‘you Tried To Kill Us’: Real Oviedo Make Emotional Return To La Liga

“When nan players went out, they were for illustration ‘pfff, what a awesome atmosphere’,” Xabi Alonso said astatine nan adjacent of a nighttime truthful long-awaited galore didn’t make it, and galore of those who did were really experiencing primera for nan first time. At nan northbound extremity of nan Carlos Tartiere, Real Oviedo’s fans prepared to uncover different gigantic activity of art, 1,800m quadrate metres of tifo sent tumbling crossed nan terrace. Beneath nan westbound stand, nan city’s bagpipers sewage fresh to play nan Asturian anthem. Near nan tunnel, Elena and Carlos, nan embodiment of an full generation, waited to footwear it each off. And everywhere, successful nan metropolis and nan stadium, location was blue. Into it all, Real Madrid stepped connected Sunday night. And, their head said, it was “spectacular.”

They had missed it. The past clip Madrid had been to Oviedo was 10 June 2001, nan past first section crippled successful nan Tartiere. That day, a fortnight aft Oviedo had beaten Barcelona astatine nan Camp Nou, they drew 1-1 pinch Vicente del Bosque’s side, Santi Solari scoring. “I for illustration to hide it,” Veljko Paunovic says, but he can’t. “We missed truthful galore chances; I had two, 1 deed nan bar.” A triumph and Oviedo would person been safe; instead, 7 days later they mislaid 4-2 astatine Mallorca and were relegated. It took 24 years to return to primera, 9 days much to do truthful astatine home. Coincidence, aliases possibly a benignant of closure, decided it would beryllium against nan aforesaid squad arsenic nan past time, 8841 days later.

Another 168 teams person been location since, galore of whom you astir apt haven’t heard of, each of which Oviedo tin now beryllium proud of: Pumarin, Atletico Astorga, Colloto. Montañeros, Condal de Noreña, Real Titanico. Or mini CD Mosconia, moreover though location whitethorn beryllium nary extremity that meant arsenic overmuch arsenic nan 1 Kily Álvarez scored against them. When Madrid past came, Paunovic was an Oviedo midfielder; now he is nan manager, nan man who won promotion to primera successful June, instantly messaging nan teammates who went down pinch him successful 2001. “It’s been very emotional,” he said, “this is for illustration closing a circle, repaying a debt. It transcends football.”

• Fans overlooking nan Carlos Tartiere Stadium. All photographs by Pablo Garcia for The Guardian.

• Flares are lit arsenic supporters descend connected nan ground.

• Arriving up of kick-off for nan club’s first apical formation lucifer successful 24 years.

• Walking into nan stadium.

Football ever does, and connected Sunday nighttime it was felt, moreover by Madrid’s players. This is not conscionable once-big squad gets relegated and takes excessively agelong to return, truthful agelong that loads of nan Oviedo fans who sang astir doing truthful ne'er saw them play successful primera successful nan first spot and countless much didn’t unrecorded to spot it happen. It is not that Oviedo fell successful 2001, it is that they kept falling. Not conscionable that they are successful nan first section now but that they are, not conscionable that they mightiness not person made it backmost but that they mightiness not person made it astatine all. The past clip they faced Madrid was against their ‘C’ team. And it mightiness person been nan past clip they ever faced anyone.

Before this weekend’s crippled Oviedo produced a matchday poster that portrayed nan 2 teams arsenic aged acquaintances crossing paths again. “Tell me, how’s it been going … ” nan connection says. At nan apical of nan image, Real Madrid assistance different European Cup. At nan bottom, Real Oviedo’s former goalkeeper Rafa Ponzo stands successful nan mud. Since 2001, while Oviedo person been away, Madrid person won 11 leagues and 7 Champions Leagues. Oviedo person been down to nan 2nd division, 2nd section b – an 82-team convention of 4 location divisions – and tercera, wherever location are much than 350 teams crossed 17 divisions. They person been relegated 2 divisions successful nan aforesaid season, had an proprietor connected nan tally from Interpol and politicians trying to termination them off. Twice they were connected nan verge of folding, gone for ever. Which was erstwhile nan fans came in, and which is why this was overmuch much than conscionable a promotion, a first section homecoming.

Instead of coming backmost up aft relegation successful 2001, they went down again 2 years on, from nan 2nd section to nan 2nd section b. Worse, debts spiralled, reaching 7bn pesetas (€42m), nan database of creditors headed by nan taxation office, Betis, bank, and societal security. When players reported nan nine for unpaid salaries, an other section was added to their fall, sent down to tercera. They besides started nan pursuing play connected minus-six points. If they started it astatine all. The header successful 1 section insubstantial said it all. “It’s over.”

“All that’s near is to motion nan decease certificate,” said nan section mayor, Gabino de Lorenzo, and he was keen to do that. “Given nan imminent disappearance of master shot successful nan city, de jure and de facto,” a draught statement began, nan assembly invited nan section amateur nine Astur to return their place. Astur changed their sanction to Oviedo ACF, their colours to Oviedo’s colours, their badge to thing near-identical to Oviedo’s. They signed Oviedo’s grounds quality maker. The assembly promised Astur a €91,000 subsidy and nan usage of nan Tartiere. Newspapers successful nan mayor’s pouch backed nan project, talked up afloat houses that weren’t afloat and celebrated support that didn’t exist, thing tin-pot dictator successful nan tone. Sample line: “Gabino received an improvised homage pinch a immense ovation erstwhile he arrived astatine nan ground”.

• Bagpipers play nan Asturian anthem earlier nan match.

• A proud supporter.

• A immense tifo unfurled earlier kick-off.

• Passion successful nan stands.

As it turned out, it was what Oviedo needed – thing to spell to warfare for, a origin to defend, anger to substance it, an force to return on. “The poison cured you,” arsenic 1 Oviedo opus goes. Astur were nan clone, nan freak; Real Oviedo were nan real Oviedo, and location was a reawakening, a rebellion.

Led by president Manolo Lafuente fans answered nan call: they brought generators, trim grass, painted stands, and started calling play summons holders 1 by one, putting together homemade rank cards. Eventually location were 11,700 of them. In their full clip down successful what they came to telephone nan “mud” – a connection utilized metaphorically and virtually – Oviedo ne'er had little than 10,000. They built a squad too, pinch a skeleton staff, only six of 40 remaining. The full squad had gone. So had younker players Juan Mata, Santi Cazorla and Adrian Lopez, forced retired amid nan chaos. They had nary basking water, nary energy and nary players but wrong 2 weeks they had a squad and it was theirs, an personality forged, a consciousness of belonging. It was precarious but they played, starting pinch that triumph complete CD Mosconia, and they were proud. Defeated, nan metropolis assembly yet softly dropped Astur.

Then it went incorrect again. A caller proprietor arrived successful 2006, an evident saviour. Wanted for 2 counts of fraud, Alberto González went missing. In 2012 Oviedo were again connected nan verge of folding. An interim committee – heroes each – had a plan, 1 past rotation of nan dice. Again fans rose, backed this clip by supporters from astir nan world. An SOS went retired and they responded. In nan midst of it, Oviedo played Real Madrid C. That time thousands marched to nan ground. 20,500 were astatine nan game, successful nan 3rd tier. Real Madrid C’s players brought shares. Their nine underwrote 100,000 euros worth. In 2 weeks, 36,962 group successful 86 countries had brought shares. Watching nan arena spread, nan Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim brought shares, taking Oviedo complete nan threshold, its early secured. In 2022, immoderate of those were sold to nan Pachuca group.

In 2003, arsenic it near Oviedo to die, nan metropolis assembly had declared that nan Astur task would “return shot successful Oviedo to nan spot it deserves to be”; 22 years on, 24 years aft they departed nan apical flight, it happened: not nan measurement they wanted, but nan measurement everyone other did. Sprinting connected to nan transportation was Santi Cazorla who had been forced retired by nan situation and yet played his first crippled for his boyhood nine astatine 38, past took them to primera astatine 40. On section power Miguel Fernandi, nan sound of Oviedo done nan muddy years, met nan playoff last whistle with: “You tried to termination us, you tried to assassinate us, you tried to switch us, and 24 years later, we’re successful primera.”

Where, connected Sunday night, they mislaid 3-0 against Real Madrid. Where they were ever apt to but mightiness not person done, but for Kwasi Sibo’s changeable coming disconnected nan station successful nan 81st minute pinch nan people astatine 1-0. “I was truthful huffy astatine myself; it matters to maine personally and everyone else,” he said. But wherever it wasn’t really astir that; it was astir nan journey, astir being. About this section not conscionable being a spot to play but a statement, gathering Madrid not conscionable a lucifer but a symbol: of survival, of overcoming, of ne'er having abandoned, reclaiming a place. About knowing wherever you travel from, astir winning. Not a lucifer aliases moreover a promotion, not really, but thing more: an identity, meaning. Now they would bask this.

• Oviedo’s Kwasi Sibo position pinch Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni.

• Oviedo’s Santi Cazorla runs while Real coach Xabi Alonso watches.

• Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe scores their first goal.

• Oviedo players aft nan match.

About Elena and Carlos, calved successful 2001, members ever since, babies past and adults now, performing nan honorary kick-off, representing a caller generation. About Armando Borbon, Peter Dubovksy and Pelayo Novo, players who passed distant excessively young and nan thousands of fans who were missed connected Sunday too. About nan tifo and nan oversea of blue, nan aged T-shirts everywhere, inexpensive and tatty now but priceless: “I didn’t wantonness Oviedo successful tercera”. About nan tears, nan noise, nan anthem and nan chants, nan aged 1 that insists we’ll beryllium back dropped now. About everyone other embracing this, moreover nan opposition: if Oviedo person missed nan first division, nan first section has missed them too, Alonso hugging Cazorla astatine afloat time. “I was rather affectional because I cognize what this infinitesimal is, what it intends to him: nan ambiance was amazing,” Madrid’s head said. Looking up astatine nan stands astatine nan last whistle, nan Oviedo goalkeeper Aarón Escandell has been beaten and he will talk astir nan crippled but first he has thing elemental to say: “Thank you.”