We just need a little bit of luck to get back to winning titles
Después de una temporada marcada por la adversidad y las lesiones, Costa del Sol Málaga regresa al balonmano de élite con una plantilla sana, cinco incorporaciones jóvenes y una renovada esperanza. Como quien sale de una larga convalecencia, el equipo malagueño afronta el nuevo curso no desde la resignación, sino desde la gratitud y la ambición recobrada. El entrenador Suso Gallardo ha elegido apostar por el talento emergente frente a los nombres consagrados, confiando en que la juventud y la cohesión pueden ser, a largo plazo, más poderosas que el prestigio.
- La temporada 2024-25 fue una prueba de resistencia extrema: entre cinco y seis jugadoras de baja por partido convirtieron cada jornada en una gestión de crisis permanente.
- Las eliminaciones en Copa de la Reina y competición europea en el mismo mes de enero marcaron el punto más oscuro de los últimos años para el club.
- Cinco fichajes menores de 23 años —procedentes de Porriño, Anaitasuna, Benfica, Aula Valladolid y Adesal Córdoba— renuevan la plantilla con hambre y proyección.
- Por primera vez en mucho tiempo, la enfermería está vacía: jugadoras como Nayra Solís, recuperada de una operación de rodilla, vuelven a estar disponibles.
- Gallardo fija objetivos concretos pero ambiciosos: asegurar el playoff y la clasificación europea cuanto antes, y pelear por el título si la suerte con las lesiones acompaña.
- La temporada arranca este sábado en Navarra ante el Beti-Onak, con Costa del Sol dispuesta a competir sin excusas ni parches por primera vez en años.
Costa del Sol Málaga llega al inicio de la nueva temporada como alguien que acaba de superar una larga enfermedad: con cautela, con alivio y con el miedo de quien no termina de creerse su propia buena suerte. La enfermería está vacía. Es la primera vez en años que el cuerpo técnico puede decirlo sin matices.
La campaña 2024-25 fue un ejercicio de supervivencia. El equipo alcanzó las semifinales del playoff —un mérito innegable— pero lo hizo en un estado de crisis permanente. Suso Gallardo nunca dispuso de su plantilla completa: entre cinco y seis jugadoras de baja en cada partido, y en enero, la eliminación simultánea de la Copa de la Reina y la competición europea. Fue el peor tramo que el club había vivido en mucho tiempo.
El equipo que viaja a Navarra para enfrentarse al Beti-Onak este sábado tiene otra cara. Cinco incorporaciones menores de 23 años —Maider Barros, Nicxon Clabel, Rita Campos, Martina Romero y la malagueña Bárbara Piñeira— aportan frescura y ambición. Gallardo renunció deliberadamente a fichar grandes nombres: las jugadoras más destacadas del mercado se fueron a ligas con mayor poder económico, y el técnico prefirió apostar por el potencial frente al prestigio inmediato.
El bloque histórico permanece. Merche Castellanos, Nayra Solís —recuperada de su operación de rodilla—, las capitanas Espe y Sole López y el resto de la columna vertebral del club siguen siendo el ancla del equipo. Sole López, olímpica y referente del vestuario, describe el pasado curso como «brutal desde el principio» y celebra que la pretemporada haya devuelto la competencia interna y la forma física al grupo.
Gallardo habla del futuro con la prudencia de quien ha aprendido a no tentar a la suerte, pero sus metas son claras: asegurar el playoff y la clasificación europea cuanto antes, volver a la Copa de la Reina y, si la salud acompaña hasta mayo, pelear por el título. «Siempre hemos podido competir con los grandes», dice. «Solo necesitamos un poco de suerte para volver a ganar títulos.»
Costa del Sol Málaga is walking into the new handball season like someone who has just recovered from a long illness—cautious, grateful, and almost afraid to believe the good fortune. For the first time in years, the team's medical staff has nothing to report. The enfermería is empty. After a 2024-25 campaign that was defined by relentless injury, the squad that takes the court this Saturday against Beti-Onak in Navarra will finally be whole.
Last season was a study in resilience despite catastrophe. The team reached the playoff semifinals in the league—a respectable finish by any measure—yet they did so while operating in a state of permanent crisis. Coach Suso Gallardo never once had his full roster available. On any given match day, five or six players were sidelined: torn ligaments, muscle strains, and in one case, the planned absence of Silvia Arderius, who stepped away for maternity leave three months ago and may return before winter. The injuries compounded throughout the year, reaching a breaking point in January when the team was eliminated from both the Copa de la Reina and European competition in the same month. It was the worst stretch the club had endured in years.
The roster that departs for Navarra looks different. Five new faces have arrived, all under 23 years old, all carrying the kind of potential that comes with youth and hunger. Maider Barros came from Porriño as an outside player. Nicxon Clabel joined from Anaitasuna. Rita Campos, a Portuguese international, transferred from Benfica. Martina Romero, who plays for Argentina, moved from Aula Valladolid. And Bárbara Piñeira, a Málaga native, is returning home after a stint with Adesal Córdoba. Gallardo made a deliberate choice not to chase big names or veteran Spanish internationals. "The most prominent players went to higher leagues where they earn more money," he explained. Instead, he chose to rebuild around youth and potential, betting that a rejuvenated squad with room to grow might outpace the short-term gains of signing established stars.
Gallardo still carries the weight of last season's injury crisis. He speaks carefully about the future, touching wood like a superstitious man. "We need to give the squad time," he said. "If we stay healthy between now and May, I think we'll see improvement month by month. We can compete for several things." His stated goals are modest but ambitious: secure the playoffs and a European spot as soon as possible, return to the Copa de la Reina, and if the team arrives at the final stretch intact, compete for the league title itself. "We've always been able to fight with the big teams," he added. "We just need a little bit of luck to get back to winning titles."
The core of the team remains. Merche Castellanos, Diva, Estitxu, Joana Resende, Laura Sánchez, Isa Medeiros, Nayra Solís—who returned from knee surgery in February—Estela Doiro, Rocío Campigli, Bárbara Vela, and the twin captains Espe and Sole López form a spine that has held the club together through five championship seasons. These players know each other's movements without looking. They are the ballast.
Sole López, the Olympic player and co-captain, speaks with the relief of someone who has emerged from a tunnel. "Last year was brutal from the start," she said. "We were dragging injuries the whole time, trying to patch things together every match because something new always happened." The August preseason has restored her confidence. With two or three players competing for every position, the team has created what she calls a healthy competition that has pushed everyone into peak condition. "We've taken a step forward physically," she said. The departures of Bitolo, Eli Cesáreo, and Patri Lima sting, but López believes in the new players' youth and ambition. Her goal as captain remains unchanged: build a complete team, keep the locker room unified, and fight in every match with the hope of playing—and winning—finals.
The season begins Saturday at 20:00 hours. For the first time in a long time, Costa del Sol will take the court without apology or excuse. The question now is whether health and youth can combine into something more than just relief—whether they can build something worth celebrating.
Citações Notáveis
Last year was brutal from the start. We were dragging injuries the whole time, trying to patch things together every match because something new always happened.— Sole López, co-captain
We've always been able to fight with the big teams. We just need a little bit of luck to get back to winning titles.— Suso Gallardo, coach
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
What does it actually feel like for a coach to have a fully healthy squad after a year like that?
It's almost disorienting. Gallardo kept saying he couldn't believe he could train everyone together. Last season, he never had that once. Not once. So now he's being careful, almost superstitious about it—like if he says it out loud, the injuries will come back.
The new players are all very young. Isn't that a risk?
It is, but it's a calculated one. The big names all left for better-paying leagues. So instead of chasing aging stars, they brought in five players under 23 with real potential. It's a long-term bet, not a quick fix.
How much does the core group matter in a sport like handball?
Everything. These players have won five titles together. They move as one organism. When you have that foundation, you can absorb new faces. The new players will learn by osmosis.
What's the realistic expectation for this season?
Gallardo said it plainly: secure the playoffs and European qualification early, get back to the Copa de la Reina, and if they stay healthy, compete for the league. He knows they've always been able to fight with the best teams. They just need luck to stay on their side.
Does Sole López's optimism feel earned or hopeful?
Both. She's lived through the injury nightmare. So when she talks about having two or three players per position creating healthy competition, that's not abstract—that's the difference between surviving and thriving. She's seen the alternative.
What happens if injuries strike again?
That's the unspoken fear. But this time, at least, they'll have depth. Last year they had nothing. Now they have options.