Welcome to…Montijo

The best club of the Vegas Bajas

Having a history going back more than 100 years, Montijo is one of the historic names of Extremaduran football. Still, it took the club many decades to reach the Tercera División, a division that they called home for over twenty seasons. However, the most prestigious footballing achievement that has ever been fulfilled in the Vegas Bajas was a certain club’s presence in the Segunda Federación. Welcome to…Montijo.

Pablo Carmona, posing next to the old logo of Montijo. © Extremadura 7 Días.

Along the Guadiana

A town of 15,000 people, Montijo lies between Mérida and Badajoz and is the capital of the zone of the Vegas Bajas. The city lies on the north bank of the famous Guadiana River and is popular among a specific type of tourist: archaeologists, as the well-conserved remains of a Roman villa can be found in Montijo.

The Roman villa in Montijo from above. © Antonio Obreo.

Football in Montijo

In 1922, CD Montijo was founded, a club that only played in the amateur divisions of Extremadura. It was the representative club of Montijo but was dissolved in 1958, after which the town was left without a football club for a long time. Only in 1974, Unión Deportiva Montijo was created to bring the spirit of football back to Montijo.

The Estadio Municipal Emilio Macarro Rodríguez, named after the man who refounded the club in 1974 and presided over it for many years. © Carlosgatablog.

Some years later, the rojinegros made their debut in the Tercera División, which was their first important feat. However, the truly big moment arrived in 1986, as Montijo made it to the third round of the Copa del Rey, in which they were paired with Real Sociedad, a club that won two national championships some years earlier.

The starting XI’s of Real Sociedad and Montijo in 1986. People like John Toshack, Luis Arconada, Alberto Górriz, José María Bakero, and Roberto López Ufarte visited the Extremaduran town, winning just 0-1. 30 years later, the veterans of Montijo and Real Sociedad played a commemorative match against each other. © J. Vargas.

This match coincided with the best period in the history of Montijo so far: 12 consecutive seasons in the Tercera. The montijanos would never achieve this again, but they outdid themselves in 2021, winning their first championship in this league. This resulted in promotion to the Segunda Federación, an unbelievable achievement.

Players and supporters of Montijo celebrate the promotion in 2021. © J. P. Jiménez.

The first season was outstanding. The red-blacks fought for a place in the play-offs for promotion to the Primera Federación for a long time but finally ended 9th, which was still superior to the general expectations. In 2023, Montijo faced a tougher season, but still managed to stay up.

The classification of the 2021-22 edition of the Segunda RFEF, Montijo’s best season ever. © bdfutbol.com

The future

Montijo has become known as a club that attracts great players for a fourth-tier team, such as Ángel Bernabé, Javi Chino, Răzvan Ochiroşii, Miguel Ángel Espinar, and Dani Segovia. Still, it’s always difficult for a smaller club to compete with historic clubs, which in 2023-24 will be Sanse, Talavera, Badajoz, Guadalajara, and Numancia. This was…Montijo.

The players of celebrate a goal that pushed off relegation in 2023. © Hoy.

Sources

• https://www.udm1922.com/quienes-somos/
• Borchers, L. (2021). GOLAZO. Self-published.
• Borchers, L. (2022). CARA O CRUZ. Self-published.