Tattoos, hair dye and impromptu street parties: how the Malaga CF squad are celebrating promotion

The celebrations following Malaga CF's return to La Liga quickly gathered pace over the weekend as players made the most of the jubilant atmosphere in the city upon their return from Almeria in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The programme of celebrations began at Altare nightclub in Teatinos, where more than 300 invited guests gathered for a private party for players, family and friends.

The squad arrived at around 4am, champagne was served and the music never stopped as players danced and mingled with guests in the venue, which was decorated with large screens displaying "Somos de Primera" (We are in the First Division), alongside club colours and imagery.

At one point several squad members grabbed the microphone and called for the party to continue, shouting "we want more" as the lights came up to signal the end of the scheduled event at 7am.

Paulo Gallego, a representative of the venue, described the atmosphere as "very healthy" and said staff were moved by the occasion.

"We were all emotional because the environment was very family oriented and they were very grateful for everything," he said.

From there, the party spilled into the streets. Players including Chupete, Adrián Niño, Ramón, Eneko Jauregi, Dani Sánchez, Julen Lobete and Álex Pastor invited supporters via social media to join them at Fuente de Colores at 7am, and more than a hundred fans turned out as the celebrations moved outdoors.

Captain Ramón addressed the crowd, speaking about the loyalty fans had shown during the club's relegation years and thanking those who stayed through the difficult times.

His words were met with applause and chanting as players and supporters celebrated together at sunrise.

Unity with the fans has become a defining feature of the squad's promotion story, with several players saying that informal personal pledges made over the course of the season helped to strengthen the group's identity.

It didn't take long for squad and staff members to make good on those promises. Head coach Juan Francisco Funes was seen getting a new tattoo featuring Kung Fu Panda alongside symbolic boats linked to the campaign, with the image shared on social media by teammate Adrián Niño and completed by tattoo artist Emilio Fernández.

Ramón marked the occasion away from the pitch too, proposing to his partner Eva Florido during a Bad Bunny concert in Madrid, an event later confirmed on social media.

Several players, including Murillo, Joaquín, Aaron Ochoa and Javi Montero, dyed their hair in different colours as part of the same pattern of season-long pledges. Dani Lorenzo, Chupete, David Larrubia and Dani Sánchez had already done the same earlier in the season under similar agreements.

Midfielder Carlos Dotor's turn came with a twist: his buzzcut was initially left uneven before being corrected during the nightclub team party.

More public events are planned, with a city parade on Monday evening drawing even larger crowds. Malaga's promotion party shows no sign of slowing down.