Real Oviedo returns to La Liga after 24 years

Eight thousand seven hundred and fifty days. That’s how long it took Real Oviedo to climb their way back to La Liga and the top flight of Spanish football. A comeback as magnificent as it was agonizing.

On June 21, 2025, the Asturian club wrote one of the greatest chapters in its history by sealing their return to La Liga, gradually erasing the pain of a long descent into hell that began in 2001. Relegated that year after a defeat in Mallorca, Oviedo continued to sink: sporting relegation in 2003, administrative drop all the way to the third division, crippling debt, political abandonment, and even attempts to replace the club.

But the people of Oviedo never gave up. The fans stood strong. Protests, fundraisers, a city-wide mobilization: it was through their unwavering support that the club survived. The first glimmer of hope came in 2012, with the arrival of Mexican businessman Carlos Slim, who stabilized the club’s finances. Then, in 2021, the acquisition by Grupo Pachuca brought new sporting ambition.

This season, everything changed. Veljko Paunović, a former player who witnessed the 2001 relegation, was appointed head coach with ten games left in the season. The result: an unbeaten run of ten matches. Alongside the legendary Santi Cazorla, Oviedo rediscovered its soul. And Asturias is back in La Liga.

Aliou Toundé |

Editorfr