The Sheikh of Spain: UD Almería

When we look at football clubs around the world, we think of all levels of the footballing pyramid. From the ones on the world stage, to those who mean the world only to those a stone's throw away from the stadium. Where clubs are the next toy for a bored billionaire but also the heartbeat of a local community, no one club is exempt from their financial gluttony. In 2008, the face of football changed forever with Manchester City being bought out by Sheikh Mansour of the United Arab Emirates. Then came the rivers of resources that would see City sail from a mid-table side in the Premier League to serial winners.

Source: BBC

Fast forward some 11 years and another Sheikh set their sights on making a club their own. This time, instead of a rainy Manchester, the destination was the South coast of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalucía. Those familiar with this part of Spain would likely think to themselves, it has to be either Sevilla or Real Betis to be a worthwhile investment. Enter Turki Al-Sheikh, a 37 year old Saudi adviser at the Royal Court. He opted for... more of a project. UD Almería was the team of choice for Turki. A club established when their new investor was aged just 7, the rule book was well and truly out of the window. But that doesn't matter too much just now, so let's pretend to be sunning it up in Southern Spain. For the remainder of this article at least. Also, in the spirit of good music, stick on Stawberry Fields Forever by The Beatles, written by Mr Lennon whilst spending an autumn in Almería (the more you know!)

Source: Wall Street Journal

History of UD

Your new favourite team in La Segunda División, Unión Deportiva Almería, began life in the fifth tier of Spanish football, playing their games at the 'Estadio Municipal Juan Roja', in the Torrecárdenas neighbourhood of Almería. With some debate, it is widely believed that they rose from the ashes of AD Almería who disappeared in 1982 following financial difficulties. Kicking off in the 1989-90 campaign, they would gain promotion in their third season. Fourth division soon became third, then came the yo-yo years from 1994-2002, where they would go onto establish themselves in La Segunda. This success would come just after a move of stadium from the 'Estadio Municipal' to their current home at the 'Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos'.

Source: Pinterest

Then, in the 2006-07 season, glory came to Almería. With the work of new boss, one Unai Emery, they finished 2nd and earned their right to play in La Liga, the stuff of dreams. Unai would make a name for himself that would come to define him, making mediocre Spanish sides over-achieve and forge strong bonds with players, that would see them reunite with him in the years to come. With his boys Juan Carlos Carcedo and Victor Mañas at his side in the dugout, UD Almería were ready for their debut season in La Liga.

With some sound recruitment, Unai and Almería were birthing some real trivia names for football fans all over the world: Diego Alves in net, Bruno in defence (synonymous for his bald and bearded look, or estilo de calvo y barba, at Brighton and Hove Albion), Felipe Melo in midfield and star-man Álvaro Negredo up top. The spine was complete. They achieved an unbelievable 8th place finish and Negredo finished as their pichichi with 13 goals.

Source: Goal.com

However, as they say, every dog has their day and soon after this season Unai departed for Valencia. The team would decline in the following three seasons before relegation in 2011 with a 20th place finish in La Liga. Rock bottom sounds quite bad doesn't it, but the Almeriensistas will remember this season for their boys reaching the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. Unfortunately, the bubble was burst as they were comprehensively put to one side by FC Barcelona 8-0 over two legs. The 5-0 win at the Camp Nou in the first leg would see some questionable keeping and even Pedro scoring a header from a corner- sometimes you just know it isn't your night.

After a couple years in La Segunda enter another soon-to-be Premier League manager to get Almería back to La Liga. This time, the man for the job was Javi Gracia who had a 12-month cameo that ended in promotion through a third place finish. It wasn't easy or pretty. It was however, the Almería way. They would have two rather unremarkable seasons in the top flight, which served as a nurturing experience to the likes of Suso (2013-14) and Thomas Partey (2014-15) whose careers would progress at AC Milan and Atlético Madrid respectively. Second season syndrome hit UD hard and they have not reached the top of the pile since. Qué pena (what a shame).

An Acquisition in Almería

After four seasons battling away in La Segunda, registering bottom half of the table finishes on 3 out of the 4 occasions, UD Almería seemed in limbo with little direction. Some 9 managers facing the chop during this time, the club looked hungover from the highs of their spells in the top-flight. Hope seemed lost in this unforgiving part of Southern Spain. They needed something new to cling onto and be excited about. Then came a big spender from Saudi Arabia, Turki Al-Sheikh, to invest their way to glory. €23 million was the price, in a move that the Saudi government quickly distanced themselves from, insisting it was not a state venture. Whichever way you think, one thing is true, the eyes of Spanish football fans were now drawn to the movements of Almería.

This part of Spain is known for its Moorish influence dating back to around the year 700 when Muslim settlers moved to Southern Spain from Northern Africa. Their arrival coincided with an ever expanding Christendom that was not one for welcoming new visitors. So much so that a Reconquista (Reconquering) was declared by the regions of Castile, Aragon, Leon, Navarre and Portugal, which make up the Iberian Peninsula. This hostility and continual conflict would wage on for almost 800 years and result in a loss of Moorish presence in what we see as modern day Spain. That being said, we still see their marks of unique culture in the amazing architecture found in most of Andalucía. Within Almería they have the Moorish castle, La Alcazaba, watching over the city below. Even though I haven't been my good friend Jacob Grisenthwaite assures me it is an often overlooked gem of Andalucía's Moorish heritage. My other friend Jack Robson commented on the Alcazaba, having visited Jacob there, describing it as "canny f***in' sick like"- in his wonderful geordie accent. More importantly, despite not being a keen photographer, Jacob did take a snap of the castle when living there last year to prove how good it really is. Here's that photo:

Now, back to the matter at hand. Turki took over on the 2nd August 2019 and celebrated this venture on the 27th September. He wanted to get the city excited about their club and start dreaming of a return to La Liga. The stage was set. Quite literally too. Turki put on a music festival named the Rozam Music Festival that was free to all, well to all who liked EDM (Electric Dance Music for those older readers). In what can only be seen as the most bizarre entrance for a new owner in the world of football. However, Remontada will not pass judgement on how to put on a welcome party (but what's wrong with just a little family fun day at the stadium... I... never mind). This move certainly did wonders for Turki's popularity in the city and reflected his personality aptly - over the top and all about the show. Apologies about the explicits in the video that follows as we see just how strange this setup was:

The badge behind the DJ, the pyrotechnics and the music- God help us.

The fan-boyant Turki Al-Sheikh

I'm sure the image you're getting of Turki is aligning nicely. However, just to make sure, here is a little bit of information for the kind of people he surrounds himself with. A big football fan, Turki has been able to establish many ties with some of the greatest to ever grace a football pitch. From Zizou to Messi, he has spent time with some impressive people. It is an odd one to imagine the new owner of a championship team hanging out with Kevin De Bruyne, but here we are. Still, Turki makes no hiding of his excitement to meet these footballing Gods and does not hesitate to share them with his followers on his social media platforms- at least he's always reppin' Almería:

One of his first moves as owner of Almería was to appoint former galáctico of Real Madrid, Guti, as manager. Almería were getting attention and the fans were getting excitement back for their club. After a short stint as assistant manager at former club, Beşiktaş, Guti felt ready to cut his teeth and Turki ready to trust a novice. Replacing Pedro Emanuel, Guti joined on 5th November 2019 and failed to give the new owners what they were looking for. Guiding Almería to 4th place, they would fail in the play-offs to Girona who won 3-1 on aggregate. This, combined with a controversial night-out with players after defeat in February of the season, all pointed towards one outcome- his dismissal. No La Liga, no cup-run, but Turki got his all important picture with one of his favourite players:

Being in the set-up of the Royal Courts, chairman of Sports Authority and in charge of entertainment in Saudi Arabia lends itself nicely to meeting friends in high places (amigos por enchufe). This bodes well for Almería to get international recognition and, as they say, the only thing worse than bad news is no news. Adding to the controversy, one of the people Turki advises is the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, met the former president of the US, Donald Trump. I do love the idea that Turki stitched up his colleague to make sobremesa (dinner talk) about the transfer of UD Almería's young English prospect, Arvin Appiah, who was one of his first signings for the club, arriving from Nottingham Forest for a fee of £8 million. Or, better yet, trying to get Donald to tune into their next midweek fixture in La Segunda away at Zaragoza and emphasizing how much of a 6-pointer it is.

Infamous former US president Donald Trump with Saudi Crown Prince and one of Turki's good friends, Mohammed bin Salman.

UD Almería: a midseason review for 2020-21

In an unfamiliar world, UD Almería found familiar settings in La Segunda. Many expected RCD Espanyol of Barcelona, who had just been relegated, to boss the league. With others expecting Rayo Vallecano, Girona and Mallorca to be pushing for promotion alongside Almería. For those unsure, the top 2 gain automatic promotion and 3rd-6th position can gain promotion through the play-off system- where we saw Almería fail last season. Over the short summer, they made a new look side, with 28 incomings and 32 outgoings (yes you read that correctly), as UDA looked to make a charge for La Liga. The plan? Build around Jose Corpas, fan favourite and quality midfielder.

Source: El Deporte de Jaén

After some delay, Almería started the season with a 2-0 win away at Lugo, before losing their following three games, failing to score in all. It seemed that expectation had got the best of them in their second season with Turki in charge. Luckily, things had started to fall into place and they were becoming more robust. They went on a 10 game unbeaten streak, registering 8 wins and 2 draws. Corpas encapsulated this rejuvenated Almería side, bagging a hat-trick against Fuenlabrada and a brace in a 2-1 win over Real Oviedo. Alongside Corpas, new boy Umar Sadiq, a Nigerian striker signed from Partizan Belgrade, was quickly finding his feet and scoring regularly for his new side. With Almería climbing the table, they started their cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Catalan outfit, CE L Hospitalet, with our Arvin Appiah on the scoresheet too. Look at this for a performance under the floodlights:

Things were looking good. Despite defeat against promotion rivals, RCD Espanyol, their form remained solid and they would continue their cup run, with a 2-1 win over Numancia and a 5-0 demolition of La Liga side, Deportivo Alavés. This game gave Almería a lot of press for the way they outclassed an Alavés side, albeit with 10 men, in a very stellar performance. Sadiq had a clutch performance and showed with his tidy footwork to get his second. Everyone loves a cup run, especially in the Copa del Rey:

They would face another La Liga side in the next round, against Osasuna, with the winner progressing to a quarter final tie against Sevilla. After a goalless 90 minutes and extra time, it came to penalties to split the two. With both teams scoring 4 out of 5, Osasuna missed their sudden death chance and Joao Carvalho sent Los Rojiblancos through to a dream fixture against Sevilla. Pura euforia.

Source: Football-Espana.net

Quarter finals of the Copa del Rey, a home fixture on the night of 2nd February 2021. Many wondering if the Almeriensistas could go one further and cause another upset. With a full-strength Sevilla side, it was a tough ask. Holding on for much of the first half, they went into the break 0-0. Ramazani, number 32, had a golden opportunity from a keeper mistake but could not guide his outside the box effort into an open net, que pesadilla (what a nightmare). Then, on the 67' minute, Lucas Ocampos put Sevilla ahead with a flick on header from a well-worked corner routine that snuck into the far post. Sevilla held on and Almería's valiant cup run came to an end.

Source: cope.es

This brings us up to date with Almería's current progress for the season. They stand 3rd position on equal points with second place RCD Espanyol with 45 points, 3 adrift of leaders Mallorca. With a game in hand over the opposition, Almería will be quietly confident on being within a shout of promotion to La Liga this season. Whether they go up this season or fall short again, it will be interesting to see how they move forward and what signings they could make if they reach the promised land of La Liga.

This brings an end to this article, I hope you've enjoyed learning about the boys of Almería and the story that has put them on the radar of every fan of Spanish football in the recent 18 months. I leave you here, with an image of Turki and a familiar face of Almerian royality, Unai Emery, a lad from Lorca who got them to La Liga at the first time of trying. Heart warming stuff.

Until next time, the Remontada (comeback) will be stronger.