There is precisely one similar case in the third tier to that of the Blanquillos, and it was Málaga in 2023-24. The Malaguistas also lost their opening league match to Castellón (2-1) before putting together five consecutive wins to move into third place in the table.
That Málaga side eventually earned promotion to the Segunda División, although through the playoffs after finishing the season in third place. It is striking, however, that the only comparable case to the Aragonese side is that of a team that managed to return to professional football.
IBAI GÓMEZ'S NUMBERS
The side coached by Ibai Gómez wants to keep adding victories, and if it secures a sixth against Atlético Madrileño, the Blanquillos' numbers would only be comparable with those of Natxo González in 2017-18 and Marcelino García Toral in 2008-09, both outside the Primera División. Under the Basque coach, the team battled for promotion, while Marcelino led it back to the top flight.
Real Zaragoza's momentum is extremely encouraging, and the results are backing it up. Now it remains to be seen whether the comparison with Málaga ultimately becomes reality and the team takes the important and necessary step of returning to professional football.
