Burgos: The record-breaking Spanish minnows beginning to dream of La Liga
There can be few occasions when the 36th minute of a football match has been celebrated as much as it was at El Plantio stadium.
"We were nervous while we waited for
it," Burgos sporting director and former Swansea striker Michu tells BBC
Sport.
It was during an impressive 3-0 victory over
league leaders Alaves on Saturday that Burgos goalkeeper Jose Antonio Caro,
known as Churripi, surpassed ex-Barcelona keeper Claudio Bravo's Spanish record
of 755 minutes without conceding a goal at the start of a season.
"When we got the record all the stadium
was applauding, we had the number on the screen and in the second half we were
able to keep the record in our hands," Michu says.
"It was a fantastic game and a fantastic
night for us, and for the fans as well."
While many classic sides may come to mind when
considering the meanest European defences of recent times, the only club on the
continent yet to concede a single goal this season are far from a household
name.
Spanish second division side Burgos have made
a remarkable start to the campaign which, despite featuring six goalless draws,
has ensured they sit within three points of top spot after nine games.
"We are thinking about survival. We know
we need 50 points and we have 15," says 36-year-old Michu, who has
overseen Burgos since 2019.
"But in football and in life it is all
about dreaming. Survival is the objective but of course we are dreaming like
all the teams."
On Wednesday the unbeaten black and whites
visit Andorra, the rapidly rising club owned by Barcelona defender Gerard
Pique, having gone 810 minutes without conceding this term.
That number extends to 1,017 minutes if you
include the end of last season, which saw Burgos finish 11th in their first
campaign of professional football for 20 years.
While the team's defensive capabilities shone
through in the opening eight games, the convincing victory over an Alaves side
that spent the past six years in La Liga showed Burgos also pack a punch in
attack.
Although safety is once again the top
priority, the supporters could be forgiven for having inflated expectations.
"We are closer to La Liga than going down
and in five years we can be in La Liga if we continue to do really good
things," Michu says.
"The club is doing good, the players are
doing great stuff, so if we can continue this momentum for a lot of games, why
not? We can do it.
"We are a small club and if you're a
player here the fans will be proud of you. Everybody is giving their all and we
are creating an atmosphere - and you can see it on the pitch."
Burgos goalkeeper Jose Antonio Caro surpassed Claudio Bravo's record which had stood since 2014
Michu, who helped Swansea win the League Cup
in 2013, retired at 31 in 2017 because of a recurring ankle injury.
Given his first opportunity as sporting
director at Langreo - then managed by his brother - the Spaniard also held the
position at former club Oviedo before accepting an offer from Burgos four years
ago, which he says he is "so grateful for".
"I miss football a lot but I am lucky
because working in football is difficult once you finish your career,"
Michu says.
"When I started with pain in my ankle I
began studying football. When you are a player, you do not know about all the
things around the football.
"The owners gave me a lot of confidence
and I have confidence in the players. It is a small club but it is a family
club and, for me, it is the key of these results. We are a family here and the
players give their all on the pitch, so we are really proud of them."
It remains to be seen how an unprecedented
start will unfold for Burgos, who have never reached the top level of Spanish
football.
If they do not concede at Andorra, Churripi
will equal the second division record of 10 successive clean sheets during a
season - set 52 years ago by San Andres keeper Francisco Romero.
At that point the Spanish record of 13 games
without conceding - held by former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Abel Resino in
1990-91 - would be within view.
"We are doing really great. The
atmosphere is really good, we are playing good football and at the last game
the stadium was sold out, so we are really, really happy with these nine
games," Michu says.
"We are not thinking about the record
now. We are in fifth and we want to fight for three points.
"All the teams in this division are really
difficult, but we are with confidence now."
