Braulio Vázquez: "We must regain the hunger we had during our first season in the Primera División"

Club Atlético Osasuna Sporting Director Braulio Vázquez addressed the media to evaluate the 2025-26 season, which ended with the team securing its place in the Primera División. Vázquez began his press conference by reflecting on the emotional final match and thanking head coach Alessio Lisci and his coaching staff.

"As you know, I hold this press conference every year at the end of the season and after the transfer window closes. This one is special after everything we have been through, but thankfully, we are happy. Speaking for myself and on behalf of everyone at the club, I can say we are relieved.

"Before we get to your questions, I want to thank Alessio Lisci, Darío, Luca, Joan and Alberto. This does not exclude other staff members such as Juantxo and Ritxar. I have never seen a coaching staff work the way they do. If effort alone determined success, we would not only be a Champions League team—we would be LaLiga champions. I thank them for their dedication to the club, for how they treated our directors, staff and fans, and I wish them the best in the future."

Vázquez discussed how the pressure to secure a European spot weighed on the team during the final stretch of the season, and emphasized that the team needs to return to its roots and remember the challenge of avoiding relegation.

"We had incentives, but maybe they were the wrong ones. The goal of reaching a European position, as Budimir once said, made us anxious and pushed us to try to win every game, which led to poor decision-making. I say it again: We must regain the hunger we had during our first season in the Primera División. I remember that in our first game that season, we traveled to Leganés and expected a draw. We are not better than anyone else. We have good players, but we have seen good players relegated. We need the drive to reach the Primera División—that hunger. Back then, everything was forgiven because we were coming off a previous stint in which the team finished with only 22 points, conceded 100 goals, and people were scared. We don’t have to be fearful, but we have to be mindful."

For the sporting director, the Levante game marked the downward spiral, and from then on, the team, despite having good moments, wasn’t able to respond as they would have liked. Then, emphasized that moving forward, everyone needs to remember the first Leganés game back in the 2019-20 season and be mindful of it.

"The game against Levante was the turning point. We went to Levante wanting to win, because a victory would place us sixth and in a European spot—and we were playing on a Friday, before everyone else. In our minds, a draw would have been a bad result, and that’s when reality set in. After that, we struggled to respond. Against Atlético Madrid, I thought we played well; against Barcelona, we had an incredible first half but couldn’t finish the job. From then on, the players carried a heavy burden. I was at Getafe and I can assure you, it wasn’t helping us compete. Going forward, I want to bring back the 'Leganés mindset,' because that’s what helps us value things," he recalled.