On 2nd April 2022, Pablo Adrián Guede Barrirero returned home. On that day he penned his official relationship with Málaga Club de Fútbol. He took the reins as Malaguista coach after leaving the Club as a player in 1999. Two seasons and two promotions. From Second Division ‘B’ to the First Division. His blood will always be Blue and White, and his destiny was to reunite with La Rosaleda.
Those who’ve known him for many years agree on his qualifications. “Leader”, “winner”, “passionate” and many more words that define the essence of him as a person, as a player and as a coach. Basti played upfront alongside him and confesses that “he’s either black or white, Pablo Guede has no grey areas. If he has to say something to you, he says it to your face. Both in football and in friendship,” said the former Malaguista player. Another of his teammates, captain of that team, and his current right-hand man, defines him as “passionate. He always thinks things through and works hard, but the way he conveys things is very passionate,” Bravo stated.
His personality is so recognisable that those who have known him for just a few weeks also agree. “As a coach, you just have to meet him, Pablo is transparent. What you see is what you get, as a coach and as a person. All that energy that he has, he transmits from the first to the last minute of training. In the end, the coaches convey how they are as people. You can’t hide what you are, you transmit your essence. He does it minute by minute, in every training session, in every match, in every talk... he conveys at every moment that competitive and warrior gene that he carries inside,” Enrique Ruiz, Málaga CF's physical trainer, added.
Manolo Gaspar was the architect of his appointment as coach and highlights that Pablo is “a very intense guy, who demands the maximum from himself and the others for the good of the group.” Pablo talks about his daily philosophy: “With hard work you can achieve anything. This is something that my father instilled in me and something I try to carry out every day,” affirms the Malaguista coach.
That hard work and intensity gave him a winning attitude. That way of being has been forged throughout his life. Since he was born in 1974 in Buenos Aires, he’s had countless personal and professional experiences, such as his time on different benches on the international football scene. Yet even after so many matches, so many miles travelled, the most important moment in his sporting life was in Málaga on 28th June 1998.
Málaga CF faced the return leg of the Second Division B promotion league at a heavy disadvantage. In the first leg, Terrassa FC defeated the Blue and Whites by 3-0. However, as tough as it seemed, the team needed to make a comeback at La Rosaleda. Miguel Zambrana, the Club’s legendary kit manager, recalls Pablo’s response to that “bitter result. Guede saw me so upset at the end of the match that he came up to me and he said: ‘Miguel, we can do this! At La Rosaleda, with our fans, our people, you'll see…’. “And in the end, they did,” said Miguel at La Rosaleda.
The brevity of the response doesn’t detract from what the team achieved. The fact “he fulfilled it” has much more behind it. As Josemi told us: “He has that gift”. Bravo, captain of that team, and Málaga CF’s assistant coach, tells us how he experienced it: “Pablo was a leader when it came to conveying that passion of wanting to go all out and play with intensity.” “He had a lot of faith, he was always ahead of all of us,” said Basti.
Pablo lived it like everything else in his life, with great intensity and dedication. “It was the most important day of my career,” he said. “We achieved something that was very difficult in an extraordinary and well-deserved way, we topped off a great tournament with promotion,” said the Argentinean coach.
That gene is contagious. Everyone adopts it if he’s by their side and it’s part of the idiosyncrasy of Malaguismo. Enrique Ruiz, who was in the stands at La Rosaleda in the famous match against Terrassa FC, believes that his way of working and living “since his signing, has been transferred to the stands and to the fans. You can see it on a day-to-day basis and how people are with him,” said the Malaguista trainer.
This connection wouldn’t be possible if it were not the destiny of both. The synergy between Málaga CF and Pablo Guede is undeniable. Miguel Zambrana commented: “Pablo is home, where he wanted to be.” And he's not the only one who thinks so. Bravo is convinced that “there isn't a single Malaguista out there who doesn't believe that Pablo falls under that philosophy of Malaguismo.”
Pablo is home. After more than 20 years, he’s back enjoying La Rosaleda. This time he’s in the dugout, but with the same commitment, enthusiasm and love for the Blue and White colours as before. “Perhaps it’s not fair in terms of the timing or the situation. Yet this is the perfect moment for him due to his outlook and his determination,” Manolo said about his recent arrival on the Costa del Sol. Pablo also believes that this is the perfect moment. “I’m here at the right moment of youth and professional maturity, to be able to give all I’ve got,” added Guede.
His arrival is more than a nice reunion. Pablo dreamed of being able to coach Málaga CF one day. That day arrived and he’s making sure that Malaguismo remembers his story. Sometimes bitter and sometimes so sweet. Manolo is clear about what Guede is doing during his first weeks: “Pablo is giving Memory, Commitment and Faith. He’s bringing people together from the past, he's making them get involved at all times and he’s doing everything so that the people, the players and ourselves, all move in the same direction. That’s Memory. The Commitment he shows on a day-to-day basis, as he practically sleeps here. And Faith because he’s the first one who believes that this can be achieved.”
Malaguismo has no borders and Pablo is a clear example of that. Someone who knows what it means to wear the Blue and White colours. Someone who knows and enjoys that great responsibility. “Looking at the story, enduring the worst moments and during the good times, even when they’re few and far between, you have to enjoy them. Malaguismo is always fighting, supporting and giving. And giving and giving and giving. That’s Málaga, we can’t lose it. It’s time to say: ‘Here we are’,” he stated.
After so many years, the Malaguistas know that matches like the one on Saturday are not only played on the pitch. La Rosaleda has tipped the balance on many occasions. And Málaga CF needs to stay on track. Basti knows the importance of the next fixture: “This week we’ve got a great match coming up. We all have to be behind the team. The fans will be with the team. The lads have to give everything. There are no starters or substitutes, now’s the time to all stick together as one. Whoever the coach decides to play, whether it be for five or 90 minutes, they need to give everything for the Club. We're in a difficult situation, but we're going to beat Oviedo and we're going to breathe.”
“La Rosaleda piles pressure on rivals. When the team is on form the fans always go crazy. Málaga is different,” said Miguel Zambrana. In addition, Josemi is aware that we don’t need to go back too far. The delegate was focusing on this season: “Playing at home and with our people, we showed it in the first round, we’ve been a winning team. It’s what Pablo is trying to make us. That union between fans and players that is seen on the pitch. May we be stronger and more dynamic. Let the boost the fans give us be felt in the game.”
Despite the results, the team is adapting to Pablo’s idea. Competing and fighting against every opponent for 90 minutes. Bravo believes that this is the way forward. “We need a bit of that spirit, that way of going for every match knowing you’ll give your all. That encouragement from our public, knowing that we need them in order to achieve the objective. At the time it was promotion but now the goal is different. However, we need the same level of intensity and the same passion. That will make us stronger, but the main thing is that we give our audience that encouragement,” said the captain.
Manolo knows that the Málaga CF machine is special. All the elements need each other, that’s when the Malaguista engine roars. “We’re going to give everything we’ve got to give them what they need. The fans need gas to start the engine,” said the Blue and White director.
We all make up this great Malaguista Family. La Rosaleda will be the voice, the legs and the soul of Málaga CF. Now’s the time to give our all. Together. “This is time for Malaguismo. For us all to do our bit so we can achieve our objective, which is to stay in the division. We’re going to need everyone,” said Pablo.
“United, Malaguismo is so strong. I lived it, felt it and experienced it. When the whole of Málaga gets behind something, it's very difficult for it to escape,” stated the coach. Málaga CF is clear about what it wants to live, feel and experience. La Rosaleda will be full of Blue and White on Saturday to relive a very special day. Now’s the time for Malaguismo!
