A key factor keeping Málaga’s promotion hopes alive to La Liga is their sharpness in front of goal. With 66 goals scored, they are the third-highest scorers in the Segunda División, trailing only Racing Santander (79 goals) and Almería (74). Castellón follows closely with 65. This marks a significant improvement from last season’s 42 goals, when they struggled to avoid relegation.
These impressive numbers are built on the effectiveness of Carlos Ruiz ‘Chupe’ (21 years old) and Adrián Niño (21 years old). The Cordoban has scored 19 goals, while the player from Rota has 11. Their combined total of 30 is no trivial matter. They form one of the most lethal striking partnerships in the division, behind only Sergio Arribas (24 goals) and Adri Embarba (14 goals) with 38, and Andrés Martín (20 goals) and Asier Villalibre (14 goals) with 34. Behind the Málaga duo are Dubasin and Otero with 28 (15 and 13 respectively), Cala and Camara with 24 (13 and 11), and Yeremay and Zakaria with 21 (11 and 10).
For Málaga, the Chupe-Niño pair has matched the 30 goals of the ‘Double D’ duo—Dely Valdés and Darío Silva—from the 2000–01 season (17 goals from the Panamanian and 13 from the Uruguayan). The differences from last season are clear: no striker reached double figures then. Dioni scored seven, Chupe four, Baturina two, and Sergio Castel one. This finishing ability is what separates this season from the previous one. To appreciate what Chupe and Niño are achieving, consider the 2023–24 promotion campaign: Roberto scored 20 goals and Dioni nine, totaling 29 in 42 matches (38 regular season plus 4 playoff games). The current duo has already surpassed that total by one goal.
Chupe in Eibar.
Javi Colmenero
**Chasing a Triple-Double**
We must not forget David Larrubia. The ‘Magician’ has scored nine goals. If he adds one more, he will join the ‘double figures club’ alongside Chupe and Niño. This would be the first time in the 21st century that three Málaga players reach 10 goals or more—a ‘triple-double’. This would surpass the ‘double-doubles’ of the 2000–01 season (17 from Dely Valdés and 13 from Darío Silva), 2002–03 (10 each from Dely Valdés and Darío Silva), 2006–07 (10 each from Salva Ballesta and Darío Silva), and 2007–08 (14 from Antonio Hidalgo and 10 from Nabil Baha). A ‘triple-double’ is within reach… and it could become a ‘quadruple-double’ if Rafa Rodríguez, who has scored five, finds the net again.
Two goals from Niño in Eibar.
Javi Colmenero
In this century, the Málaga players who have scored more than Chupe are Catanha (26 and 24) and Roberto (20 including five in the promotion playoff). Chupe has already surpassed Salva Ballesta (18), Dely Valdés (17), Salomón Rondón and Antonio Hidalgo (14), and Sandro Ramírez, Darío Silva, and Armando Sadiku (13).
Despite not sharing the pitch for many minutes, Chupe and Niño have shown good chemistry when they formed the ‘baby bottle attack’ in key moments. The play that led to the 2-2 draw in Eibar featured them both: an assist from Chupe and a goal from Niño. These numbers could grow in the final four matches of the season.
The ‘baby boom’ of goals.