State of play: The Regions of Spain: Cantabria

Spain is made up of 17 unique and autonomous regions and regional pride is as big as national pride in what can feel a fragmented country.

For centuries when people spoke about Cantabria the term they used was “La Montaña” or the mountain in English and just like mountains dominate all around them when it comes to Cantabria one club dominates and that is Racing Santander.

Santander is the biggest city in what is Spain’s second smallest region by population with just 590,000 inhabitants, on the map the region is wedged between the Basque Country and Asturias. Cantabria though is more than just it’s mountains, it’s lush green and full of beautiful beaches while also a big port for ferries bringing people into Spain.

Verdiblancos

Racing Santander were formed in 1913, they weren’t though the first side in Cantabria but they have become the symbol of the region. Their history is a rollercoaster of emotions with 44 La Liga seasons, 38 in Segunda and 11 outside the top two tiers. The club took part in the first ever La Liga season in 1929 and finished runners up in 1931. That though was as close as they would get to La Liga title success, just ten years after almost winning La Liga they were in Segunda and three seasons after that fall they again dropped down this time to the third tier.

Following the club is not for the faint hearted and the only thing Racinguistas have come to expect is the unexpected. Their last spell in La Liga was ended in 2012 and they suffered back to back relegations to find themselves in the third tier. At times the club has been a basket case with owners and Presidents running the club into the ground, so much so that the players refused to play their Copa del Rey quarter final against Real Sociedad after months without pay instead they stood in solidarity and the game was abandoned.

That might sound like the beginning of the end but it united the club and in the last five years the club has gone from strength to strength under new owners who have invested in infrastructure and sensibly built the club up. Attendances are up to an average of nearly 20k at the 21,000 El Sardinero this season. Fans of Racing are known for their passion and commitment to travel all over Spain to watch their side. Under Jose Alberto Lopez Racing play rock n roll football, their style is high press, swashbuckling and high risk and they're many neutrals favourite Segunda side for their style.

They’re one of the historic teams in Spain and dominate the region so how come they have such a monopoly in the region when it comes to football?

To start with the size of Santander relative to the region helps to explain their dominance. Santander has a population of 183,000 at last count a full three times bigger than the next biggest of Torrelavega. Torrelavega is the home of the oldest club in the region in Gimnastica de Torrelavega but that is where their hold over their rivals ends. Gimnastica have spent 8 seasons in Segunda the last of those in 1968. They have spent most of the last couple of decades bouncing between the third and fourth tiers even going as low as the fifth tier in 2022.

Simply put Gimnastica don’t live in the same world as their fellow Cantabrian side Racing. They last played at the same level in 2018/19 where Racing won at El Sardinero and played out a goalless draw in the return.

No other town in Cantabria is of a size to compete with Santander and it feels like Racing represent the region especially given as their main historic rivals have been Athletic Club. Whether

While football is the dominant sport in the region, right now there is a real dearth of talent. Paco Gento is the most successful and famous footballer to have come from the region and although he started out at Racing he was quickly snapped up by Real Madrid where he played almost 600 games, scored 179 goals won 6 European Cups, 12 La Liga’s, 2 Copa del Reys and 1 intercontinental cup in what is a truly illustrious career.

While Gento is the most famous son of Cantabria the current crop don’t quite match up. The most prominent is Pablo Torre who is a bit part player at Barca. Torre had a promising start to his career at Racing before Barca bought him out of his release clause for €5 million. His career at Barca though has never really got going with his most memorable moment being Gavi telling Head Coach Hansi Flick to bring Torre on instead of him in a 7-1 thrashing of Valencia. He is still young and still has time to hit his potential but he is the only player from the region currently in La Liga.

Sergio Canales was probably the most famous before Torre but his move to Mexico in his later career has seen him move out of the spotlight. Canales took a familiar path, starting off at Racing, where he looked to be the next big thing before Real Madrid snapped him up. He never really got going at Real Madrid similar to Torre and a move to Valencia also didn’t work out. Real Sociedad and Betis though were his next moves and at Betis in particular he shone where he was given the freedom to play.

Racing have a couple in their squad mainly Íñigo Sainz-Maza from Cantabria but this feels like a time where the region is struggling to produce top level footballers. Racings historic rivalry has also come from out of the region with Athletic Club the rivalry in the battle of the North. They not only represent different regions but a completely different way of seeing football given Athletic Clubs Basque only policy.

It's still so close in Segunda but it could be that next season we not only see that rivalry renewed but also the region of Cantabria back on the map when it comes to La Liga and many would love to see that come to fruition. A passionate fanbase and a high intensity football style mixed with a beautiful region of beaches and mountains.