Málaga: The sun also rises
Words: Hugo Greenhalgh
Images: Hugo Greenhalgh
Shot on film.
For a pre-season friendly competition, the Trofeo Costa del Sol is pretty large.
It must have a few inches on the Champions League trophy and takes several players to lift it.
But this is Andalusia, and a certain Southern Spanish opulence still lingers in Málaga.
Its first football club, Club Deportivo Málaga, were originally founded in 1904 and the tournament ran continuously from 1961 to 1980, with either three or four teams entering, although it’s now played as a one-off fixture.
A club with a turbulent history, the current iteration of Málaga CF are best known in recent memory for their exploits in the early 2010s.
Not long after Abu Dhabi’s acquisition of Manchester City, Qatari businessman Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani became the owner of Málaga in 2010.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga CF. Pre-match.
Under the management of Manuel Pellegrini, a star roster was quickly assembled with the likes of Santi Cazorla, Ruud van Nistelrooy and a young midfielder by the name of Isco.
Isco and Pellegrini are back tonight, as Málaga face Real Betis in the 2025 Trofeo. Since those glory days, where they nearly reached a Champions League semi-final, Málaga have slid down the pyramid but are now back in the Segunda Division.
Al-Thani’s stewardship saw Málaga fly a little close to el sol, with court cases, administration and relegations that saw Los Boquerones in the news for the wrong reasons.
Despite this, the club are still beloved by many locals on the Costa del Sol and this fixture against Andalusian opposition Betis brought out a near-full stadium.
Indeed, the two sides appeared to enjoy a friendly rivalry with the common cause of hating Sevilla.
Families, couples and siblings arrived at the ground in a pleasing mixture of blue and white, and green and white shirts.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga CF vs Real Betis.
La Rosaleda is a wonderful, open-ended stadium which sits just outside of the historic city centre.
It’s a leisurely ‘riverside’ walk to get there, albeit more of an arid scrubland as the empty Guadalmedina barely musters a trickle.
In town, there’s enough time for a quick vermut at local favourite the Antigua Casa de Guardia before heading up to the ground.
Once inside, you’re dodging piles of discarded sunflower seed shells to make it up to the seats in the Fondo Norte.
Betis get their own away end, but there’s plenty of green dotted among the home stands too. Mi casa es tu casa - at least for this evening.
While Isco dazzles, it’s the underdogs Málaga who come out on top with their direct and energetic football.
In David Larrubia they may have an heir apparent, and his goals either side of half-time had La Rosadela shrilling with delight.
Recent generations of Málaga fans have seen it all, but with every boom and bust, they seem well aware that ‘the sun also rises’.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga CF vs Real Betis.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga CF. Pre-match.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. La Rosadela .
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga CF vs Real Betis.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Málaga CF vs Real Betis.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. MálagaCF vs Real Betis.
©Hugo Greenhalgh/ Terrace Edition. Vinos De Malaga.
Hugo is on X and Instagram: @HugoGreenhalgh
