned to the top league as runners-up.

The Abdullah Al Thani Era (2010–Present)

A chart showing Málaga CF's league performance over the years.

Because the club had money problems, the president at the time, Fernando Sanz, looked for investors in Doha, Qatar. He talked with sheikh Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani. On June 11, 2010, after a week of talks, Al Thani became the new owner of the club. He was named president on July 28.

On June 28, 2010, Jesualdo Ferreira was hired as coach. The club also signed important players like Salomón Rondón and Eliseu. But in November, Jesualdo was fired because the team was not doing well and was in the relegation spots. Later, Manuel Pellegrini became the new coach.

With Pellegrini in charge, the team brought in new players like Martín Demichelis and Júlio Baptista. They won five La Liga games in a row and drew another, which helped them finish the 2010–11 season in 11th place.

For the 2011–12 season, the club partnered with Nike for their uniforms. They also worked with UNESCO, which became their main sponsor. Some big new players that season were Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jérémy Toulalan, and Santi Cazorla, who was the most expensive signing in the club's history. Other key players included Isco, Joaquín, and Nacho Monreal. For the first time ever, Málaga qualified for the UEFA Champions League after finishing fourth in the 2011–12 La Liga season.

In the Champions League, Málaga played against strong teams like Milan, Anderlecht, and Zenit Saint Petersburg. Málaga did great, finishing the group stage without losing a single game! In the round of 16, they beat Porto and moved on to the quarter-finals. They then faced German champions Borussia Dortmund. The first game was a 0–0 draw. In the second game, Málaga was winning 2–1 in the last minutes, which would have sent them to the semi-finals. But Borussia Dortmund scored two quick goals in stoppage time, winning 3–2. This was a tough loss for Málaga.

The next season, UEFA banned Málaga from playing in a future European competition because of some financial issues. This ban was later reduced to one season, meaning they missed out on the 2013–14 Europa League.

A match between Deportivo de La Coruña and Málaga CF.

In the summer of 2013, key players like Isco, Joaquín, and Jérémy Toulalan were sold. Bernd Schuster took over as coach from Manuel Pellegrini.

Málaga CF playing at home against Sevilla in May 2015.

After 2013, Málaga's performance slowly declined. On April 19, 2018, Málaga lost to Levante U.D., which meant they were relegated to the Segunda División. This ended their ten seasons in the top league.

In 2019, Málaga almost got promoted back to La Liga. They finished third in the Segunda División but lost in the play-offs. In early 2020, there were reports about the club's owner and financial matters. In August 2020, the club had to let go of its entire first-team squad to try and save the club from closing down.

In May 2023, Málaga dropped to the third tier of Spanish football for the first time since 1998. However, in the 2023–24 season, they finished 3rd. They won their play-off matches against Celta B and Gimnàstic de Tarragona, securing their promotion back to the second division of Spanish football!

Málaga CF: Trophies and Achievements

Domestic Trophies

Segunda División
- Winners (1): 1998–99
Segunda División B
- Winners (1): 1997–98
Tercera División
- Winners (3): 1963–64, 1992–93, 1994–95

International Achievements

UEFA Champions League
- Quarter-finals (1): 2012–13
UEFA Europa League
- Quarter-finals (1): 2002–03
UEFA Intertoto Cup:
- Winners (1): 2002

Friendly Competitions

Trofeo Costa del Sol
- Winners (8): 2005, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2023
Schalke 04 Cup
- Winners (1): 2014
Copa EuroAmericana
- Runner-up (1): 2015

About the Trofeo Costa del Sol

From 1961 to 1983, Málaga CF hosted its own summer tournament called the Trofeo Costa del Sol. During this time, the club won the trophy three times. They beat famous teams like Real Madrid and Derby County. The tournament stopped for a while but came back in 2003. Since then, Málaga has won it seven more times, beating teams like Newcastle United and Everton. All ten of these trophies are displayed in the Museo Malaguista at La Rosaleda stadium.

Local Rivalries: The Eastern Andalusia Derby

Málaga's biggest rival is Granada CF. Their matches are known as the Derby of eastern Andalusia. These two clubs are about 90 kilometers apart, making for exciting local games!

Málaga CF: Team and Staff

Current First-Team Squad

No.	Position	Player
1	GK	Alfonso Herrero (captain)
2	DF	Jokin Gabilondo
3	DF	Carlos Puga
4	DF	Einar Galilea
5	DF	Álex Pastor
6	MF	Ramón
7	MF	Haitam
8	MF	Juanpe
9	FW	Roko Baturina (on loan from Gil Vicente)
10	MF	David Larrubia
11	MF	Kevin
12	MF	Manu Molina
13	GK	Carlos López
14	DF	Víctor García

No.	Position	Player
15	DF	Moussa Diarra
16	DF	Diego Murillo
17	FW	Dioni
18	DF	Dani Sánchez
19	MF	Luismi
20	DF	Nélson Monte
21	MF	Yanis Rahmani
22	MF	Dani Lorenzo
23	MF	Luca Sangalli
24	MF	Julen Lobete Fs player\|no=25\|nat=ESP\|pos=FW\|name=Sergio Castel}}
26	MF	Antoñito
29	MF	Izan Merino
35	MF	Aarón Ochoa

Reserve Team Players

No.		Position	Player
27		FW	Chupete
30		GK	Andrés Céspedes

Players on Loan

No.		Position	Player
		MF	Juan Hernández (at Algeciras until 30 June 2025)

Current Technical Staff

Position	Staff
Head coach	Sergio Pellicer
Assistant coach	Manolo Sánchez
Fitness coach	Julio Rodríguez
Goalkeeping coach	'Caco' De la Torre
Physiotherapists	Ernesto González Fernando Lacomba José Miguel Escobar
Kit man	Migue Zambrana
Chief Doctor	Pablo Campos
Sport readaptator	José Antonio Lizana
Analyst	Juan Roldán
Delegate	Raúl Iznata