Armando Perez: Latino Libre

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26th May 2018

"SÍ PAPI! SÍ PAPI! SÍ PAPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

"SIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

They were the screams that Armando heard as he approached the locker room. What he found inside would change the trajectory of his career forever. On the night where his team had just won the UEFA Champions League against an exciting Liverpool side in Kyiv, the Real Madrid coach was supposed to be celebrating. However, walking in on his wife and [player name retracted for legal reasons] set off a series of events which ended with Armando losing his job as a coach of Los Galacticos and [player name retracted for legal reasons] leaving the country for Turin.

Incredibly, MARCA and other Spanish media channels had not picked up on the series of events. Real Madrid club president Fiorentino Pérez cited Armando's 'poor timekeeping' as reason enough for his sudden departure, while the departure of the player was put down to footballing reasons. Once again, the giant cogs of the machine of world football continued to move on and swallow anything that came in its way.

It was a turning point for Armando Pérez, who had built up quite the reputation in his fledgling coaching career following a successful stint as a player. He was often referred to as 'Mister Worldwide', having played for major clubs across every continent in the world. His trophy-laden career as a flair-driven forward ended in 2015, when he then joined Real Madrid's youth team coaching staff. His ability to get the best out of raw talent saw him promoted to the senior team in 2017, where he worked alongside Zizou Zidane on a daily basis. He was expected to become the Italian's new assistant manager following the Champions League final in 2018 but his departure put a stop to his progress.

Pérez' life went into freefall following that night in Kyiv. He divorced his cheating wife Sebastiana James, a South African pole dancer, and indulged in a life of reckles debauchery. Football became a memory of the past as he indulged in more alcohol than was possibly imaginable and entered more back doors than a house robber.

That all changed in the summer of 2021. During one of his many regular visits to a nightclub in Miami, Mister Worldwide met with Mino Raiola. The super agent of football was a devious character at the best of times but was well-linked and typically always found the best path forward for his clients. Raiola took well to Armando Pérez, enrolling him as a client. Within two weeks, Pérez had landed a job as a professional football manager, with the club due to announce his arrival on 12th July 2021.

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12/07/2022

Comunicado Oficial: Málaga Club de Fútbol is delighted to announce the arrival of Armando Pérez as the new manager of the club's senior team. The forty year old former Spain international joins on a three-year contract having most recently been part of Carlo Ancelotti's Champions League winning Real Madrid coaching staff back in 2018. Today's announcement marks the beginning of Pérez's managerial career and the club will do everything in its power to support Mister Worldwide's vision.

Born in Miami on 15th January 1981, Armando grew up in love with football and his ambitions to become a player surged when he moved to Seville in 1989. Pérez joined Real Betis' youth academy and made his first-team debut at the age of 18 in 1999. The tricky winger demonstrated incredible skills on the ball and an eye for the spectacular pass, attracting scouts from across the continent. In 2002, Pérez joined AS Monaco on a free transfer, and he went on to make his senior Spain debut later that year.

Pérez went on to play for Udinese, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy, while also enjoying stints at Monterrey, Guangzhou, Flamengo and Melbourne. The 69-time capped Spain international was part of the nation's Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010 winning squads, before retiring completely from playing in 2015. He joined the coaching staff of Real Madrid's juvenile teams that year and worked his way up the ranks to become a first-team coach in 2017. His first-and-only season alongside head coach Carlo Ancelotti saw Los Blancos win a famous treble, as the team won the UEFA Super Cup, FIFA Club World Cup and, finally, the UEFA Champions League.

Pérez left his role at Real Madrid that summer and has since enjoyed some time away from football. Having linked up with world-renowned super agent Mino Raiola earlier this year, Pérez decided to step back into the world of football and is of the belief that Málaga has the potential to fulfil his ambitions. The Spaniard is looking to help bring the club back to the top flight of Spanish football, having played in Spain's second tier since 2018. Pérez has expressed his wishes to harness the club's exciting youth academy, while also bringing attractive, attacking football to the club.

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Armando Pérez:

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"I came here to be a winner and I know I have the tools here at Málaga to succeed. We have a fantastic stadium in La Rosaleda and many beautiful people in the stands. We want to be back in LaLiga by this time next year and it is undoubtedly our ambition to be the most exciting team in the country.

I want to bring back the sex appeal of football here. We want to attack with style and flavour. The younger players in the club will play a big part in that because of their incredible potential and we want them to become global superstars. I am here to make superstars and not just buy them like another bald Spanish-speaking manager."

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The story of Málaga Club de Fútbol began all the way back in 1948, known back then as Club Atlético Malagueño. Malagueño was officially a reserve team of the highly reputable CD Málaga, a club that played largely in the top two divisions of Spain. However, Club Atlético Malagueño became an independent club in 1959 when CD Málaga were relegated to the same division, with the reserve team not wishing to drop down a division due to Spanish federation rules.

Malagueño's time as an independent football club was not a smooth one, with the club struggling financially for much of its time. In 1993, club members voted for the club to reform its name, with the birth of Málaga Club de Fútbol S.A.D. The change in name and vision saw an astronomical rise in fortunes for the south-coast club, who had become known for its incredibly-successful youth promotion. The club reached LaLiga in 1999, where they played 17 of the next 19 seasons. Their finest season came in 2011/2012, when Los Albicelestes claimed a historic 4th place in LaLiga.

Málaga's maiden season in the Champions League was an impressive one, as they reached the quarter finals of Europe's grandest competition. However, the squad which once made Spain's top four was decimated as they lost key players in the form of Santi Cazorla, Nacho Monreal, Isco, Martín Demichellis and more. It marked the end of an era of highly exciting football for the south coast club.

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Despite being a settled LaLiga team, Málaga's finances were anything but secure. Their precarious situation led to the sale of the club to sheikh Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani in 2010. However, poor management of finances lead to the club being banned for the 2013/2014 European season, with the club missing out on UEFA Europa League football. The troubling mismanagement of finances by Al Thani continued, with the club leaking players to pay off debts and performances on the pitch declining. The club was relegated from LaLiga in 2018 and have played in Spain's second tier since.

Al Thani has been the subject of critical investigations lead by the Spanish courts. Reports emerged in 2020 of Al Thani using club money for personal interests, with Al Thani also being accused of commiting financial fraud with purchases of more shares from minority shareholders. Spanish courts continue to investigate the situation, having already removed Al Thani from the club. In came José María Muñoz to replace Al Thani, who has been anything but a respectable custodian. But that's a story for another day.

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While the future of Málaga remains up in the air, with a number of consortiums reportedly interested in buying the club, Málaga fans can look forward to the development of some of their young prospects. Ismael Casas, Julio Martínez, Ramón Enríquez, Ale Benítez, Dani Lorenzo, David Larrubia and Roberto Fernández have all been touted as future superstars and have all been promoted to the senior squad by new manager Armando Pérez.

European clubs are in the shadows lurking for an opportunity to poach some of Málaga's young talent and the club's financial situation is likely to dictate their ability to keep or sell the players. However, Málaga fans will be hoping that a potential promotion-winning season back to LaLiga will be enough to settle the tide crashing on the club. Can Málaga survive? Can a new investor come in to save the club? This coming season will shed plenty of clarity on that matter.

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Transfers

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Outgoing:
Boussefiane and Jairo were let go to free up some of the wage budget. They were good enough to play in LaLiga 2 but there were plenty of other players of similar quality in the squad.

Casas, Martínez and Enríquez were all promising young players. In an ideal world they would not have left the club but a combination of interest unsettling the players and the need to stabilise the finances pushed through the sales.

Incoming:
There was one incoming player, and what an incoming player it was! Former France international Rémy Cabella joined on a free transfer, having recently been released from Russian club Krasnodar. The attacking midfielder brought flair, creativity and sex appeal - the three things Armando Pérez wanted in his team.

Results

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A pre-season training camp in Morroco kicked things of for Pérez' team for the season. Games were played against FAR Rabat and Kénitra AC. To round off pre-season, Málaga played games against Sheffield United and Juve Stabia.

LaLiga 2

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A mid-table finish was predicted for Málaga by the media. However, Armando Pérez was confident of a much higher placing and was targetting a play-off spot as an absolute minimum.

Upcoming Fixtures

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Despite looking forward to a forty-two game league season, LaLiga 2 was to be played through international breaks which meant Málaga would only need to worry about one league game per week. This would allow plenty of rest time.

The season would kick off for Málaga at La Rosaleda against Amorebieta in mid-August. The big games on the calendar were set to be against Almería in September and Eibar at the end of October. Could Málaga create a splash?

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Results

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Phwoar. It's been an incredible first half to the season by Pérez's Málaga side as they demolished teams throughout the country. The signing of Rémy Ceballa proved to be an inspiration as the Frenchman starred in the middle of the park. He drove the team forward through his experience and his creativity and made the rest of the league his personal b*tch.

Pérez promised excitement to the Málaga fans when he took over and his team scored three goals or more on eight different ocassions. A 7-1 win at home to Girona in December was the game to remember, as Málaga lost just once in their first 19 league games.

There was also progress made in Copa del Rey as Málaga put Lugo to the sword in mid-December to reach the 2nd Round.

LaLiga 2

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Málaga's form saw them top the league by 5 points, with Almería closest to them. Girona were in 3rd place, 10 points behind them. Málaga lead the way in both Goals For and Goals Away as they proved to be the dominant outfit in the division.

Upcoming Fixtures

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Málaga were to start 2022 with a trip to Real Sporting Gijon for a 2nd round tie in the Copa del Rey before action in LaLiga 2 recommenced. All Málaga needed to do secure promotion was keep some sort of consistency going. Pérez was pushing his players to be as relentless as possible to secure a return to Spain's top flight.

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