20 YEARS SINCE OUR LAST PROMOTION

02/06/2021

Podestá's goal in the 1-0 win against CD Tenerife in 2001 secured promotion with two matches to spare

As the Carlos Gardel song goes, 20 years is nothing. Based on the recent history of Sevilla FC, he is right. Today, 2nd June, marks the twentieth anniversary of the club's most recent promotion to the top flight. 20 years in which the club has been busy leaving behind a tumultuous end to the 20th century and establishing themselves amongst the greats of Spanish football. And it is true that 20 years is nothing because, strangely enough, the club finished their 90th league season just over a week ago. 77 of those have been spent in the top flight, with another 13 seasons in the Second Division, including six seasons in that division before securing their first promotion in 1934.

That was the first one, with further promotions following in 1969, 1975, 1999 and 2001. This means that Sevilla FC have experienced five stints in the First Division and the current one is the third-longest, behind the 31-season spell between 1934 and 1968 (league football was suspended for three years due to the war), and the 22-year stint between 1975 and 1997. Every promotion had its own unique features, and the most recent one came at a key moment in the club's history, with Roberto Alés managing a precarious financial situation, Monchi joining as Director of Football and Joaquín Caparrós taking the reins as coach.

Roberto Alés' new project, with Monchi and Caparrós, brought instant promotion

The project sought, in the first instance, to stabilise the team in order to try to return to the First Division as soon as possible. However, everything started to work like a charm. Key signings would arrive that summer who were influential for the club at the start of the century, such as Pablo Alfaro, David Castedo and Javi Casquero, while players such as Antoñito, Gallardo and José Antonio Reyes came through the academy. The quality in the Second Division at the time was strong, with Sevilla facing sides such as Atlético de Madrid, Betis, Tenerife, Sporting Gijón and Levante. The team won their first four matches and only spent one matchday outside of the promotion places, in Matchday 11.

In the second half of the season, the team really cranked up the pace and were always more than six points clear of fourth place, with the top three securing automatic promotion. The club headed into the fortieth league match of the season knowing that a win, at home to CD Tenerife, would secure promotion with two matches to spare. It was the Uruguayan Inti Podestá, a much-loved player, who would score the only goal of the match to send the team back to the top-flight. A player who always stood out for his effort and grit, he was the best representative of a Sevilla team that secured their objective with hard work and no frills. That was 20 years ago now and the club looks practically nothing like it did on the outside. The complete professionalisation of the club has taken care of that. However, the hallmarks of that Sevilla side, which enabled the club's promotion in 2001, are still intact two decades later.