After the second round of La Liga matches, Celta de Vigo, a team that was originally not very favored, unexpectedly stood at the top of the table. The team comes from a small city in the northwest of Spain, and their home stadium is the Estadio de Baraidos. The fans there were enthusiastic and the atmosphere was warm, making people feel the charm and power of soccer.
Although they lost to Villarreal 3-4 in the third round, the match was quite exciting, especially when the opponent scored the winning goal in the last minute. But even so, this loss did not affect Vigo Celta’s overall performance. They still maintained their strong sense of competition and aggressive tactical style. What is even more surprising is that this team, once considered a “relegation team”, now has the potential to reach higher goals.
All these changes are closely related to one person – Mariano Mourinho. She is the president of Vigo Celta and one of the few female club presidents in La Liga. Her arrival has given this team a new look and direction.
A new leader brings a new look
Marianne Mourinho is not traditionally a “sportswoman”. Born in Madrid, she grew up in the United States and was educated in Miami and Orlando. Later, she gained extensive business experience in Mexico. Although her background seems to have little to do with soccer, her love for Vigo Celta is real.
At the end of 2023, she succeeded her father as the club’s president. Her father was 80 years old and had been in power for 17 years. Many thought she would continue the older generation when she took over, but that was not the case. One of the first things she did when she took over was to make drastic changes.
She started by firing former coach Rafa Benítez. Benítez, a former Real Madrid and Liverpool star, had not done well at Vigo Celta. The club was only two points away from the relegation zone and the situation was very dangerous. Marianne made a decisive decision to replace the highly paid coach who failed to deliver good results.
She then rejected an important plan promoted by the former president: to let Paris Saint-Germain director Luis Campos remotely guide the direction of the team’s soccer. The idea sounds like “part-time management” and is clearly not in line with Marianne’s goal of creating a focused, professional team.
“It just didn’t work,” she says. She says, “I wanted someone who was really willing to put in the time and effort.”
Brand new team, brand new playing style
Marianne quickly found her man. She brought in Claudio Giráldez as head coach. The young coach had previously worked in the club’s youth system and knew the team well. He came in and quickly changed the team’s style of play.
Giráldez adopted a three-at-the-back tactical system, encouraging his players to attack boldly, dare to control the ball and create chances. This style of play has made Vigo Celta’s games more entertaining to watch and has brought back the joy of watching football to the fans.
In the last 10 matches of last season, Vigo Celta won 7 matches and their form improved significantly. Entering the new season, they were on a roll, winning the first two rounds and playing beautiful “champagne soccer” – meaning very smooth, beautiful and exciting soccer.
In addition to the coach, Marianne also changed the club’s director of soccer. She chose Marco Antonio García, a professional who had worked for Los Angeles Football Club. Marianne personally visited him in California to see how he was doing and confirmed that he was a bold and visionary talent.
Players shine, fans’ confidence is high
Under the new coach, the core players in the team have also been revitalized. Iago Aspas, for example, is the soul of the team. At the age of 37, he has seen another peak in his career with Giraldez at the helm.
Since Giraldez took over, Aspas has been directly involved in 12 goals (both goals and assists) in 12 games. His form is getting better and better and he has more smiles on his face. He said in an interview, “Since Claudio took over, I feel like I’m back to my best and playing with particular joy.”
This is exactly what Marianne wants to see. She wants her players to enjoy the game on the field and not play with pressure and anxiety.
In their latest match against Valencia, Vigo Celta showed a high level of athleticism. They beat their opponents cleanly on the road, playing a great game with both technical and tactical skills. One of the best moments of the game was a no-look pass assist from Swedish winger Wout Weghorst.
The move was reminiscent of the greats such as Lionel Messi, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho and even Totti. It not only demonstrates the technical ability of the individual player, but also the tacit understanding of the whole team in terms of tactical execution.
Change team culture and win fan support
Marianne knows very well that to change a team is not just as simple as changing coaches and buying players. It is more important to reshape the team’s culture and rebuild fans’ confidence.
In one of her public speeches, she said, “We want to be braver and go all out to win every game. It’s not a slogan, it’s something we all agree on.”
She also mentioned that before she took over, many fans felt that Vigo Celta was no longer the team they knew. “People fed back that the team had become a bit negative, as if they were only thinking about how to survive and not how to win. That hurt me.”
So she began organizing focus group discussions to listen to the fans’ opinions and incorporate them into the club’s strategy. Through these efforts, she hopes to make the fans fall in love with the team again.
She emphasized, “We have to make our home field a place where our opponents are afraid to come easily. In every game, we can’t let them take easy points.”
The words sound passionate and rallying. For many ordinary fans, it’s what they expect a club manager to say.
Reject mediocrity and strive for excellence
In today’s soccer world, there are many clubs and players who are too conservative. They are afraid to take risks, they just want to play it safe, and they even choose to “give in” when facing strong teams, just to lose a few goals.
But Marianne is different. She wants Vigo Celta to break this mindset. “We don’t want to be a team that only plays defense and complains about the referee,” she says. She said, “We want to play beautiful soccer and want to win every game.”
She also criticized the mentality of some clubs: “Some people are always thinking ‘we are not a powerhouse’ and ‘we just don’t get relegated’.”
In her opinion, both club owners and management, as well as players and coaches, should have higher pursuits. Otherwise they don’t deserve to be involved in the sport.
Conclusion: the future is bright
Although Vigo Celta’s results are not enough to prove that they have become a real powerhouse team now, the spirit and style of play they have shown have given a glimpse of what is possible in the future.
This team is undergoing a magnificent transformation. From being on the brink of relegation, they are now able to challenge for a place at the top of the league, thanks to Marianne Mourinho’s bold decisions and strong beliefs.
Perhaps in the near future, Vigo Celta will not only become a dark horse in La Liga, but also the center of attention for fans around the world. Their story tells us that even the smallest club can shine as long as it has dreams and courage.
As Marianne said, “We are not afraid of failure, but we refuse to be mediocre.”
If you are a soccer fan, wouldn’t you also feel hot blooded when you see such a club and such a group of people?
