“You will always return to where you were happy.” This line from Beret’s song ‘Ojalá’ could be signed by many, and it seems increasingly likely that Sergio Canales will put his name to it if he ends his playing career at Racing Santander, as everyone hopes. The Cantabrian footballer has officially announced—though AS had already reported it—that he will not continue with Rayados de Monterrey, bringing his three-season stint in Mexico to an end.
All parties have openly discussed negotiations and the desire to reunite, with the prospect of a summer move now looking very realistic. At 35, it seems highly unlikely that, if he does sign for Racing, he would wear any other shirt afterward.
This would mark the return of the prodigal son, who made his first-team debut at 17 in the UEFA debut at El Sardinero against Honka Espoo and left at the end of the following season for José Mourinho’s Real Madrid. After a brief spell there, he matured at Valencia, Real Sociedad, and Betis, eventually becoming a full international for Spain.
The potential scenario in Santander in the coming months echoes the returns of other club legends like Pedro Munitis, Gonzalo Colsa, and Luis Fernández. They were part of the ‘Cantabrization’ process led by Francisco Pernía as soon as he became Racing’s president. However, not all cases were the same: Colsa arrived in his footballing prime at 27, after playing for Valladolid, Mallorca, and Atlético Madrid. Munitis came back at 30, having won the Champions League and La Liga with Real Madrid and played for Deportivo La Coruña. Luis Fernández was 33 when he returned, having become a Betis legend after winning the Copa del Rey with them.
Sergio Canales has officially bid farewell to Rayados de Monterrey.
Racing has always had a fondness for reunions. That’s why they bet on the return of one of their most illustrious coaches, Marcelino García Toral, who after qualifying the team for the UEFA competition left for Real Zaragoza in the Segunda División and returned three seasons later mid-season to save them in Primera. Nikola Zigic, the legendary 2-meter striker who formed the ‘Duo sacapuntos’ with Munitis, scored 11 goals in the 2006/2007 season and left for Valencia, only to return in the winter market of the 2008/2009 season (the UEFA year), netting 13 crucial goals for survival in Primera.
Two other Racing youth products did not have a return chapter. Álvaro González was part of the squad that was relegated to Segunda in 2012 and established himself in Primera with Zaragoza, Espanyol, Villarreal, and even Olympique de Marseille, but never returned to the Cantabrian club, retiring recently at Tenerife mid-season in Primera RFEF. Iván Marcano had a more successful trajectory, shining in the UEFA year, then a brief spell at Villarreal and Getafe before embarking on a European career with Olympiacos, Rubin Kazan, and Porto, where he was captain and retired after the recent Club World Cup at 37 to start his coaching career based in Madrid.
An unwritten chapter involves Pablo Torre, the last great diamond (alongside Jeremy Arévalo) from the Racing academy.