There is a Luís Castro most football people know. The one who managed Shakhtar Donetsk, twice knocked Real Madrid out of the Champions League, and later took charge of Grêmio in Brazil. That man built a reputation across continents. When Levante's president Pablo Sánchez found the name on his desk last December, he assumed, quite reasonably, that it was him.

It was not. But as Sánchez was rather joyfully admitting on Sunday evening, the Luís Castro he did appoint — quieter, less celebrated, born 70 kilometres west and 19 years later than his famous namesake — has turned out to be the best thing to happen to Levante in a very long time.

A Coach Shaped by Adversity

To understand what Castro has brought to the Ciutat de València, it helps to know a little of where he came from. At the age of 11, he was rushed to hospital after vomiting blood, diagnosed with purpura, and told by doctors that there was no prospect of survival. When he did recover, medics warned his parents that physical exercise was out of the question for the rest of his life. Three years later, driven by what he has described as an inner strength rooted in something beyond himself, he was back on a football pitch. He played through the lower divisions in Portugal, then spent decades coaching across Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Brazil, winning trophies wherever he went — far from the spotlight, building quietly.

That relative anonymity is precisely why Sánchez's admission carried such warmth. He had not heard of this Luís Castro when the name arrived on his desk. He simply made the call. What followed has been remarkable.

The Turnaround in Numbers

When Levante sacked their previous manager Julián Calero in November, they were rooted in 19th place, level on points with bottom club Real Oviedo. They had collected just nine points from 14 games. They are the smallest club in the first division by some margin — their salary limit stands at £15.1m, compared to £30.3m at Getafe and £32.1m at Elche — and had been newly promoted into a division that was always going to test them.

Two further games under interim arrangements brought only one additional point, deepening the crisis. Then Castro arrived and, gradually, something shifted. The change did not produce immediate fireworks, but it produced belief, and belief has a way of compounding over time.

Three consecutive wins have now lifted Levante out of the relegation zone for the first time this calendar year. Against Osasuna a fortnight ago they came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2. Against Celta they were behind twice, yet still won 3-2 again. This weekend brought a composed 2-0 victory over Mallorca at the Ciutat, with Kervin Arriaga's goal late on sending the ground into something close to delirium.

What the Table Says With One Game Left

La Liga's relegation battle has been extraordinary in its breadth. Nine clubs went into the final weekend knowing they could still end the season in the bottom two alongside Real Oviedo, who are already down. By Sunday evening, Sevilla, Valencia, Alavés and Espanyol had all done enough to breathe easy. Five clubs — Levante, Mallorca, Osasuna, Girona and Elche — remain in some danger heading into the final round of fixtures next Saturday.

For Levante to go down, they would need to lose at Betis, while Girona beat Elche, Mallorca fail to beat Oviedo, and Osasuna pick up a point at Getafe — a precise combination that would create a three-way tie on 42 points, from which Levante would drop on goal difference. Opta puts their chances of relegation at just 6%. Mallorca's, by comparison, stand at 95%.

After the final whistle on Sunday, the fans stayed. Captain and forward Roger Brugué took the microphone, acknowledged cheerfully that songs with too many lyrics were probably a bad idea given the emotion of the moment, and led the Ciutat in a simple chant: yes, we can.

They very nearly can. And the man who convinced them of that is someone Levante's own president had never heard of six months ago.

Frequently asked

Who is Luís Castro the Levante manager?
Luís Castro is a Portuguese coach who joined Levante in December, distinct from the more widely known Luís Castro who managed Shakhtar Donetsk and Grêmio. He previously won trophies coaching in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine and Brazil before taking charge at Levante.
Can Levante still be relegated from La Liga?
According to Opta, Levante have a 6% chance of relegation going into the final weekend. They would need a very specific combination of results to go down, including losing their own game at Betis while several other results go against them.
When is Levante's last La Liga game of the season?
Levante's final fixture is away at Betis on the last day of the La Liga season, which takes place on the Saturday after this article was published on 18 May 2026.