Sergio Pellicer · Biography

On 22 June 2024, at the Nou Estadi Costa Daurada in Tarragona, Málaga CF were 2-0 down to Gimnàstic in the second leg of the promotion final, and the tie was slipping away. Dioni pulled one back in the 108th minute and Antoñito Cordero equalised late in extra time. The 2-2 draw sent Málaga up to the Spanish second division on a 4-3 aggregate. The man on the bench was Sergio Pellicer García, born in Nules, in the province of Castellón, on 9 September 1973. He was a former right-back who had once played for Málaga, and he had been in charge of the first team since January 2023.

Youth and early playing years

Pellicer came through Valencia CF's academy and broke into senior football with Valencia B. He played for the reserve side from 1993 to 1996 and scored six goals in 58 league games. In 1993 he made three appearances for Spain's under-20 team. He spent a few months on loan at Hércules in 1995, and in the summer of 1996 he joined Málaga, where he made 47 league appearances in a single season. Spells followed at Cádiz CF (1997-1999) and Real Jaén (1999-2000).

A long career in the third tier

Most of his playing career was spent in Segunda División B, then Spain's third tier. He played for UDA Gramenet (2000-2001), returned to Hércules from 2001 to 2003, and then moved on to CD Onda (2003-2004) and RSD Alcalá (2004-2005). His longest spell was at Villajoyosa CF: three seasons, from 2005 to 2008, and 91 league games. He retired at CD Eldense in 2009. In all he played more than 350 Segunda B matches, almost always at right-back.

From Campello to Málaga's academy

He started coaching in 2009 at CD El Campello, and later that year became an assistant at Alicante CF. In 2010-2011 he was assistant coach at UD Logroñés, where he took charge of two games as caretaker between October and November 2010. Several years in youth football followed: Valencia (2011-2013), Elche (2014), San Félix (2014-2015) and, from 2015, Málaga's academy. With Málaga's under-19 side he won the Copa de Campeones in 2016 and played in the UEFA Youth League. On 29 December 2016 he moved up to the first team as assistant to Marcelo Romero.

Fabril, Atlético Malagueño and his first Málaga spell

In October 2018 he took over Deportivo Fabril, Deportivo de La Coruña's reserve team, who were second from bottom in their Segunda B group. He could not lift them and left on 4 February 2019, with two wins from 14 games. In July 2019 he returned to Málaga to coach Atlético Malagueño in the fourth tier. On 11 January 2020, after Víctor Sánchez del Amo was sacked, the club handed him the first team in the second division, initially on an interim basis. He stayed until 31 May 2021, with a record of 65 games: 23 wins, 20 draws and 22 defeats.

Fuenlabrada and the return to La Rosaleda

On 15 December 2021 he joined CF Fuenlabrada, also in the second division. He lasted until 6 March 2022, when he was dismissed after a 1-2 home defeat to Burgos, with the team 21st and only one win in 11 games. On 25 January 2023 Málaga brought him back to replace Pepe Mel. He could not prevent relegation to Primera Federación: the team finished 20th, six points from safety. Pellicer stayed on and in 2023-2024 took the club straight back up to the second division, sealed in Tarragona on 22 June 2024.

Final spell at Málaga

After promotion he signed a new deal with Málaga and coached the team in the second division through the 2024-2025 season. In the autumn of 2025 the side went through a run of defeats and several draws conceded in stoppage time. On 18 November 2025, after a 1-0 loss to newly promoted Cultural Leonesa, the club announced that Pellicer would no longer be head coach. His second spell in charge of the first team ended after 122 games: 46 wins, 41 draws and 35 defeats.