Super Depor are back! The rebirth of Deportivo La Coruna

Between 1991 and 2004, Deportivo were one of the biggest clubs in Spain. Under the stewardship of Arsenio Iglesias, a former striker who spent six years as a player at the Riazor between 1951 and 1957, Deportivo returned to the top-flight after 18 years away, and went on to finish second in the 1994-95 season, agonisingly missing out on the title on goal difference, while landing their first major trophy in the form of the Copa Del Rey.

The star of that team was Brazilian striker Bebeto, who netted a staggering 86 goals in 131 appearances for the club in total, while they also had silky Spanish midfielder Fran,all-action No.6 Mauro Silva, rock-solid Serbian centre-back Miroslav Dukic, and assured goalkeeper Francisco Liano.

Iglesias retired from football after Deportivo's Copa success, and in came John Toshack. The Welsh coach delivered the Supercopa de Espana and was responsible for the signing of Brazil icon Rivaldo and Morocco defender Noureddine Naybet, only for him to resign amid internal tension in February 1997.

Deportivo turned to Carlos Alberto Silva to steady the ship, which he did initially, guiding the team to third in La Liga. Rivaldo left for Barcelona that summer, though, and there was a major regression during the 1997-98 campaign, with Silva ultimately sacked as Depor fell to 12th in the table.

Bold action was needed to get Depor back on track, and that's exactly what took place. Deportivo swooped to take Javier Irueta from their fiercest regional rivals, Celta Vigo, where he had overseen a thrilling European qualification run and implemented a widely praised brand of football. It paid off ten-fold, as Irueta would turn out to the be the true successor to Iglesias.

Irueta was a meticulous, composed coach who adapted his tactics based on each opponent, but demanded defensive discipline and midfield control. He also carefully picked signings that would fit his philosophy, many of whom emerged as cult heroes, including Diego Tristan, Roy Makaay, Juan Carlos Valeron, Joan Capdevilla, and Jorge Andrade.

He also improved several established names, from Naybet to Brazilian attacking midfielder Djalminha, and Deportivo became one of the most feared sides on the continent. It did not happen overnight, though.

Deportivo finished sixth in La Liga in Irueta's first year at the helm, 16 points behind champions Barcelona. They were not consistent enough to launch a title challenge or qualify for the Champions League, but did get back into the UEFA Cup, and Irueta implemented a 4-2-3-1 formation that provided a platform for stability.

Ahead of the 1999-2000 season, Irueta brought in six new signings, including Makaay from Tenerife for €8.6 million, and Racing Santander winger Victor Sanchez for €7.6m. Those two players were especially vital to Deportivo reaching the next level.

Los Herculinos only improved on their 1998-99 points tally by six points, but that was enough for them to win La Liga after one of the most open races in the competition's history, with Barcelona, Valencia, Real Zaragoza and Real Madrid all in the mix. Barca pushed Depor closest, but could only draw their final two games, and Irueta's side clinched the title after a final day victory over Espanyol.

Ruthless Dutch striker Makaay was the hero after firing 22 goals, but Djalminha and Sanchez provided top quality support in attack, Maurco Silva and Flavio Conceicao were colossal in the double pivot, and Donato led by example at the back.

"We have completed the work of the 1994 team," Irureta declared after the title was secured.

Not content to rest on their laurels, Deportivo spent €40m on new players that summer, bringing in Valeron, Tristan, Aldo Duscher, Walter Pandiani, Jose Molina, Capdevila, and Emerson. Irueta wasn't quite able to mastermind a successful title defence in 2000-01, but Deportivo still finished second to Real Madrid, and enjoyed a memorable run to the Champions League quarter-finals.

Deportivo repeated both feats the following season, and landed more silverware, spoiling Real Madrid's 100-year anniversary celebrations at the Bernabeu with a 2-1 victory in the Copa Del Rey final. Irueta had moulded a team capable of fighting for the biggest honours on a yearly basis.

After another top-three La Liga finish in 2002-03, Deportivo set their sights on Champions League glory. They made it through to the last eight again, and standing in their way of a maiden semi-final berth were holders AC Milan, who hadn't even conceded a goal in the competition to that point.

Led by Kaka, the Rossoneri dismantled Depor 4-1 in the first leg at the San Siro, leaving most onlookers believing that the tie was over. However, Irueta's team staged an incredible comeback in front of a packed-out Riazor, racing into a three-goal lead before half-time thanks to goals from Pandiani, Valeron and Albert Luque.

Veteran substitute Fran made it 4-0 with a deflected shot late on as Deportivo held on to become the first team in the modern Champions League era to overturn a three-goal deficit from the first leg of a knockout tie. The victory reperesented the pinnacle of Depor's golden generation, with Irueta declaring: "We have produced a miracle here... This is an historical result. We are heroes."

Milan midfielder Andrea Pirlo would later reflect on Depor's intimidating intensity in his autobiography: "What struck me most was how they kept on running at half-time. To a man: no exceptions... They couldn't stand still even in that 15-minute period designed specifically to let you draw breath."

Deportivo's journey ultimately ended in the next round as they suffered a 1-0 aggregate loss to Jose Mourinho's Porto, with only a Derlei penalty separating the two sides. Irueta suggested that "fate went against us", which was proven when Porto went on to claim the European Cup by beating Monaco in the final.

It was a joy to watch Deportivo during that period. Valeron was a magician who glided across the pitch and had the ability to unlock any defence with his passing range, Tristan played with the swagger of a matador, Makaay was the embodiment of efficiency and Silva was the stoic guardian who gave them the space to run riot. Djalminha was also box-office before he lost his place to Valeron - as an aggressive playmaker with a deep box of tricks, very few defenders could stop him in full flow.

All good things come to an end, though, and Irueta's aging squad couldn't maintain their lofty standards in 2004-05, falling to eighth in La Liga while exiting the Champions League in the group stage. "Like an old married couple, the routine is slowly killing us all," Depor goalkeeper Jose Molina said when admitting the team had stagnated.

Irueta, too, recognised that the cycle had run its course. "It is the right moment for a change, both for the club and for myself," he admitted when stepping down at the end of the campaign.

A clean slate didn't lead to a resurgence, though. As Depor continued to go backwards and European prize money dried up, president Augusto Cesar Lendoiro spent years funding the club through huge bank loans, and they were forced to sell off their best players to mitigate the damage. Deportivo officially entered voluntary administration in 2013 with €156m in debt, triggering their decade long 'yo-yo' period between divisions.

After dropping into the non-professional third tier in 2020, which contained 102 teams across five regional leagues, there was an expectation that Deportivo would immediately bounce back. However, they ended up being trapped in the wilderness for two years, missing out on promotion via the play-offs in successive seasons.

There was good news, though, in the form of a takeover from Galician banking giant Abanca, who engineered the club's financial recovery by moving away from traditional corporate debt collection, choosing instead to use debt-to-equity swaps and strategic capital increases. Former Real Zaragoza and Leganes boss Imanol Idiakez then took the managerial reins in July 2023, and the team began to rise again.

Idiakez guided Depor to the Primera Federacion title at the first time of asking, finishing top of Group 1 (North) after beating Barcelona B in the final round of matches, courtesy of a dramatic free-kick from ex-Arsenal forward Lucas Perez. The 2024-25 Segunda campaign brought more downs than ups, but it was mainly about consolidation, and a mid-table finish laid the ground for a proper promotion push.

There was more change in the dugout, with Idiakez making way for Oscar Gilsanz, before Antonio Hidalgo was handed a one-year contract at the Riazor last summer. Hidalgo, who came out of Barcelona's famed La Masia academy and also enjoyed spells at Tenerife and Malaga, proceeded to strike the same balance between structural pragmatism and attacking freedom as Irueta had so effectively, turning Depor into a counter-pressing machine.

Depor secured second place in the Spanish Segunda behind Racing Santander in 2025-26, with their promotion confirmed after 2-0 win at Real Valladolid that saw Cameroonian frontman Bil Nsongo bag both goals. The celebrations in A Coruna were wild, but relief was the overriding emotion.

"I've been here for three of those long eight years, and this was the objective, which we've now achieved. But when you're here, you understand how important it is for the city that Depor are in La Liga," Depor CEO Massimo Benassi told La Gazetta Dello Sport. "There was a healthy pressure that was palpable every day: each day without La Liga felt like another day something was missing."

In a bid to make sure they enjoy another long stay in the top-flight, Deportivo executed an ambitious summer transfer strategy, looking for both marquee stars and top young European talents with release clauses. They managed to bring in 10 new players for an outlay of just €25m, with the biggest chunk of that spent on Mallorca goalkeeper Leonardo Román Riquelme (€9m).

Depor also signed Jonathan Asp Jensen from Bayern Munich and Lorenzo Amatucci from Fiorentina, respectively, for €6m each, and pulled off one of the coups of the entire window by luring Pierre Emerick Aubameyang away from Marseille for just €1.5m. Aubameyang is well past his best at 37, but the former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund striker scored 10 Ligue 1 goals last term, proving his instincts in the penalty area are still sharp.

Adama Traore, meanwhile, arrived on a free transfer after leaving West Ham, adding more crucial top-level experience to Hidalgo's ranks, and Deportivo also welcomed threeshrewd loan signings on deadline day: Jose Maria Gimenez, Angelino, and Marc Casado. Depor have a buy option on Casado too, and the Barcelona midfielder has the potential to be the most impactful of the new arrivals as a tempo-setter with a relentless work ethic.

Hidalgo was pleased with the club's business, but stressed the importance of maintaining their identity ahead of the 2026-27 kick-off. "The additions of players like Aubameyang and Adama Traore change the technical profile of this team, but they do not change the core project that got us back to La Liga. We are leaning heavily on the top-flight experience of leaders like Aubameyang and Gimenez to mentor our younger players through the demands of this division."

Gimenez has made an encouraging start to life at the Riazor, but has only played three matches to date after arriving late. Aubameyang, meanwhile, seemingly took Hidalgo's words to heart, and has rolled back the years in stunning fashion.

The team has already been dubbed 'Super Depor 2.0' after they went unbeaten through their first five La Liga fixtures, playing out 1-1 draws against Elche, Malaga and Getafe, with enthralling wins over Valencia and Villarreal in between before finally tasting defeat against Sevilla on Wednesday.

Aubemayang has been prolific, becoming the first man since Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2009-10 for Barcelona to score in each of the opening five matchdays, with his standout display coming against Villarreal. After providing assists for Luismi Cruz and Zakaria Eddahchouri, Aubameyang slotted home Depor's third goal in the 89th minute to earn a 3-2 victory at El Madrigal.

"What Aubameyang is doing is absolutely incredible," Hidalgo has said of his impact. "He doesn't miss a single training session and works harder than anyone else. He has a special talent."

Depor are currently seventh in the table, and will fancy their chances of at least staying in the top half if Aubameyang can keep up his remarkable form. Elsewhere, Cruz has picked up from where he left off last term as the team's creative hub, Amatucci has adapted quickly to dominate the middle of the pitch, and Roman is proving to be a safe pair of hands as the new No.1. Like Gimenez, Casado has also been impressive in his first two outings for the club.

Supporters voted to change the team's name from Deportivo de 'La Coruña' to the Galician version 'A Coruna' over the summer, but the new set of players are reviving the values that brought the club so much success between the 1990s and early 2000s. They also have an assured manager who will make sure their focus does not wane.

"We go with the intention every week, knowing the difficulty, with a lot of humility, knowing that this [season] is very long and you always have to keep your feet on the ground. But from there, we play with a lot of confidence too," Hidalgo said.

This could be the beginning of another special journey. Deportivo are back, and that is only a good thing for La Liga purists.