Swansea's Spanish connection

On Monday, May 30, just two days after Barcelona FC lifted its fourth Champions League trophy at Wembley, another historic event took place that attracted less international attention but just as many fans to the London stadium. Swansea City became the first Welsh club to reach England's Premier League since 1983 after beating Reading 4-2 in the promotion playoff final.

Promotion completes a remarkable turnaround for the South Wales club which nine years ago was on the brink of going bust and a year later needed to win on the final day of the season to avoid dropping out of the Football League altogether.

Since then Swansea has been on the up, relocating from the atmospheric but crumbling old Vetch Field alongside Swansea Bay to the gleaming Liberty Stadium and moving through the divisions with an attractive brand of soccer. And the man the Swans have to thank for putting them on the road to glory is Spaniard Roberto Martínez, who joined the side in 2003, when they were at their lowest ebb. The coach signed five of Swansea's probable Wembley starting XI and worked with another four during his time in charge of the club.

"They used to boo us; they wanted a more direct approach to soccer and we were playing a passing game"

Martínez joined Swansea as a player, and in his first season was chosen as the team captain and helped the Welsh side avoid relegation from the league. He formed an important part of the team from 2003 to 2006, including promotion to League One in 2005. "I lived through one of the club's most dramatic moments, when we were just about to be relegated from professional soccer, which would have meant the end of the club," recalls Martínez, who now manages Wigan. "I arrived mid-season, and we began to win games, and we managed to survive."

After a move to Chester City, again playing as captain, in 2007 his former club approached him offering him the position of manager. He accepted the offer and soon brought success to the team, winning three consecutive Manager of the Month awards. He took Swansea to the League One title in the 2007-08 season, taking them back to England's second tier after a 24-year absence. During his time in charge of Swansea, Martínez brought in seven Spanish players, of whom four remain.

"I changed the way the club thought about soccer, bringing in Spaniards who were useful with the ball, and introducing a style of playing based on possession and patience. It took people time to get used to it. They used to boo us; they wanted a more direct approach to soccer, and we were playing a passing game, which is just not how sides at that level used to play."

Martínez says that although Swansea fans have never forgiven him for leaving the side to go to Wigan, he is still a big supporter of his former club, and is looking forward to seeing them in the top flight next season, when of course they will face his current club. "It would feel right if the opening fixture of the next Premier League campaign was Swansea City versus Wigan Athletic," the Catalan coach says.