
<p><strong>Málaga</strong> has had a fall from grace, at one time the club was coached by former <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/real-madrid" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Real Madrid</a> boss Manuel Pellegrini and were quarter finalists of the UEFA <strong><a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/champions-league" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Champions League</a></strong>. Today the former <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/la-liga" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LaLiga</a> side is now in the Spanish third division after falling into administration and a systematic decline starting in 2012.<br></p>



<p>In 2020, club owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani was forced to lay off the entire first-team squad to save the club from oblivion. The team fell into the third division by May 2023, to say the fans are not happy with the current ownership group is an understatement.</p>


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<p>Still the Malaga supporters are finding humor in their current predicament and went to the local airport to “greet” a random tourist as he waited outside the terminal as if said tourist was a new “star signing”.<br></p>



<h2>Man shocked to be greeted by Malaga supporters<br></h2>



<p>In the video a man coming out of the terminal is presented a jersey with the number 69 as fans surround the confused tourist by chanting and holding up a sign “Welcome to Malaga”.<br></p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Malaga fans were so disappointed at the club not making a Summer signing that they picked a random tourist at the airport to greet as a new player<a href="https://t.co/0by5ny1uBR">pic.twitter.com/0by5ny1uBR</a></p>— COPA90 (@Copa90) <a href="https://twitter.com/Copa90/status/1693920891690709313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="es" dir="ltr">Jajaja, esto es maravilloso. El Málaga  descendió a la 3ª División de España, pero los hinchas se lo tomaron con humor.<br><br>Se organizaron y fueron al aeropuerto a recibir a ¡DESCONOCIDOS! como si fueran cracks fichados por el club.<br><br>Si, real. 😅🇪🇸 <a href="https://t.co/eN9AlXNZx0">pic.twitter.com/eN9AlXNZx0</a></p>— Ataque Futbolero (@AtaqueFutbolero) <a href="https://twitter.com/AtaqueFutbolero/status/1693982595699343819?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<p>Back in 2002 Malaga was able to win the UEFA Intertoto Cup and in 2012 under Pellegrini finished fourth in the league with a club record-breaking 58 points. Then the financial issues started, and the club began to fall apart eventually going down to the Spanish third division.</p>


Málaga fans greet stranger at airport after club fails to make a single summer signing

Málaga fans greet stranger at airport after club fails to make a single summer signing - Bolavip US

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<p>It’s not until you’ve passed the good old days when you realize you were living the good old days. If not, just ask <strong>Malaga</strong>, who <strong>went from playing in <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/la-liga">LaLiga</a> and in the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/champions-league">Champions League</a> to being relegated to the third division.</strong></p>



<p>Just like it happened <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/soccer/Sampdoria-relegated-to-Serie-B-and-now-at-risk-of-bankruptcy-20230510-0021.html">in Italy with Sampdoria</a> – who dropped to the second tier, Spain has seen one of its historic teams fall even lower. A 2-1 loss to Alaves sealed Malaga’s fate last weekend, as they <strong>will play in Primera RFEF next season.</strong></p>



<p>The news made noise in world soccer, since many have seen this club taking the spotlight both domestically and internationally. Unfortunately, <strong>their best days are far behind them.</strong></p>



<h2>Malaga drops to Spain’s third division</h2>



<p>Malaga had already been on decline since dropping from LaLiga in 2018, but they managed to stay in the second division for five straight seasons. Now, <strong>they’ve hit rock bottom.</strong></p>



<p>The Boquerones were a regular team in the Spanish top-flight from 1950, only being a few years away in the 90s before the club got back on its feet. In fact, the team from Andalusia even <strong>enjoyed continental prominence in the last decade</strong>.</p>



<p>Under Manuel Pellegrini, Malaga had a memorable performance in the 2012/13 UEFA Champions League, <strong>making an unprecedented run to the quarterfinals</strong>. On top of that, the likes of <strong>Ruud van Nistelrooy, Santi Cazorla, and Isco</strong> wore their uniform during their best days. Sadly, those days are over, and the club has to get itself out of a hole.</p>


Spanish club that shone in LaLiga and Champions League drops to third division - Bolavip US

Spanish club that shone in LaLiga and Champions League drops to third division

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