Málaga CF, the most Venezuelan soccer team in Spain

If we make a list with the Latin American nationalities that have been repeated the most in the same soccer club, the result will surely show those that have more soccer culture: Brazilians, Argentines, Uruguayans, Mexicans, Colombians, etc. However, one of the countries that has increased the export of soccer players in recent years has been Venezuela, to the point that even in less mediatic European leagues it is also possible to see some. In the case of Spanish soccer, since 2010, Málaga CF has focused on the talent that exists there, opening the doors to players who today defend the Vinotinto team .

Such was the link between the Andalusian institution and Venezuela that for the month of July 2012 they went to play a friendly match against Caracas FC , which was held at the UCV Olympic Stadium and ended with a two-goal tie. Since then, the blue and white team has trusted in the capacity of the Venezuelan soccer players and the growth that they have been having. In fact, in January 2017 a historic milestone was achieved, as Málaga lined up to four "criollos" (Rosales, Mikel, Añor and Peñaranda) in the starting eleven , something that had never been seen before in any European championship.

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Here, we bring you a brief review of which players have been who have put the name of Venezuela up high by wearing the Malaga shirt.

Solomon Rondon

The Vinotinto striker was the first to captivate the Andalusian city. It was presented in the 2010/2011 season after a great step in the Spanish Second Division with Las Palmas. With only two seasons in the blue and white jersey, the Venezuelan won over the fans through his goals, scoring a total of 27 in 72 games . In addition, it was Solomon himself who helped the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time , a competition that he failed to play due to his transfer to Rubin Kazan of Russia.

Roberto Rosales

The one who was in charge of representing Venezuela again in Malaga after Salomón was right-back Roberto Rosales. Loved and highly respected by fans, Rosales landed on the Costa del Sol in the summer of 2014 and defended the shield until 2019. The sacrifice and dedication of this soccer player, who had just played in Holland with Twente FC, allowed him establish itself in the starting eleven to become one of the most fundamental pieces. In total he played 146 official games, scored two goals and assisted 10 times .

Juanpi Añor

For the same season in which Rosales arrived, 2014/2015, the premiere of a young man who stood out in the club's youth categories would arrive. The youngest of the Añor family only played ten official matches – plus one goal – that season , but his records and performances gradually improved. The midfielder was part of the Andalusian club until October 2020, the year in which he had to go out with other players due to the financial problems that the institution was going through. During 121 games he played, Añor scored 8 goals and distributed 9 assists .

Mikel Villanueva

The next on the list is Mikel Villaneuva, who had his first opportunity abroad at the hands of Málaga, training since 2015 with Atlético Malagueño. The defender left pleasant impressions since then that allowed him to move up to the first team in 2016 , later receiving praise from coach Juande Ramos during his debut. Season after season, Mikel continued to stand out as a defender, defending the Blue and White jersey 34 times until his final departure in 2020 to the Portuguese league after several transfers to other Spanish clubs.

Adalberto Peñaranda

At the moment that Peñaranda arrived to Spanish soccer hundreds of people fell in love with him. It is because, after marveling with his plays and great control of the ball while at Granada, the attacker arrived on loan to Malaga for the 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 seasons . However, with the Blue and Whites he was unable to show his full potential and only saw action during 16 league and cup matches.

Josua Mejias

The 23-year-old defender made the leap to Europe after the U-20 World Cup with Venezuela. CD Leganés was in charge of giving him this opportunity and since 2017 he has been through several clubs, increasingly reinforcing his defensive qualities. After standing out with the Leganés subsidiary team, as well as in his assignments with FC Cartagena, Nastic de Tarragona and Atlético de Madrid B, Mejías landed in Malaga in September 2020 to remain on loan until June of this year .

Alexander González

The most recent pleyer to extend that vinotinto legacy in Malaga has been right-back Alexander González. With an incredible trajectory in Spain with clubs such as SD Huesca (2016-2018), Elche CF (2018-2019) and CD Mirandés (2019-2020), Alexander arrived in early 2021 with the mission of protecting the right wing until the culmination of this season . The numbers that he has left during his experience in the silver category in Spain (140 games, 8 goals and 15 assists) were the best letter of introduction for the Andalusian leadership to trust him for the winter market.