C.D. Leganés 'B' for the 2020/21 season has already become a team of record. The pepinero subsidiary has been proclaimed champion of its group, qualified for the 'play-off' with four rounds in advance and is the only undefeated team of the 541 national category in Spain. But who are the members of this team?
We have to go back to last August, when the Directorate of Grassroots Football headed by Jorge Broto chose Carlos Martínez as the new coach of the reserve team. After falling at the gates of the play-offs in 2019/20 with Luis Cembranos, the club gave the reins of the team to a man who had already been part of the coaching staff of both the second team and the first team with Javier Aguirre the previous season. Along with the man from Llerena, David Valleros to imbue the bench with Pepinero DNA, with nine seasons and 264 official appearances in the Leganés first team between them.
Sixteen signings and four players promoted from the Juvenil 'A'.
It was time to put together a practically new squad, with only six players continuing from the previous season. Sixteen new faces arrived, while another four players were promoted from the Juvenil 'A'.
In goal, Pablo Lombo, who was the first team's third goalkeeper last season, started the season as a starter, although Adri Víctores took his place midway through the competition and has performed brilliantly, saving two key penalties. Alongside them, Garrido, a regular starter in the Juvenil 'A' at 17 years of age, completes the line-up under the goalposts.
An assembled defense despite the serious injury to captain Iván.
Javi Rubio is the undisputed right back. After suffering a serious knee injury last season, he arrived from Rayo Vallecano in the summer and soon made his debut in LaLiga SmartBank, in the second matchday in September against C.D. Lugo. He has also participated with the first team in another Copa del Rey match.
Captain Iván López, who has been with the club since the youth team, started out as the head of the defense, although a serious injury has kept him sidelined for practically the entire season. His absence has been perfectly covered by the captain of the Moroccan U-20 team, Adil Tahif; Sergio Cerrato, another of the youth players from the youth ranks; the Ghanaian Samed, incorporated in the winter market from Extremadura; and the Spanish U-17 international Adrián Luque.
On the left flank, the competition is tough between another of the captains, Mario del Campo (who was already called up last season with the first team in a Copa del Rey match), and the Portuguese Tiago Lopes, who came from the F.C. Porto reserve team after winning the UEFA Youth League and being part of the Portuguese U-20 team.
A Brazilian who made his debut with the first team, a native of Pepeña who came from Granada C.F. and an 'older brother' who was able to leave his job in the workshop.
In the midfield, one of the sensations has been the Brazilian Cassio Junior, the other member of the reserve team who has made his debut in an official match with the first team (he did it in Socuéllamos in Copa del Rey). Along with him, one of the survivors of the previous year as Carlos Llamas, seconded by two of those who came up from the Juvenil de División de Honor: Rentero, with several years in the Cantera, and Cissé, flamboyant U-17 World Cup winner with Guinea a couple of years ago.
Another key player is Yael Ballesteros, a fine left-footed player from the Granada C.F. reserve team but a native of Leganés, who returned home last summer. Luis Sánchez and Del Val have not been able to get as many minutes, but they have also had opportunities and brought competition to the group.
On the wings, Dani Oliva has become the team's second top scorer, while Equatorial Guinea international Jordan Gutiérrez is the top assist man. Álex San Cristóbal is the 'big brother' of the group, a player who knows the effort it takes to live these moments: before joining the club, he combined soccer with his regular job in a mechanic's workshop. Borona and Iker complete the flanks, often playing the role of the driving force when the team needs it.
A top scorer by day and an engineering student in the afternoons
Diego Garcia is the most headline-grabbing player in the team. The striker, who arrived this summer from Rayo Vallecano, is the top scorer in the category with thirteen goals. A striker by day and an engineering student in the afternoons, he has made a name for himself this season. Mario Rivas, son of former footballer Antonio Rivas, arrived in the winter market to complement a forward line that has also been reinforced by the Ghanaian U-17 international Abdul Razak.
All of them are the members of a group that, whatever happens, has already made history, but that will be looking to continue extending its legend over the next few weeks to achieve a historic promotion for the club.
