A historic, record-breaking summer. That is what we have been writing for months in tourist terms. Malaga continues unstoppable. An unprecedented spring, with the best May since records exist (in warm temperatures and visitors) is followed by a summer period that points to all-time highs in terms of international flights to the Costa del Sol. And in sports, we are also ready to break it .
Thus, Unicaja has broken the ceiling until season tickets run out, after a season to frame, including the cup title and close to the ACB final, and what to say about the “panthers”, who after national and continental titles have managed to win their first league to put the province at the top of Spanish women’s handball.
Provincial football in the absolute category can also show off its chest, despite the fact that the most representative club has fallen a quarter of a century later to the third of the rungs. In these bad times for poetry, Málaga CF has to start from scratch. It is up to him to face the historical challenge of having to get out of the true pit of his sport, fall into non-professional football even with judicial intervention and many more shadows than lights.
The preseason starts right today. And there has been a “clean” superlative. Up to 15 casualties and, for the moment, six signings and the return of four on loan are the new faces for the umpteenth poisoned assignment that good Sergio Pellicer assumes. There will never be enough words to thank the man from Castellón for those juggling that he had to face when he did not have even the minimum possible chips that were imposed on him by the same people in charge of regulating the competition. And he came out. Then come what we all know. And the possibility of him achieving a miracle of those already superlatives, which with the unconditional support of the fans, he was even about to make possible.
It has been 25 years since Martiricos did not face a campaign in which to step on grass in the third category of provincial football. Not even at that time were the albero fields even stepped on, which did have to be avoided, a few years before, after the disappearance of CD Málaga and the journey as “very modest” of the current Málaga CF. Back in 1999, La Rosaleda fought as it will now to return to the Second Division. That Malaga was far from this one that boasts of being in fashion like never before.
Believe me or not, Francisco de la Torre was not yet mayor (Celia Villalobos was still in charge of the Casona del Parque). At that time, the Malaga Provincial Council had a president of the PP, Luis Vázquez Alfarache, and in Marbella Jesús Gil was still councilor. A coffee cost less than 100 pesetas, about 55 euro cents. And the average menu in any restaurant did not exceed the current five euros.
Those were times when a movie ticket did not exceed 500 pesetas (3 euros) or when any mid-range utility was around 14,000 euros today. Better not compare because the current figures, with the difficulties to find certain components, have skyrocketed the costs in the automobile market.
Some of the most prestigious banking entities in the country recall that since the peseta came to an end, housing has become more expensive on average by almost 40%, while salaries, also on average, have not reached 25% in their accumulated growth. That difference has stifled families greatly. And it will also make it more difficult to deal with the subscriptions to go periodically to the ancient Malaguista temple.
Málaga CF throws off the worst face of provincial football and, opposite, the preseason begins with renewed hopes at Antequera CF who, after their indisputable promotion, will set foot on La Rosaleda with First RFEF stripes. What a derby awaits!