The Pam Pam Football Awards: 2022-2023

While the most important part of the season is yet to come, as Castellon prepare to take on Deportivo La Coruna in the first round of the promotion playoffs this weekend, the regular season has drawn to close. In the NBA, it is at that time of year that award season begins, and the various trophies are decided on and handed out.

In a similar spirit, I asked my followers on Twitter this week for suggestions for the following categories, a la NBA:

• Most Valuable Player (MVP)

• Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)

• Most Improved Player

• Signing of the year (Rookie of the year replacement)

• 12th man of the year1 (Sixth man of the year equivalent)

The winner of the last category, for the uninitiated, is the player who has performed the best coming of the bench, an “impact sub” of the year, in other words.

After an initial round of suggestions, followed by two days of voting on the final shortlists, Castellón Twitter has come to a decision. Some awards were extremely close, but the most important one of them all was unanimous. Without further ado, here are your Pam Pam Football Award winners for 2022-2023.

MVP: Manu Sánchez

Manu Sánchez was the unanimous choice for MVP on Twitter, and you would be hard pressed to find a Castellón fan anywhere who would disagree. The stats, after all, speak for themselves. He was the team’s top scorer with seven goals (eight if you include one that was credited to Dani Romera after a deflection), and he also added four assists. All while playing right back. In all my years watching football, I have never seen a player at his position have as much impact on a team’s performance.

It’s not only that he scored seven goals, it’s also that many of them earned Castellón the three points, or saved a draw. Whether against Intercity earlier in the season, or just last week against Real Sociedad, he showed up when it mattered most to get his team over the line.

Even Sánchez himself has expressed surprise at how well he’s played this year. Before this season, the last time the man from Osuna found the net was in 2019, for Sevilla Atletico. This season alone, he has essentially doubled his goalscoring tally for his career.

This has been in large part due to his impressive positioning on set pieces, and his ability to anticipate where the ball will end up. Whether it was getting on the end of crosses or finding the second chance balls to convert, his reading of the game in dead ball situations made him one of the most dangerous players in set piece situations in the whole division.

Defensive Player of the Year: Iago Indias

Runner up: Manu Sánchez, Honourable mention: Borja Granero

Even though the poll on Twitter ended in a perfect 50/50 split, my deciding vote goes to Iago Indias. The rock at the heart of Castellón’s defence throughout the season, the Albinegres only managed to win two games when he wasn’t playing. This stat from April also speaks volumes:

Castellón conceded goals twice as often when he was off the pitch compared to when he was on it. Without his presence, the team always seemed less secure, and his voice at the back was a hugely important piece in the Albinegres’ defensive stucture and organisation. The man from Vigo also contributed offensively with two goals, against La Nucia and in the loss to Sabadell.

Finally, it would be wrong to go without mentioning other centre back Borja Granero in this category, who has also played at an extremely high level since joining from Deportivo in January. He quickly formed a solid central defensive partnership with Indias, and the pair seem to be the best option for Castellón heading into the playoff tie against Granero’s former team.

Most Improved Player: Jeremy de León

Runner up: Manu Sánchez

After a somewhat slow first half of the season, Jeremy de León became one of Castellón’s most important players in the second half of the year, and looks to have an extremely promising future ahead of him, at just 19.

In his first full season with the first team, the Puerto Rican’s progression has been extremely impressive, the highlight undoubtedly being his match winning goal against UD Logroñes, which earnt Castellón a vital three points in the business end of the season. After only starting once in 2022, he found his way into the starting XI on six occasions in 2023, a sure sign of his increasing role at the club.

He possesses an impressive mix of dribbling, pace and finishing ability, the holy trinity for any winger, and he has shown glimpses of an ability to unlock games by himself. It’s potential that should earn him in chance at the highest level, and he has already drawn interest from many of Spain’s top clubs. The Albinegres will hope to hold on to their brightest prospect for as long as possible, given the incredible upward trajectory he is currently on.

(Winter) Signing of the Year: Jesús De Miguel

Runner up: Borja Granero

Castellón’s summer of 2022 was one of transition, making the January transfer window the first one wholly under the stewardship of Bob Voulgaris and Pitch32. And of the five players who arrived in 2023, it was De Miguel who won the votes, beating out Borja Granero to the award.

The ex-Unionistas man has been decisive since he arrived, scoring four times in eleven appearances, and making the starting striker spot his own. Despite being sidelined for several weeks with injury, he has come back and delivered some impressive performances.

Having an ability to hold up the ball but also to run into the channels, he has proved to be a versatile target man, and will no doubt be the main focus point of Castellón’s attack against Deportivo.

At the other end of the pitch, Borja Granero narrowly missed out, but the centre back has also put in some extremely impressive performances since his arrival.

12th Man of the Year: Giorgi Kochorashvili

Runner up: Jeremy de León

The winner of this award actually started slightly more games (20) than he was a substitute for (16), but Giorgi Kochorashvili’s energy and impact off the bench was clear for all to see. Scoring one goal and putting up two assists in his appearances as an impact sub, the energy of the Georgian was particularly impactful in the second half of games against tired opposition.

I made the case earlier in the year that he should be used off the bench despite being easily good enough to start, mainly due to his tireless, box-to-box attributes. That said, it does now seem Rudé sees him more as a starter, given his three consecutive starts to see out the regular season. Whether that continues into the playoffs remains to be seen, but it is clear the man on loan from Levante has been a key contributor for the Albinegres this season, and someone the club will likely want to keep around if possible next year.

Finishing second in the voting, and another player who would have been a deserved winner, was Jeremy De León. The Puerto Rican didn’t end up doing the double, but also proved to be a key contributor late in games.