Features
MIÉ 20.06.2018
"We had a dream, believed we could achieve it and did it," enthused R. Valladolid CF coach Sergio Gonzalez after the second leg of his side's playoff victory over CD Numancia. Los Blanquivioletas recovered from a sticky patch earlier in the campaign to come good when it mattered most and seal an eagerly awaited return to the top flight after a four-year absence.
Following a late-season surge to finish the regular season in fifth spot, R. Valladolid overcame R. Sporting and then Numancia in the playoffs. A strong youth policy, Gonzalez's appointment and Jaime Mata's goalscoring exploits are among the main factors that propelled the club back to the promised land.
Home-grown starlets shine
Throughout the season, the club put faith in its academy products and their mix of talent and youthful exuberance. In particular, Toni Villa, Fernando Calero and Anuar established themselves as first-team regulars, playing an increasingly pivotal role as the campaign wore on.
Eye for goal
Another of the things that set this R. Valladolid team apart was their firepower going forward. Indeed, Los Blanquivioletas ended the campaign as the most prolific side in LaLiga 1|2|3, having scored 69 goals during the regular season and a further nine in the playoffs.
Jaime Mata
Speaking of goals, the striker was the club's undoubted talisman up front last term. In his second season at R. Valladolid, the former Girona FC man won the respect and admiration of the Estadio Jose Zorrilla faithful and took LaLiga 1|2|3 by storm. The Madrilenian bagged a total of 35 goals, 33 in regular-season action and two in the playoffs.
Oscar Plano
Plano was another of the influential figures behind the Castile and Leon outfit's return to LaLiga Santander. The Real Madrid academy graduate enjoyed the finest season of his career and was a mainstay in the R. Valladolid midfield, as well as their top assist provider with eight.
Sergio Gonzalez
Gonzalez it was who gave R. Valladolid the aforementioned belief that going up was not a lost cause. Having taken over in April, when the club was languishing in 11th place, the Catalan coach restored faith and instilled a distinctive style of play and work ethic that ultimately led to promotion.
The fans
Following a tough few seasons, last term the people of Valladolid well and truly fell back in love with their team. The Jose Zorrilla was rocking during the run-in and the supporters spurred the players on to clinch promotion.
© LALIGA - 2018