Vicente Moreno: King Midas of promotions lands at Espanyol

A detail shows the incredible Vicente Moreno's idyll, the new coach of Espanyol, with promotions. A header his, on June 13, 2009 in Chapín against Huesca, certified the return to Primera del Xerez after 62 years of absence. As a player, and in the same club, he had already participated eight years ago from promotion to Second A. They would be the beginnings of a specialty that has just been measured, and in what way, during his time on the bench.

In command of Xerez, who he directed in the 2011-12 season, hastily hanging his boots after 11 courses in the Andalusian team (in which he coincided, among others, with the parrot player Víctor Sánchez), saved the silver category to a club that was already then bankrupt, as certified shortly after with his disappearance. The second feat would star in the Gimnàstic de Tarragona, in the campaign 2013-14, when a streak of ten consecutive victories and stayed at the gates of Second A after playing a promotion against Llagostera full of arbitration controversies.

But for a short time Moreno would stay with his thorn nailed, since the following year he would ascend with Nàstic after proclaiming himself champion of Group III and beat Huesca in a single tie, again as in his stage as a player, without losing any of the matches (0-0 at El Alcoraz and 3-1 at the Nou Estadi). Meteoric was going to be the projection of the grana, since a year later, in the 2015-16 season, he put them third in Second A, with 71 points, just points from direct promotion and in the playoff. Osasuna would finish them getting out of the dream.

After two incredible campaigns at the head of Nàstic, the third did not go as planned, or rather, it did rise to the reality of the squad, and the Valencian coach he was dismissed in December, after day 19, when the people from Tarragona marched in the bottom six points away. They would end up being saved.

But there is no harm that for good it does not come, and Moreno was worth the experience to learn, take a breath and improve it even more at the forefront of Majorca. Picked up the start of the 2017-18 season to a team that had just dropped to Segunda B and that he had an urgent obligation to go back up, as now happens to Espanyol with Primera, and his pulse did not tremble. Ascended in a big way, like absolute leader of Group III, eight points from the second, getting off without hesitation to Mirandés (3-1 and 0-0) and even proclaiming champion of all Second B, in the extra tie against Rayo Majadahonda.

Matched with the vermilions what he had already achieved at Nàstic, the challenge now was to achieve two consecutive promotions. And wow he got it. Mallorca finished fifth ehe regular championship in Segunda A, and in the promotion it exceeded first to Albacete (2-0 at Son Moix and 1-0 at Carlos Belmonte) and then to Deportivo de A Coruña, also with all the epic in the world, overcome the 2-0 from the first leg at Riazor with a spectacular 3-0 at home. Cinema.

With the Majorca in Primera six years later but with a squad in which up to 12 footballers they came from playing in Second B, Vicente Moreno endured with permanence options until the penultimate day. More than Espanyol, which practically tripled the budget (33.5 million against 86.1).

After staying on the shore to achieve another miracle, Moreno will embark on a parakeet club that is obliged to return to Primera in a year. And he will do it with a technician who In his last seven seasons, he has achieved three promotions and has prowled two more.. A priori, the choice seems right.