"We are like one grain of sand against a whole beach." Eibar fan Unai Eraso. SD Eibar has already climbed one mountain this summer in being admitted to Spain's top football tier, but its next task is even more daunting -- trying to compete in the same division as European champion Real Madrid. Not only can Real lavish a sum four times Eibar's annual budget on just one player, its Bernabeu stadium could hold the entire population of the tiny Basque town and still have 58,454 seats empty. Eibar will be the smallest team ever to compete in La Liga and had to raise $2.3 million in capital just to take its place at the top table of Spanish football.
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Tiny SD Eibar set to play first ever match in Spain's top tier on Sunday
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Minnows take on local Basque rivals Real Sociedad at  Ipurua stadium
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Eibar had to raise $2.3m after promotion to comply with financial rules in Spain
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Club are smallest ever to compete in La Liga with a budget dwarfed by rivals
And yet, failure to raise the required €1.7 million ($2.3 million) would result in demotion back to the obscurity of @placeholder's third tier.