Five Shock Relegations

Another painful defeat for Valencia leaving them with a six point gap to safety has made many sit up and realise just how much trouble they’re in.

While they’re one of the biggest clubs in Spain there have been plenty of shock relegations over the years in Spain and this week I have picked out 5 of the most surprising. Do you agree with my selections if not let me know in the comments

Atletico Madrid 1999/2000

Atleti under Jesus Gil could be a whole article in itself but in 1999/2000 just four seasons after winning La Liga they found themselves relegated to the second tier in a disastrous season.

Having spent 63 years consecutively in La Liga not many would have tipped them to be in trouble ahead of the season. Claudio Ranieri was the Head Coach of a taltned side who had strengthened their ranks over the summer.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink came in as the main striker with Joan Capdevila who would later go on to win the Euros and World Cup brought in to strengthen the backline.

Their midfield had the likes of Juan Carlos Valeron, Santi Solari and Ruben Baraja in what looked a team who would be competing for European places if anything.

They started the season terribly with three defeats in a row before stablilising and looking out of trouble by the time they won away in Vigo on the 29th January.

That though was to be the high oint and they wouldn’t win again until the final day of the season to finish 7 points adrift of safety.

This season was arguably one of the most historic and topsy turvy seasons in Spanish football history, going down with Atleti were Seville giants Sevilla and Real Betis while Real Madrid finished fifth yet won the Champions League.

Super Depor won a historic title their first and only La Liga title win. Real Zaragoza and Valencia finished off the top four while Alaves who would go on to reach the UEFA Cup Final finished in 6th this season just a point behind Real Madrid.

What followed: Institutionally Atleti were a mess and they didn’t immediately return to La Liga. Once they did under Luis Aragones they managed to establish themselves as a midtable club until Diego Simeone came in and changed everything.

Shock Rating: 5/5

Note: I did a long read on the season Atleti, Sevilla and Real Betis battled it out for the Segunda title here

Villarreal 2011/12

While we all know historically Villarreal aren’t one of the biggest teams in Spain this relegation came as a shock to them as they had been one of the most consistent and entertaining teams in the early 2000s.

Having wowed many with their runs in the Champions League spearheaded by Juan Roman Riquelme they seemed to be one of those established European sides but a disastrous season in the league brought them crashing down to earth.

While Riquelme had long left this again was a talented team with players such as Carlos Marchena, Giuseppe Rossi, Marcos Senna and Borja Valero in the squad.

The summer sale of Santi Cazorla certainly hurt as did the experience of Joan Capdevila who left to join Benfica but again relegation wasn’t seen as likely for the team.

The Yellow Submarine started the season early due to being involved in the qualifiers for the Champions League and having knocked Odense out progressed to the group stages.

A tough group saw them come away with 0 points having been drawn against Bayern, Napoli and Man City.

La Liga wise they started with the toughest of starts away to Barca and were thrashed 5-0. Just two victories in their first ten matches saw them in big trouble and they won successive matches just once all season.

Their lack of being able to put a run together really cost them this season and despite a vital win away to fellow relegation battlers Sporting Gijon with just three games to go they then went and lost their last two to Valencia and Atleti to condemn them to a shock relegation.

What followed: Villarreal bounced back the following season finishing second to return to La Liga and have again established themselves as a top half team. Their greatest moment came in 2021 when they won the Europa League.

Shock Rating 4/5

Depor 19/20

While many might expect Depors relegation from La Liga to make this list that felt on the cards for a while whereas their relegation to regional football was a big surprise.

Depor had been one of the teams of the 90s and 2000s before financial reality came to bite and they found themselves a yo-yo team between La Liga and Segunda.

The season before they had made it all the way to the play-off finals and looked on course to return to La Liga before a late Abdon Prats goal sealed Mallorcas return to La Liga.

The play-offs in Spain always finish late in the season and their season ended on the 23rd June. Less than two months later they started their Segunda season and it showed.

Despite beating Real Oviedo in their season opener they then failed to win any of their next nineteen games to leave them in dire trouble.

Amazingly they turned things around to go on to win seven in a row before then failing to win any of their next seven in a COVID interrupted run.

Disaster struck on the final matchday as the away side Fuenlabrada had a mass outbreak of COVID and Depors direct rivals for safety Lugo and Albacete were allowed to play on the final day in a controversial decision.

Lugo and Albacete won meaning Depors fate was sealed and still La Liga made them play just a month later in a meaningless game.

Depor went down this season despite amassing 51 points which highlights what a truly competitive and unique season this was.

What Followed: As the third tier was being reconstructed into the new Primera RFEF the following season Depor almost went down again. Near misses to come back up were a theme but they finally achieved their goal last season of promotion. Galician bank Abanca now owns the club and has cleared their debts and made them sustainable.

Shock Rating: 5/5

Malaga 22/23

Los Boquerones had been a mess off the pitch for years but still their relegation to regional football surprised many outsiders who remembered them for the years of Van Nistelrooy and Cazorla.

With disputes over the ownership of the club wrangling through the courts an administrator was appointed by the court to oversee the club.

Having cleared the first team during COVID and worked on a shoe string the club actually had a healthy budget for this season which would have put them around the midtable mark.

Las Palmas were promoted off a budget of just €22k more than Malaga this season in what highlighted poor recruitment from the Andalucian side.

The hierarchy of the club went all in on Pablo Guede who had narrowly kept them up the season before and they built the squad in his image.

This meant talented wingers such as Kevin were farmed out while veterans such as Manolo Reina and Ruben Castro were brought in.

Guede lasted just six games into the new season before Pepe Mel was brought in with again a completely different style of play. Mel was relieved of his duties in the January before they returned to Sergio Pellicer but he was unable to save his boyhood team.

What Followed: Malaga did what so many have struggled to do and bounced back immediately. The club built a squad with a mix of talented youngsters and those with Primera RFEF experience and they came up thanks to a goal in stoppage time of extra time in the most dramatic of circumstances against Gimnastic.

Shock Rating: 3/5

Valencia 1985/86

As Valencia sparked this topic it feels only right their last relegation is included to round up the piece.

Valencia is the third biggest city in Spain and Valencia CF has been the main team in the city and heading into the 85/86 season they were on a run of 55 consecutive seasons in La Liga.

Rightly known as giants of Spanish football their honour roll at this point included four league titles, five Copa del Reys, one Cup Winners Cup and a Super Cup.

They had though been in financial turmoil (sound familiar?) with players and staff often going unpaid as they paid the price for their success the decade before (again sound familiar?).

Los Ches had started the season solid enough with three victories in their first five matches but they then went on to win just one of their next ten to put the club under pressure.

With the fanbase turning against the club due to the ownership it all added to a perfect mix and a run of thirteen matches without victory including a humbling 6-0 defeat to Real Sociedad put Valencias top flight status at risk.

Despite a late rally it wasn’t enough and a 3-0 defeat to Barca at the Nou Camp sealed their fate.

What Followed: Valencia were promoted as champions the following season with Alfredo Di Stefano returning as Head Coach to guide them to the title. The club consolidated it’s status in La Liga before emerging for arguably it’s greatest period of success in the late 90s and early 00s.

Shock Rating: 4/5