CD ESTEPONA – LINARES: A STORY THAT BEGAN ALMOST 60 YEARS AGO

Some games just come and go. Others, however, become—over the years—classics eagerly anticipated by the fans.

The matchup between CD Estepona and Linares belongs to that second group. A rivalry that began nearly six decades ago and, after going through various phases, is once again taking place regularly each season in a division where neither team would want to be, as both are aiming for promotion.

When the ball starts rolling again tonight, it won’t just be a 90-minute match at stake. Several decades of soccer will also go head-to-head in two cities that have endured relegations, the dissolution of teams, and numerous fresh starts.

Furthermore, this matchup holds special significance thanks to a legendary player, Catanha. The international forward, one of the players most fondly remembered by fans, wore the jerseys of both clubs at different stages of his career and became one of those names that connect the histories of CD Estepona and Linares.

A Long Journey Since the 1960s

Linares’ first recorded visit to Estepona in league play dates back to the 1966–67 season. At that time, CD Estepona was competing in the Third Division and managed to defeat the Linares team 2–1.

A year later, in the 1967–68 season, the same outcome was repeated. The Estepona team won again at home, this time by a score of 2–0.

Two visits and two wins for Estepona.

It took nearly twenty years for the two teams to meet again. In the 1986-87 season, also in the Third Division, Linares broke that streak and came away with a 0-3 victory at Estepona’s home field.

The last match from that era, however, had a very different outcome. In the 1989-90 season, now in Second Division B, CD Estepona once again proved strong at home and defeated Linares by a decisive 3-0.

In total, four matches, with three wins for CD Estepona and one for Linares.

The goal difference also favors the Estepona team: 10 goals scored and 4 conceded.

The Dawn of a New Era.

Following the financial problems faced by the former CD Estepona after its time in the financially ruinous old Second Division B, which led to the club’s dissolution, a new sense of hope emerged in the city with the unification of local soccer under Unión Estepona CF, whose short but intense history came to an abrupt end due to a shortage of a few thousand euros that no one was willing to cover to ensure its survival.

In the 2024–25 season, Linares returned to Estepona to face the current CD Estepona.

This time, there was no winner:

CD Estepona 1–1 Linares Deportivo.

In the following season, 2025–26, history repeated itself. It was a match in which Estepona richly deserved the victory, but a header by Diego Talaverón and a controversial play in the Linares penalty area—which was not called a penalty—ultimately left the score tied.

CD Estepona’s Record

If we combine the historical matchups with the two most recent ones, CD Estepona’s home record against Linares in the league is as follows:

6 matches
3 wins for CD Estepona
2 draws
1 win for Linares
12 goals by CD Estepona
6 goals by Linares

A particularly significant statistic is that Linares has managed to win only once in its six league visits to CD Estepona.

Estepona’s last victory—that 3-0 win from the 1989-90 season—is now quite a long time ago. Since then, the two teams have faced each other twice more in this new era, with both matches ending in draws.

An Important Note: Unión Estepona C.F.

Among the historical and current matchups between CD Estepona and Linares, there was a period that deserves special mention.

During the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons, the team representing our city was Unión Estepona C.F. Linares Deportivo also visited Estepona during those two seasons, with the following results:

2012-13
Unión Estepona C.F. 0-1 Linares Deportivo

2013-14
Unión Estepona C.F. 1-2 Linares Deportivo

If we consider only the history under the name CD Estepona, the record of matches played in Estepona is as follows:

6 matches, 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.

Almost sixty years after that first 2-1 win in 1966, both teams will face off again tonight at the Francisco Muñoz Pérez Stadium. Another large crowd is expected to support the Estepona team as they aim to defeat Linares once again.

Are you going to miss it?

CD Estepona Fans
The Voice of the Fans