Espanyol, not a year old in hell: 304 days and a First

Although the effort behind a promotion is often as enormous as it is intangible, for history it will remain how Espanyol has tiptoed through the Second Division. How he has mathematically sealed in the absence of four days a return to First that was seen coming for a few games. Even has pulverized that expression which became popular two decades ago with Atlético de Madrid –and which the colchoneros failed to comply with– of “a year old in hell”. It hasn't even taken that long to get back.

304 days are those that have passed since his descent into hell, on July 8, 2020 after falling by the minimum against Barcelona (1-0, goal by Luis Suárez) until this past Saturday, May 8, in La Romareda against Real Zaragoza, which has already been in the historical book of parrots. 43 weeks and ten months exactly are those that have passed, even less than the 2019-20 season itself, which began on July 25, 2019 due to Espanyol's participation in the Europa League previews and did not end until July 19, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In less than a year, The blue and white team has gone from certifying the worst score in its history, the 25 points from last year, to tripling it in length to reach what is already the best of all time, counting both the Second and First Division. A year full of contrasts, like that for audiences this season it's almost as if it didn't exist, since he left the stadiums with Espanyol in the highest category of state football and will return with the parrots again in the elite.

For less than a week, yes, the parakeet team has not materialized his most fleeting passage through the Second Division, dating from the 1993-94 season, the previous experience, when 298 days between relegation, in the promotion against Racing Santander, and promotion, in Sarrià with a win against Cádiz (4-0).

More time, although it was always resolved at the first change, they spent in the previous descents: 343 days in the 1989-90 campaign, 404 days in the 1969-70 and 382 in the 1962-63. The primary objective now is that there is no next experience, and that all these records go down in history, but into the history books.