TEN YEARS OF JOSÉ CASTRO'S PRESIDENCY

Under the terms of the pre-agreed transition pact in 2019 José María del Nido Carrasco has today become our new president. His predecessor, José Castro, rounds off a decade in which the club solidified its position among the elite of European football, after making huge strides at the start of the 21st century. Despite difficult circumstances when initially taking his role in December 2013, our sporting success on the pitch continued as in May 2014 we secured our first UEFA Europa League title under his presidency against Benfica in Turin. Since then, four more titles have followed, the back-to-back wins in Warsaw and Basel, then Cologne in 2020, and the most recent one in Budapest last season. 

Additionally, Castro led the club to nine other finals, including five UEFA Super Cups, two Copa del Rey finals and two Spanish Super Cups. Other historic achievements for the club during his tenure include our record league points total in a season in 2020/21 and the first ever Zamora Trophy for one of our players by Yassine Bono a year later. In these ten years, the club competed in the UEFA Champions League on seven occasions, having only qualified four times previously. In the 2017/18 season, we reached the quarterfinals, equalling our best ever run from the 1957/58 season. 

In addition to the five UEL titles, his tenure saw our record league points total and the first Zamora Trophy 

Despite numerous on-field milestones, José Castro's presidency also boasts various achievements throughour the club. Our international brand reach has grown, targeting different strategic markets and taking the team on tours to Asia, Africa, and America. Furthermore, an ambitious digitisation plan has been implemented in various business areas of the club, including social media. Significant progress has also been made in infrastructure, both at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and the José Ramón Cisneros Palacios training ground. The renovation of the former allowed Nervión to host a UEFA Europa League final 2022, while the Estadio Jesús Navas Stadium began construction. 

José Castro rounds off a presidency spanning two decades but will remain involved in the club as vice-president, a role he began a quarter of a century ago together with Rafael Carrión. He now returns to this position with the task of continuing to develop the club and tackle future challenges.