UD Las Palmas has a historic opportunity to emulate the start of the 1999-2000 season, when under the management of Sergio Kresic, the team not only began with two consecutive victories but also ended the season as champions of Segunda División and were promoted to the top flight.
Following their opening victory against Albacete (2-1), with goals from Jesé Rodríguez and Sandro Ramírez, Rubén de la Barrera's squad is in an optimal position to achieve an 'apotheotic' start. If they secure a win this Saturday at the Alfonso Murube against AD Ceuta, they would match that historic beginning.
Twenty-seven years have passed since that glorious campaign. The squad then combined young academy players like Álex Castro, Orlando Suárez, Juan Carlos Socorro, Paquito Ortiz, Jorge Larena, Víctor Afonso, or Pedro Vega, with experienced veterans such as Zeljko Cikovic, Paqui Veza, Tomás Olías, Vinny Samways, Josico, Pablo Lago, Eloy Jiménez, Luis Tevenet, or Robert Jarni.
The opponent, AD Ceuta, arrives wounded after a heavy defeat (5-1) against Andorra in the first matchday. They will seek to redeem themselves in front of their home crowd amidst a migration crisis affecting the city.
It is worth remembering that the team also managed to start the 2016-17 season in the top division with two consecutive victories under Quique Setién, even temporarily leading the standings.
The last best start in Segunda División, after the first two matchdays, dates back to the 1999-2000 campaign, which in turn matched the mark of the 1984-85 season, also ending with promotion as champions. On that occasion, UD defeated Tenerife (2-0) and Sporting de Gijón (1-2), before losing to Recreativo de Huelva.
While Rubén de la Barrera's current approach is vertical and offensive, Kresic's team was characterized by its pragmatism, physical solidity, and competitiveness. That season they finished with 72 points, 20 wins, 12 draws, and 10 losses, scoring 60 goals and conceding 41, finishing five points ahead of Osasuna and six ahead of Villarreal.
A good start does not guarantee promotion, but it helps. Of the eight subsequent seasons in which UD secured four points in the first two matchdays, only in 2014-15 (via playoffs) and 2022-23 (second place) did they achieve promotion to the First Division.
