The Pam Pam Football Awards: 2023-2024
Gonzalo Crettaz headlines the Pam Pam Football Award winners for 2023-2024.
Castellón’s 2023-2024 season wrapped up at the start of June, and what a season it was. Promotion to La Liga 2, goals, more goals, and while there were a handful of tricky moments, manager Dick Schreuder will be thrilled with how things have gone in his first season in charge at Castalia. Just like last year, and to complete the end of season formalities, I asked X to vote in the Pam Pam Football Awards and determine the winner for a number of NBA-style categories. They are:
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)
Most Improved Player
Best winter signing
Impact sub of the year
After a few days of voting, the results are in, and unlike last year, there was little debate as to the deserved winners for each award.
MVP: Gonzalo Crettaz (77.4%)
Runner up: Haris Medunjanin (17.3%)
In my lifetime of watching football at all levels, I have never seen a goalkeeper be as important to a team as Gonzalo Crettaz was to Castellón this year. The superlatives ran out long ago for the Argentine’s performance this season, as the last defender in a tactical system that requires excellence and phenomenal footballing IQ in the role.
The brilliance of Crettaz’s season was not just in his reflexes, but also his ability to be the 11th outfield player. His highlight reel of saves from this year is never ending, it’s difficult to know where to start. But his reading of the game and decisions to come out and clear in situations when the defence had been caught out was also a huge part of why Castellón had the confidence to attack so freely. The defence knew that if anything did get through, the opponent would still have to deal with the anticipation of Crettaz to get to the ball first.
He showed up in the big moments, none more so than when facing Real Murcia’s Pedro Leon from the penalty spot nine minutes into added time, who had the chance to spoil Castellón’s promotion party. Of all the things that could have happened, how appropriate was it that it was Castellón’s best player who made the save the gave them promotion, after Córdoba lost the next day. It was without a doubt the most memorable moment of the season, and of course it had to be Gonzalo’s.
The team from Andalucia ended up finishing five points behind Castellón in second place, after the albinegros’ sloppy end to the season. And while it perhaps be simplistic to say that Gonzalo was the difference, I do think a real case could be made.
It would be impossible to end this section without a mention for Haris Medunjanin, a player who contributed as much off the pitch as off it. The reception he got for his last professional game against his former team Deportivo spoke for how much of an impact the Bosnian had, not just as the creative force of the team but also as a mentor and a link between Dick’s philosophy and the players.
Defensive Player of the Year: Alberto Jiménez (64%)
Runner up: Daijiro Chirino (27.5%)
Alberto Jiménez is what you get when you look up centre back in the dictionary. The Canarian was the rock at the heart of the Castellón defence all season long, the last man before Gonzalo, and often there to make the last tackle. Signed from Córdoba in the summer after a complicated couple of years, he found himself right at home at Castalia and was rewarded with a contract extension until 2026 in June. The outfield player with the most minutes played after Jesús De Miguel and Daijiro Chirino, he proved himself to be extremely consistent and reliable in the most important moments.
Most Improved Player: Daijiro Chirino (60%)
Runner up: Israel Suero (22.7%)
Runner up for defensive player of the year, the 22-year-old Curacaoan has made huge strides since his arrival in the summer from PEC Zwolle. After a few games starting from the bench, Chirino firmly established himself in the starting lineup, most often as the right sided defender in the back three.
He might have won the award for this season, but the truth is that Chirino’s whole career has been an example of improvement and development. Originally a winger in the PEC Zwolle youth teams, he moved to back to play wing-back and then eventually centre-back in Schreuder’s system. His athletic profile is a crucial characteristic for a defender in Dick’s 3-5-2, with defenders expected to move high up the pitch and needing the capacity to run back and potentially make up ground.
Despite a few moments of inexperience, Chirino is arguably the Castellón player with the most future potential resale value, and he will keep getting better and better under Dick Schreuder’s tutelage, as well as with the chance to play in the second division. It seems like the desire for lean, fast and athletic defenders is only growing in the top divisions, and it looks like a matter of time before Chirino will start generating some serious interest from bigger clubs if he keeps up his positive development.
Best winter signing: Douglas Aurélio
Runner up: Albert Lottin (14%)
The Brazilian was arguably the biggest signing of the winter window, as the albinegros paid Riga FC a transfer fee to secure his services. After needing a few games to adapt to a new league and system, he really came alive in the last few games of the season, and was arguably Castellón’s standout player in that period.
After scoring his first goal for the club in his second full start against Real Madrid Castilla, he went on to add five more goals and an assist to his tally in eleven appearances, including goals in both legs of the champions game against Deportivo La Coruña.
An extremely creative and technical player, he also showed an ability to compete well in the air, scoring headers on two occasions. The club’s decision to sign him to a long-term deal until 2028 underlines the belief they have in his potential, and at only 25 he looks like someone who could have a huge impact in next season in the second division and beyond.
12th Man/Impact sub of the year: Israel Suero (82%)
Runner up: Mamadou Traoré (8.7%)
After joining in last season’s winter transfer window, Israel Suero finally really showed what he could do in his appearances this year. Often hampered by injury, the attacking midfielder only played two full 90 minutes this season, but on a per minute played basis he was the team’s most productive player, with a goal or an assist every 101 minutes.
He had more substitute appearances than starts during the regular season, hence the eligibility for the award, however there is certainly a feeling that he would have started more games had he been more injury free, and a lot of his best work did actually come when he had the chance to be in the starting XI. With the departure of Cristian in the winter window, Suero’s left foot became arguably Castellón’s best option for set pieces, and the man from Madrid will certainly be able to contribute next season if he can stay healthy.