The Málaga-born midfielder has secured promotion to the top tier of Spanish football with Real Betis in 2014/15, Getafe in 2016/17, Almeria in 2021/22, Leganes in 2023/24, and now with Real Oviedo in 2024/25.
Earning promotion to La Liga is no easy feat. Spain’s second division is one of the most demanding in Europe due to its parity and competitiveness, yet one player has seemingly mastered it over the past decade: Francisco Portillo.
The midfielder from Malaga sealed his fifth promotion to La Liga on Sunday, this time even scoring the decisive goal. In extra time of the Playoff final, Portillo collected the ball inside the box, turned swiftly, and fired a powerful shot into the top left corner to score Real Oviedo’s third goal.
Francisco Portillo with a stunner! 🤯
Real Oviedo take the lead against Mirandés in extra time thanks to a spectacular finish 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ZBwIakxReo
— Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) June 21, 2025
This marks the fifth time Portillo has experienced such success. After rising through the youth ranks at Malaga and even featuring in the Champions League with his hometown club in the 2012/13 season, he joined Real Betis in January 2015 as a winter signing with the goal of securing promotion. Mission accomplished—and the following season he returned to La Liga with the Verdiblancos.
In summer 2016, he left Real Betis for a recently relegated Getafe, where he reunited with several former teammates, including Jorge Molina. That season, he became a key player for Jose Bordalas and earned promotion via the Playoffs, defeating Tenerife in the final.
Portillo spent five seasons at Getafe before ending his stint in 2021 and signing for Almeria. Once again, he achieved promotion in his first season, and the following year, he remained with the team to play again in La Liga.
🌟 UN GOLAZO DE PRIMERA.
Francisco Portillo para completar el sueño del ascenso. #LALIGAHYPERMOTION #LaCasaDelFútbol pic.twitter.com/CvERrWB5fJ
— Fútbol en Movistar Plus+ (@MovistarFutbol) June 21, 2025
In summer 2023, as a free agent and outside the transfer window, Leganes didn’t hesitate to bring him in—and he contributed to what became their second-ever promotion to La Liga.
Portillo is a true specialist in gaining promotion to the top flight, and remarkably, each of his five promotions came in the only five seasons he has played in the Segunda Division, all with different clubs. Only Michel Carrilero, a player active in the late 1990s and early 2000s, achieved something similar by earning promotion with five different teams between 1999 and 2009.
