Josan Aims for Sixth Career Promotion with Elche

Nine players from Elche's current squad, who are second in the Segunda División and could secure their return to the top tier this Sunday at Riazor, have already experienced promotion to the top tier of Spanish football.

The Elche team will achieve promotion to the elite if they defeat Deportivo La Coruña or if they match the results of Mirandés and Oviedo, their rivals for the second spot. For Elche, it would mean returning to the top tier two seasons after their relegation to Segunda.

Three of them, midfielder Josan Ferrández, forward Mourad, and goalkeeper Miguel San Román, are the only survivors from the last Elche squad that achieved promotion to Primera División in the 2019/20 season.

In the case of veteran Josan, the potential promotion in the upcoming match would be the sixth of his career, having already secured four others, one with Elche, to Segunda División. The relentless Crevillente captain also celebrated promotions with Albacete, UCAM Murcia, and Huesca, all to the second tier.

In addition to these players, Argentine goalkeeper Matías Dituro experienced a promotion to Primera with Celta de Vigo in the 2011/12 season. Midfielder Aleix Febas also ascended to the top tier with Real Mallorca in the 2020-21 season.

Another player with experience in reaching Primera is forward Óscar Plano, who achieved it twice with Real Valladolid in the 2017/18 and 2021-22 seasons.

Mario Gaspar, as a Villarreal player, also tasted promotion to Primera in the 2012/13 season, as did Pejiño with Las Palmas in the 2022/23 season and Jairo Izquierdo with Girona in 2021/22.

Other players have achieved promotions throughout their careers, albeit to different categories, such as Sory Kaba, who rose with Elche to Segunda, Álex Martí, or Marc Aguado, as well as coach Eder Sarabia, who led Andorra from Primera Federación to Segunda.

On another note, Deportivo La Coruña has informed Elche that the visiting section will have 863 seats available at €20 for Elche fans. Elche will charter a train on Sunday with a capacity for 507 people to facilitate the travel of their supporters to A Coruña.