The “Gaul of Asterix and Obelix” that dreams of promotion to the First Division

BarcelonaHalfway between Logroño, Vitoria, San Sebastián, and Bilbao lies Miranda de Ebro, a town of just over 35,000 inhabitants renowned for its industrial center—now in decline—and communications hub, especially for rail. Children attend school wearing the shirt of the town's team, Mirandés, not Barça or Real Madrid. Historically, it has straddled the Third Division and Second B, which is 90 minutes away from promotion to the Liga. end of the play-off, will achieve this for the first time in its nearly hundred years of existence, making it one of the smallest teams to reach the Spanish football elite. "It's a David versus Goliath story. With one of the lowest budgets in the division, it's very close to promotion to the First Division, having competed against Granada, Almería, and Racing de Santander, teams from large cities that represent provincial capitals. It's very big," says Pablo Infante, the most famous player in the club's history.

He has been since 2012 when he starred in one of the great feats of the King's Cup: captaining CD Mirandés, from Segunda B, to the semi-finals of the competition and becoming the tournament's top scorer, ahead of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. All of this, without being a fully professional player, because he combined football with his job at a bank branch in Burgos. Retired since 2016, he now works in the mobility and transport service of the city council of the same city.

That episode put Mirandés on the national football map. "Media-wise, it had a lot of impact. But the most important thing was that that same year we were promoted to Segunda for the first time. Promotion allowed us to build a small sports city and a new stand at the ground—Anduva is an old stadium with a capacity for less than 6,000 spectators—and, in general terms, to begin to professionalize the club."

Loans as a formula for success

"The philosophy is not to overextend your arm. They don't make long-term contracts and rely mainly on loans of young players from neighboring teams, such as Athletic Club, Alavés, and Real Sociedad, who see them as a springboard. It's a risk to reinvent yourself every year and have thirteen players on loan, but."

Mirandés, who narrowly missed relegation to the First Division RFEF last season and canceled a preseason friendly in August because they didn't have enough players, have become the surprise team in the Second Division thanks to their wins and also to good football. "They transmit a lot of desire and ambition. They take risks at the back, they go after the opponent up front, and they get into the opposing box with a lot of people. They're a very fun team to watch play," says the former Barça defender. Of note are players like Panichelli, Izeta, Gorrotxategi, and Hugo Rincón, all on loan.

For both the why and the how of becoming one of the most likable teams in Spain. "Except in Burgos and Oviedo, everyone will support them," Alfaro concludes. "If in 2005, when I signed for the club in the Third Division, they had told me I would be one game away from promotion to La Liga, I wouldn't have believed it. Imagine what it would mean for Miranda de Ebro if Lamine Yamal or Mbappé played for Anduva," dreams Pablo Infante, who will be witnessing the outcome. play-off of promotion from the stands of Carlos Tartiere, like any other fan, wishing for a happy ending in the Mirandés fairy tale.