In 1991, the club changed the name to Atlético Madrid B for the 1991–92 season. Having already played from 1980 to 1986 in Segunda División, the reserves fluctuated between that level and Segunda División B – created in 1977 as the new third division – in the following decades. In the 1998–99 season, the team, which featured Rubén Baraja, future Valencia and Spain star in central midfield, finished in second position in division two, but was ineligible for La Liga promotion, so Numancia gained the automatic promotion slot instead.