A number of well-known footballers have their villas in Marbella, but the club from this city only plays in the third division. It is doing well there, fighting to return to the second tier of the competition after almost 30 years. It has a good excuse for promotion – it will soon move to a new stadium.
From Marbella to Real Madrid
Real Madrid fans will certainly remember Jose Callejon very well, who played for the ‘Kings’ between 2011 and 2013. He was regarded as a big talent, but did not break through into the first team on a permanent basis. He scored a few games for the senior Spanish national team. After leaving Real, he played in Italy, at Napoli and Fiorentina, and then at Granada. Before the start of the current season, the now 37-year-old striker moved to Marbella.
And in terms of the Costa del Sol team’s exposure to big football, that would be it. There are no other footballers in the squad with a past at top European clubs. Marbella FC plays in the Primera Federacion, the Spanish third division. Before the season it was not put as a favourite for promotion, but it is doing unexpectedly well. It is in fourth place, which means only one position separates it from the barage zone. If Callejon and co. manage to win promotion to the second division, it would be a return to this level for this team after almost 30 years.
The golden 90s.
The club from Marbella had its best period in the 1990s, when the team was known as Club Atletico Marbella (CA Marbella), heir to the tradition of Club Deportivo Marbella (CD Marbella), which had been dissolved in 1947 and previously served as its reserves. In the 1990s, the Marbella club was owned by the eccentric Jesus Gil – known to Spanish football fans primarily for his management of Atletico Madrid. Under his reign, CA Marbella spent four consecutive seasons in the second division. Never before or since has it played at such a high level.
In 1997, the club collapsed due to numerous debts. It was replaced by Union Deportiva Marbella (UD Marbella), since 2013 appearing under its current name, Marbella Football Club (Marbella FC). Since then, the club has remained suspended between the third and fourth leagues. In the 2008/09 season, it came very close to returning to the back of the Spanish elite, but lost the battle for promotion in the play-offs. Now in the third division, Marbella is a relegated club – in previous competitions it played a level lower. Since 2018, the club has been owned by Chinese businessman Zhao Zhen.
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New stadium in Marbella
Although Marbella is associated with luxury like few cities in Europe, for the time being it does not have a stadium worthy of its status. The local team until recently played their home matches at the Estadio Municipal Antonio Lorenzo Cuevas, built in the 1970s and named after the first player from Marbella to play in Spain’s top league.
The stadium’s original name was Estadio Municipal de Marbella, and the venue is outdated and quite small, holding just over 7,000 spectators. It has hosted not only football matches, but also rugby matches and athletics competitions, among others. In June 2013, the Marbella stadium underwent redevelopment, and a few months later it hosted the European Women’s Rugby Championship. Michael Jackson, Queen, Prince and Dire Straits have played their concerts here.
A completely new stadium will soon be built on the site of the old stadium, a few hundred metres from the historic city centre. It will be noticeably larger – its capacity is expected to be around 10,000 spectators – and fully roofed. Demolition of the old Estadio Municipal is currently underway. This season and next season, Marbella FC will play their home games on one of the pitches at the Banus Football Centre, located in the west of the city. There, only a few hundred spectators can enter the stands. The team is expected to return to its proper venue in 2026.
Lewandowski in Marbella?
It is therefore theoretically possible that Marbella FC could even play not in the second division but in LaLiga, the top division, at the inauguration of the new stadium. For this, two promotions in a row would be needed. Let us emphasise – two unexpected promotions. Then, for the opening of the modern facility, the local team could face, for example, Real Madrid or FC Barcelona. Who knows, maybe with Robert Lewandowski in the line-up?
For the time being, Marbella is definitely closer to his club colleague Wojciech Szczesny. The Polish goalkeeper has had a villa in the city for several years, as has Christiano Ronaldo. Before moving to Catalonia, Szczęsny played in Italy. From this country come two heartening examples for Marbella of clubs from popular resort cities who have managed to get promoted to the top league. Venezia marks its second approach to the Italian elite in recent years. Como 1907, a club from the famous lake, returned to the first tier after more than 20 years. A team from the French film capital of Cannes has spent many seasons in their country’s top division.
