This coming weekend’s La Liga fixture list contains arguably the most extreme example of David attempting to fell Goliath to be found anywhere in the world of professional sport.
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Although cup competitions occasionally throw up even greater mismatches, in terms of meetings between supposed near-equals in league contests, Barcelona’s visit to tiny Eibar on Saturday evening will present a rags against riches tale of unrivalled proportions.
The vast gulf between the two teams is evident in a number of ways across all areas of the clubs.
In financial terms, for starters, Eibar’s annual budget of €18 million (Dh71.6m – the lowest in La Liga) pales into insignificance against Barca’s yearly spend of €539m (Dh2.1bn). Indeed, the €85m (Dh338m) forked out by the Catalans on Luis Suarez last summer would be enough to run Eibar’s entire operations for nearly five years.
On the subject of superstar players, whereas Barca can boast arguably the world’s most potent strike force in the form of Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi, the best-known player on Eibar’s books is probably veteran Ghanaian international midfielder Derek Boateng, who signed on a free transfer last summer after a brief and notably unsuccessful stint with relegated Fulham.
In fact, Eibar’s entire squad, with just one exception, was assembled without charge either on free transfers, loan deals or as youth team products – and that sole exception is winger Dani Nieto, who was signed for just €75,000 from none other than Barca’s reserves.
When it comes to supporters, Eibar’s lack of widespread appeal is almost comical in comparison: on social media, for example, the Basque club’s official Twitter feed is followed by 46,000 people; Barca’s total (across eight different languages) is 28 million. And with the population of Eibar standing at less than 30,000, every single inhabitant in the town could head to Barca’s Nou Camp and still leave 70,000 seats empty.
In fact, as their Ipurua home ground holds less than 6,000 spectators and rarely sells out, the cumulative attendance for all Eibar’s home games this term would still not be enough to fill Barca’s stadium.
Eibar’s rapid rise is certainly a wonderful story, the type of which is not supposed to happen in a modern professional sporting world dominated by megabucks television contracts, commercial deals, millionaire players and bejewelled agents. And the fact that they have taken their place among Spain’s elite is even more remarkable because their ascent has been anything but easy.
After spending their 74-year existence oscillating between the second, third and fourth tiers, only once threatening to climb into the top flight (during a young David Silva’s loan season at the club in 2004/5), their recent climb to the top started from the Segunda B (third) division two years ago.
Under the guidance of coach Gaizka Garitano, who had previously only had two years of experience with the club’s reserves, they earned promotion in June 2013. Then, against all expectations and hampered by the smallest budget in the division, they repeated the trick the following season by winning the Segunda Division, holding off big-name opposition such as Deportivo La Coruna and Sporting Gijon thanks to an outstanding defensive record of 28 goals conceded in 42 games.
But the final few weeks of the title-winning campaign were played against a backdrop of uncertainty after Eibar became aware that, irrespective of their performance on the pitch, they would have to raise €1.8m (Dh7.2m) by the start of August to avoid relegation back to the Segunda B.
That came due to a ruling, typical of Spanish bureaucracy’s frustrating inflexibility, that every second division team, irrespective of their expenditure, must possess a certain level of capital. And Eibar, although they carried precisely zero debt, lacked the necessary funds to comply.
Club president Alex Aranzabal was suitably scornful, describing the situation as “nonsense because our economic situation is solid. We are the only club in Spanish professional football with no debt.”
But the rules were not for bending and the club embarked upon a frantic sale of shares, quickly spreading the word through social media and benefitting from the generosity of former players such as Silva and Xabi Alonso, another ex-loanee, and eventually reaching the target to celebrate their first-ever promotion to the top flight.
That meant a rapid re-organisation of a small-town club which had always been backed up by a tiny behind-the-scenes infrastructure, with club employee Gergori Prieto explaining: “We had to restructure the club’s personnel during the summer so we can carry out the day to day work. Last season, I was the only person working in the club’s administration – now there are 10 of us, with new departments like marketing.”
Despite the rapid upheaval, when the new La Liga campaign began Eibar settled like ducks to water, joyfully beating Basque neighbours Real Sociedad 1-0 in their season opener, then being unfortunate to lose 2-1 away to reigning champions Atletico and subsequently picking up victories with sufficient regularity to finish 2014 nestled in mid-table.
More recently, however, the minnows have been in freefall. Friday’s unfortunate 2-1 loss at Levante was their seventh consecutive defeat, leaving them just three points clear of the relegation zone.
For the first time, the last few weeks have seen Eibar look out of their depth at this level, and although a lack of goals has been concerning, their recent slump is more attributable to the ardours of a long and competitive season finally catching up with them.
One of the secrets of Eibar’s success in the last two years has been continuity, with a fortuitous lack of injuries allowing boss Garitano to make remarkably consistent team selections: during last season’s Segunda Division title-winning campaign, for example, eight players started at least 30 games.
At the highest level, however, the downside of having such a settled team is that the physical demands of competing against top-class performers on a weekly basis become overpowering, especially for a team such as Eibar which relies upon hard work and organisation.
Eibar have looked lethargic and avoidable errors – a sure sign of mental and physical tiredness – are also starting to creep into their play, but Garitano has few viable options to freshen things up.
Realistically, Saturday’s meeting with Barca offers little chance for them to stop the rot, and their season will perhaps hinge upon the next three fixtures: away to fellow strugglers Granada, and at home against mid-table Rayo Vallecano and Malaga.
Whatever happens, the club has no intention of following so many others down the path of recklessly gambling vast sums in the transfer market in an attempt to buy their way into the elite.
“We would never consider putting the club in debt,” said Aranzabal. “We do our business with our own resources.”
They are what they are: a smalltown club, getting by on astute management on and off the pitch, and hard work and togetherness on it.
And if they avoid relegation, few will begrudge them another season in the top flight.
