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Osasuna
CA Osasuna 2024 crest.svg
Full name Club Atlético Osasuna
Nickname(s) Gorritxoak
Los Rojillos
Short name CAO
Founded 24 October 1920; 104 years ago (24 October 1920)
Ground El Sadar
Ground Capacity 23,516
President Luis Sabalza
Head coach Alessio Lisci
League La Liga
2022–23 La Liga, 7th of 20

Club Atlético Osasuna, often just called Osasuna, is a professional football club from Pamplona, Navarre, Spain. It was started on October 24, 1920. The team plays in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain.

Their home stadium is El Sadar Stadium, which can hold 23,516 fans. Osasuna is special because it's one of only four professional clubs in La Liga owned by its members. These members elect the club's president.

Osasuna is the only team from Navarre to have played in La Liga. While they haven't won a major national trophy, they have reached the final of the Copa del Rey twice, in 2005 and 2023. Their best finishes in the league were fourth place in 1990–91 and 2005–06.

The team's home uniform is a red shirt with navy blue shorts. Their nicknames are "Los Rojillos" or "Gorritxoak," both meaning "The Little Reds." The word "osasuna" means "health" in the Basque language. It can also mean "strength" or "energy." This makes Osasuna the only team in La Liga with a Basque name.

Osasuna has a big rivalry with Real Zaragoza from the nearby Aragon region. They also have rivalries with Real Madrid and some other Basque clubs, especially Athletic Bilbao. Like other Basque clubs, Osasuna is known for developing many talented players from its own youth academy, called the cantera.

Club History

The club was founded on October 24, 1920. Benjamín Andoian Martínez chose the name "Osasuna," which means "health" in Basque.

When Spanish football became professional in 1928, Osasuna started in the third division. They moved up to the Segunda División after the 1931–32 season. They even reached La Liga three seasons later. In the same season, they made it to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, but lost to Sevilla. The next season, they reached the semi-finals again, losing to Barcelona.

The club faced difficult times during a historical conflict in Spain. Many players and staff were affected. When official competitions started again, Osasuna was offered a place in the top league, even though they had finished last before the conflict. However, they had to play a special match against Atlético Aviación and lost. It took until 1953–54 for Osasuna to play in the top division again. They managed to stay there for three more years after 1956–57.

In September 1967, Osasuna's new stadium, El Sadar Stadium, opened. The first match there was against Vitoria de Setubal, and Osasuna won 3–0.

The club qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in 1985–86. This happened after they finished sixth in the league. They beat Scottish club Rangers but were then knocked out by Belgian club Waregem. In the 1990–91 season, Osasuna achieved their best league finish at the time, coming in fourth place. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup again the next season. They reached the third round, beating teams like Slavia Sofia and Stuttgart.

After finishing last in 1993–94, the team spent six years in the second division. They were finally promoted back to La Liga in 1999–2000 by finishing second.

Club Atlético Osasuna league performance 1929-present
Chart of CA Osasuna league performance 1929–present

In the 2002–03 Copa del Rey, Osasuna reached the semi-finals. They had a great run, beating teams like Lemona, Eibar, Real Unión, and Sevilla. They were eventually knocked out by Recreativo de Huelva.

In 2005, Osasuna made it to the Copa del Rey final for the very first time. They played against Real Betis and lost after extra time. Their journey to the final was tough. They won against Segunda División B team Castellón on penalties. Then they beat Girona, Getafe, Sevilla, and Atletico Madrid by small margins to reach the final.

On November 27, 2005, Osasuna played their 1,000th game in La Liga. They had an amazing 2005–06 season, finishing fourth. This was their best-ever league finish and allowed them to enter the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Champions League. It was a very exciting end to the season, as they tied with Sevilla on points but finished higher due to their head-to-head record. However, they didn't make it to the Champions League group stage, losing to Hamburger SV. This meant they played in the UEFA Cup for the fifth time.

Deporosasuna2
Osasuna playing against Deportivo in 2012

In the 2006–07 UEFA Cup, Osasuna did very well. They finished second in their group and moved to the knockout stage. They beat Bordeaux and then Rangers. In the quarter-finals, they faced German team Bayer Leverkusen. Even though they were not expected to win, Osasuna won both games and reached the semi-finals. There, they played against fellow Spanish team and defending champions Sevilla. Osasuna lost 1–2 over two games, ending their impressive run.

In the seasons that followed, Osasuna had some struggles in the league. In 2007–08, they finished just one point above the relegation zone. In 2008–09, they avoided relegation on the very last day of the season by beating Real Madrid at home.

Osasuna had a strong season in 2011–12, finishing seventh. However, they were relegated to the second division after the 2013–14 season. In 2014–15, they barely avoided relegation again. After a change in management, the team improved a lot. They won their last game of the 2015–16 season 5–0 against Oviedo. This put them in sixth place and qualified them for the promotion playoffs. They won all their playoff games, beating Gimnàstic de Tarragona and Girona, to get promoted back to La Liga. Unfortunately, they were relegated again after finishing 19th in 2016–17.

On May 20, 2019, Osasuna earned promotion back to La Liga with three games left in the season. On May 31, they beat Córdoba to become the champions of the 2018–19 Segunda División.

The club celebrated its 100th birthday in October 2020 with a league win against Athletic Bilbao. The game was played in an empty stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, the club's president, Luis Sabalza, honored past members who faced difficulties during the Spanish Civil War.

In 2023, Osasuna finished 7th in La Liga, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Conference League. They also reached the 2023 Copa del Rey final, but lost to Real Madrid. There were some challenges regarding their qualification for the European competition, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled in their favor, allowing them to play in the Conference League.

Kit Evolution

Red and navy blue are the main colors of CA Osasuna. These colors are used in their home kit and club logo. The away kit usually looks very different from the home kit.

2016–2017 away slip

Rivalries

Osasuna has several rivalries with other football clubs. These include Real Zaragoza, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao.

The rivalry with Real Madrid started in December 1990. Osasuna won a game 4–0 at Real Madrid's home stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.

The rivalry with Zaragoza wasn't always intense. But things changed during a match in October 1987. Zaragoza fans threw an object at Osasuna's goalkeeper, Roberto Santamaría. Since then, games between these two clubs often have conflicts between fans and players. It is known as one of the most heated rivalries in Spain. However, in recent years, these teams haven't played each other as often because they have been in different leagues.

Recent Seasons

Season Div Pos. Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Cup Europe Notes
2013–14 1D 18th 38 10 9 19 32 62 −30 39 Round of 16 Red Arrow Down.svg Relegated
2014–15 2D 18th 42 11 12 19 41 60 −19 45 Second round
2015–16 2D 6th 42 17 13 12 47 40 +7 64 Second round Green Arrow Up.svg Promoted as play-off winners
2016–17 1D 19th 4 10 24 40 94 −54 22 Round of 16 Red Arrow Down.svg Relegated
2017–18 2D 8th 42 16 16 10 44 34 +10 64 Third round
2018–19 2D 1st 42 26 9 7 59 35 +24 87 Second round Green Arrow Up.svg Promoted
2019–20 1D 10th 38 13 13 12 46 54 −8 52 Round of 16
2020–21 1D 11th 38 11 11 16 37 48 −11 44 Round of 16
2021–22 1D 10th 38 12 11 15 37 51 −14 47 Round of 32
2022–23 1D 7th 38 15 8 15 37 42 −5 53 Runners-up
2023–24 1D 11th 38 12 9 17 45 56 −11 45 Round of 16
2024–25 1D 9th 38 12 16 10 48 52 −4 52 Quarter-finals

Current Squad

First Team Players

No. Position Player
1 Spain GK Sergio Herrera (4th captain)
3 Spain DF Juan Cruz
5 Spain DF Jorge Herrando
6 Spain MF Lucas Torró (3rd captain)
7 Spain MF Jon Moncayola (6th captain)
9 Spain FW Raúl García
10 Spain MF Aimar Oroz
11 Spain MF Kike Barja (5th captain)
12 Spain DF Jesús Areso
13 Spain GK Aitor Fernández
14 Spain MF Rubén García (vice-captain)
No. Position Player
16 Spain MF Moi Gómez
17 Croatia FW Ante Budimir
18 Spain MF Iker Muñoz
22 Cameroon DF Enzo Boyomo
23 Spain DF Abel Bretones
24 Spain DF Alejandro Catena
France DF Valentin Rosier
Spain FW Ander Yoldi
Spain FW Iker Benito
Spain FW Víctor Muñoz

Reserve Team

No. Position Player
29 Spain MF Asier Osambela
32 Greece GK Dimitrios Stamatakis
No. Position Player
Spain MF Mauro Echegoyen
Spain FW Martin Pedroarena

Players on Loan

No. Position Player

Current Coaching Staff

Position Staff
Manager Spain Vicente Moreno
Assistant manager Argentina Dani Pendín
Match delegate Spain Iñaki Ibáñez
Physiotherapist Spain Unai Miqueleiz
Spain Pablo Suárez
Spain Fernando Urtasun
Spain Asier Urkia
Goalkeeping coach Spain Ricardo Sanzol
Match analyst Spain Ramón Alturo
Fitness coach Spain Pablo Iriarte
Spain Juantxo Martín
Spain Dani Pastor
Podiatrist Spain Javier Rada
Kit man Spain Iker Galarza
Spain David Armendáriz
Spain Andrés Ocampo
Head of medical services Spain Andrés Fernández
Sporting director Spain Braulio Vázquez

Last updated: June 2018
Source: CA Osasuna

Club Achievements

  • Copa del Rey
    • Runners-up (2): 2004–05, 2022–23
  • Segunda División
    • Winners (4): 1952–53, 1955–56, 1960–61, 2018–19
    • Runners-up (2): 1934-35, 1999-20
  • Tercera División
    • Winners (7): 1931–32, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1968–69, 1971–72, 1974–75, 1976–77

Notable Players

This list includes players who have played in at least 100 league games for Osasuna, or have played for their national team.

  • Serbia Darko Brašanac
  • Serbia Dejan Lekić
  • Serbia Dejan Marković
  • Serbia Savo Milošević
  • Serbia Predrag Spasić
  • Serbia Goran Stevanović
  • Serbia Petar Vasiljević
  • Serbia Risto Vidaković
  • Spain César Azpilicueta
  • Spain Paco Bienzobas
  • Spain Eugenio Bustingorri
  • Spain Javier Castañeda
  • Spain Thomas Christiansen
  • Spain César Cruchaga
  • Spain Martín Domínguez
  • Spain Ignacio Eizaguirre

World Cup Players

These players were chosen to play for their country in the World Cup while they were playing for Osasuna.

Famous Coaches

Women's Football

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Club Atlético Osasuna para niños

  • CA Osasuna B – Osasuna's B team
  • CD Subiza – an affiliated team
  • CA Osasuna cantera – the club's youth system
  • Xota FS – an affiliated futsal club
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