We have to give everything to achieve the ascent
En el fútbol, como en la vida, no siempre se llega al destino por el camino previsto. SD Compostela, que lideró buena parte de la temporada en su grupo de Segunda Federación, vio cómo el ascenso directo se escapaba en la segunda vuelta, dejando al equipo ante una verdad incómoda pero no definitiva: la promoción sigue siendo posible, solo que ahora exige más. El veterano Juan Parapar, con 34 años y la serenidad que otorga la experiencia, encarna la capacidad humana de transformar la decepción en propósito, convirtiendo el playoff no en un consuelo, sino en una oportunidad genuina.
- Compostela desperdició el liderato que sostuvo durante gran parte de la temporada, incapaz de cerrar partidos decisivos cuando más importaba.
- La segunda vuelta fue un desmoronamiento progresivo: Arosa fue más preciso, los pequeños errores se acumularon y el ascenso directo desapareció en la última jornada.
- Ahora el camino pasa por una semifinal ante Racing Villalbés —rival al que no pudieron ganar en liga— y una posible final ante un campeón catalán con la vuelta fuera de casa.
- Parapar lidera el cambio de mentalidad en el vestuario: no se trata de reparar lo perdido, sino de mantener la calma, la concentración y la unidad para ganar partido a partido.
- El peligro real no es el rival, sino el estado emocional del equipo; la experiencia de los veteranos será clave para que los más jóvenes abracen la presión en lugar de sucumbir a ella.
Juan Manuel Parapar ha vivido suficientes temporadas como para distinguir un derrumbe de una lección. A sus 34 años, el extremo de Labañou es uno de los referentes del vestuario compostelano en un momento en que el club afronta lo que, en el fondo, es una segunda oportunidad. El camino hasta aquí ha sido amargo: Compostela ocupó el primer puesto durante buena parte de la temporada, pero la segunda vuelta fue otra historia. Los partidos que debían cerrarse no se cerraron, Arosa apretó con mayor precisión y, en la última jornada, el ascenso directo ya no existía. Parapar no busca excusas. Reconoce lo que pasó y ha pasado página.
Lo que queda ahora es el playoff: una semifinal ante Racing Villalbés —equipo al que Compostela no pudo ganar en la fase regular— y, de superarla, una posible final ante un campeón del grupo catalán con la vuelta fuera de casa. Es un recorrido más exigente que el ascenso directo, pero es el único que existe. Cuando se le pregunta si el playoff es una obligación o una oportunidad, Parapar elige la segunda lectura: la misma meta, una puerta diferente. Esa distinción no es menor. Jugar con desesperación y jugar con foco son cosas muy distintas.
El veterano sabe que el verdadero adversario en estas semanas no será necesariamente el rival de turno, sino el estado mental del propio equipo. En los partidos donde todo está en juego, la mente puede traicionar al cuerpo. Su papel, y el de los jugadores con más recorrido, es transmitir a los más jóvenes que este tipo de fútbol no es algo que temer, sino algo que abrazar. La motivación llega sola en estos momentos; lo que requiere disciplina es el pensamiento: mantenerse presente, no adelantarse al siguiente partido, confiar en el cuerpo técnico y en los compañeros.
El apoyo de la afición en San Lázaro será un factor real. Compostela tiene calidad, tiene respaldo y tiene experiencia. Lo que necesita ahora es compostura. Parapar no se detiene en la dificultad del camino que queda. Vuelve, una y otra vez, a lo que el equipo puede controlar: el esfuerzo, la concentración y la unidad. El objetivo no ha cambiado. Solo ha cambiado la ruta.
Juan Manuel Parapar has seen enough seasons to know the difference between a collapse and a learning moment. At 34, the winger from Labañou carries the weight of experience in the Compostela dressing room as the club faces what amounts to a second chance at promotion. The path there is bitter. Compostela held first place through much of the regular season in the Segunda Federación playoff race, only to watch that advantage evaporate in the second half. By the final day, the dream of direct promotion was gone. Now, with seven goals and more than 2,100 minutes played this season, Parapar finds himself at the center of a different conversation: not about what was lost, but what remains to be won.
The collapse itself defies simple explanation. Parapar doesn't offer excuses so much as acknowledgment. The team couldn't close out matches when it mattered. Arosa, their rival, played the second half with sharper precision. A combination of small failures added up to one large one. But sitting with that reality, Parapar has already moved past it. The league table is fixed now. What matters is the playoff bracket that stretches ahead—a semifinal against Racing Villalbés, then potentially a final against a Catalan group winner, with the return leg away from home. It's a harder road than direct promotion would have been, but it's the only road left.
When asked whether the playoff represents obligation or opportunity, Parapar chooses his words carefully. Yes, Compostela carries an obligation to its supporters and to itself. But he frames it differently in his own mind: as a chance to achieve the same goal through a different door. That reframing matters. It's the difference between playing desperate and playing focused. The veteran sees the playoff as a legitimate path to Segunda Federación, not a consolation prize. The team has the quality. They have the support of their fans at San Lázaro. What they need now is composure and intelligence—the things experience teaches.
The immediate test is Villalbés, a team Compostela couldn't beat during the regular season. Playoff matches are typically tight, defensive affairs where patience becomes a virtue and a single mistake can be fatal. Parapar doesn't worry about facing a packed defense or grinding through two legs of attrition. If Compostela plays seriously, stays concentrated, and thinks clearly, he believes they can advance. The concern isn't the opponent's tactics. It's the team's own emotional state. In matches where everything is on the line, the mind can betray the body. Staying calm, avoiding the trap of thinking too far ahead, trusting the coaching staff and each other—these are the real battles.
The older players on the squad have a specific role to play in the coming weeks. They carry the message that playoff football, while different from the regular season, is not something to fear. It's something to embrace. The atmosphere will be intense. The stakes will feel enormous. But that's also what makes it beautiful. Parapar's job is to transmit that perspective to the younger players, to remind them that this is the football they dreamed about playing. The motivation comes naturally in these moments. What requires discipline is the thinking—staying present, staying sharp, refusing to look past the next opponent.
If Compostela reaches the final, they'll face a Catalan group winner with the return leg in enemy territory. That's a difficult draw, and Parapar acknowledges it. Every match ahead will be complicated. But he doesn't dwell on the difficulty of the path. Instead, he returns to what's in the team's control: effort, focus, and unity. The supporters have shown their faith throughout the season. They'll be there at San Lázaro, creating the kind of environment that can lift a team through a playoff run. Compostela's job is to repay that faith by giving everything they have, starting with Villalbés, moving forward one match at a time.
Citações Notáveis
It's true that Compostela has an obligation, but I see it personally as an opportunity. We didn't achieve it in the regular season and now we have the chance to ascend another way.— Juan Parapar
The experienced players try to transmit to the younger ones that it's very beautiful to play a playoff. It's another path to ascend, just like finishing first.— Juan Parapar
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
You had a real chance at direct promotion. How do you sit with that loss?
It stings, but the league is done. We didn't execute when we needed to. Arosa played better in the second half. That's football sometimes—you have all the pieces but can't quite finish. Now we have another way.
Is the playoff a second chance or a failure to finish the job?
I see it as an opportunity. Yes, we had an obligation to finish first. We didn't. But ascending through the playoffs is just as legitimate. It's a different path to the same destination.
Villalbés beat you during the season. Does that worry you?
Playoff football is different. It's tighter, more tactical. If we're serious, concentrated, and intelligent, I believe we can beat them over two legs. The regular season doesn't dictate the playoffs.
What's the biggest threat in matches like these?
Your own mind. You have to stay calm, stay focused. Think about the match in front of you, not the final. Listen to the coach. Trust your teammates. That's where experience helps.
What do the younger players need to hear from you right now?
That this is beautiful. This is what you dream about as a footballer. The atmosphere will be intense, the pressure real. But that's the privilege of playoff football. We embrace it.
If you make the final, it's away from home in the second leg. That's a tough draw.
It is. But I don't focus on that. Every match will be difficult. We have to be intelligent, stay united, and give everything. The fans are with us. We have to repay that.