Sad news. Rafael Serrano Carvajal, former president of Málaga between 1971 and 1975, has died at the age of 82 after an illness. He is an emblematic figure because he was the maximum leader in the golden age that the Costa del Sol team lived in the early 70s of the last century, which is known as ‘el Golden Quinquennium’. A Malaga consolidated in the First Division and with great players.
Serrano Carvajal acceded, at just over 30 years of age, to the presidency of Club Deportivo Málaga after the murder, for reasons still unclear today, of his predecessor in office, Antonio Rodríguez Martín, a Galician businessman who wanted to make a great team and was generous in his treatment and bonuses for the players. Serrano Carvajal gave continuity to the project and Málaga experienced a golden period where it obtained seventh place, reached the semifinals of the 1973 Cup (it would be eliminated by Athletic) and enjoyed great players. Deusto, Migueli and Macías became internationals with Spain. Irles and Vilanova They entered some call of the then coach, Ladislao Kubala.
In those years Viberti stood out, still considered a myth among Malaguismo and was coached by Marcel Domingor, that he had been league champion in 1970 with Atlético de Madrid. Relations between the coach and the player were quite tense and the outcome was unfavorable for the former. Also worth mentioning from his time was the signing of the Argentine ‘Chupete’ Guerini, a left winger later transferred to Real Madrid.
“He was a very important president for history,” says Francisco Martín Aguilar, Minister of Protocol and Institutional Relations of Málaga CF in words provided by the club. “Many beautiful things were experienced with him. He was very generous with the squad and the coaching staff, there was a great unity and he celebrated the team’s successes the most. He was very folksy.”
As noteworthy events, under the mandate of Serrano Carvajal, the anthem “Málaga, la Bombonera” and the first electronic scoreboard for La Rosaleda in the 13th edition of the Costa del Sol Trophy held in 1973, a summer tournament that became one of the most important in Spain.
Malaga, in its official statement, has lamented the death of this emblematic leader.