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Espanyol
RCD Espanyol crest.svg
Full name Reial Club Deportiu
Espanyol de Barcelona, S.A.D.
Nickname(s) Periquitos (Parakeets) Blanc-i-blaus (White and Blue)
Short name RCDE
Founded 28 October 1900; 124 years ago (1900-10-28) (as Sociedad Española de Football)
Stadium RCDE Stadium
Stadium
capacity
40,000
Owner Velocity Sport Limited
President Vacant
Head coach Manolo González
League Segunda División
2022–23 La Liga, 19th of 20 (relegated)
Third colours

Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona, usually called RCD Espanyol, is a professional sports club from Barcelona, Spain. The club plays in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain.

Espanyol was started in 1900 in Barcelona. The team plays its home games at the RCDE Stadium, just outside the city. This stadium can hold up to 40,000 fans. Espanyol has won the Copa del Rey (a major Spanish cup) four times. Their most recent win was in 2006. The club also reached the final of the UEFA Cup twice, in 1988 and 2007. Espanyol has a long-standing local rivalry with FC Barcelona. This rivalry is known as the Barcelona Derby.

Club Name History

Club Espanyol de Foot-ball 1901
First badge of Club Español de Fútbol

When the club first started, it was called Sociedad Española de Football. In 1901, the name changed to Club Español de Fútbol. In 1906, the club had money problems and stopped playing for a while. Many players joined another club called X Sporting Club. This club won the Catalan championship three times in a row.

In 1908, the club was relaunched as the Club Deportivo Español. In 1910, they chose their famous blue and white colours. Espanyol is one of several Spanish football clubs that received special permission from the Spanish royal family. This allowed them to use Real (meaning "Royal") in their name and a royal crown on their badge. King Alfonso XIII gave Espanyol this right in 1912. After that, the club became known as the Real Club Deportivo Español.

When Spain became a republic in 1931, royal symbols were not allowed. So, the club changed its name to Club Esportiu Espanyol. This name was more in line with the Catalan and republican ideas. After the Spanish Civil War, the original name was brought back.

In 1995, the club started using the Catalan spelling for its name. This is why "Deportivo" became "Deportiu." They kept "RCD" in their name to keep the initials the same.

Club History

How Espanyol Started

Espanyol was founded on October 25, 1900. The founder was Ángel Rodríguez Ruiz, an engineering student. The club's first home was in the wealthy area of Sarrià. Espanyol was special because it was the first club in Spain created only by Spanish football fans. Other early clubs often had links to Britain or central Europe.

Ricardo Zamora Espanyol
Ricardo Zamora playing for Español

In 1910, the club changed its name to the Club Deportivo Español. They chose blue and white stripes for their shirts and badge. These colours were a tribute to the shield of Roger de Lluria. He was a famous admiral from the Middle Ages who protected the Crown of Aragon. The club was successful from the start. They won their first Catalan championship in 1903. They also played in the first Copa del Rey in 1903.

In 1906, the club had to stop playing for a short time. Many players were university students who left Barcelona to study elsewhere. Most of these players joined X Sporting Club. This made X Sporting Club much stronger. They won the Catalan championship three times in a row between 1905 and 1908. In 1908, many of the former university students came back to Barcelona. They decided to restart Club Español de Football. X Sporting Club then merged with the Spanish Jiu-Jitsu Club.

In the 1910s, Espanyol won the Catalan championship three more times. They also reached the Copa del Rey final twice, in 1911 and 1915. However, they lost both times to Athletic Bilbao.

In 1994, Espanyol created its reserve team, Espanyol B. This team helps young players develop their skills.

UEFA Cup Finals and Club Changes

In 1986, Javier Clemente became the coach. In his first season, the team finished third in the league. This allowed them to play in the UEFA Cup. They beat many strong teams like A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. They reached the final but lost to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in a penalty shootout. The game ended 3–3 over two matches.

The club later had to sell its old stadium, Sarrià Stadium, in 1997. This was because of money problems.

Under coach Paco Flores, Espanyol won the 2000 Copa del Rey Final in 2000. They beat Atlético Madrid 2–1. Six years later, with Miguel Ángel Lotina as coach, they won the cup again. They beat Real Zaragoza 4–1 in 2006.

Real Club Deportivo Espanyol league performance 1929-present
Chart of RCD Espanyol league performance 1929–present

Winning the cup in 2006 meant Espanyol qualified for the UEFA Cup again. They played very well, winning all their group games. They reached the final in Glasgow. In the final, they played against another Spanish team, Sevilla. The game ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time. Espanyol lost 3–1 in a penalty shootout. They became the only team in UEFA Cup history to be unbeaten in the tournament but not win the trophy. Walter Pandiani was the top goalscorer in that UEFA Cup season. On June 9, 2007, Raúl Tamudo became Espanyol's highest-ever goalscorer. He scored 113 goals, passing Rafael Marañón's record.

On May 31, 2009, Espanyol played its last game at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuic. They won 3–0 against Málaga. The team then moved to a new stadium. Raúl Tamudo had the unique experience of playing in three different home stadiums for Espanyol. These were Sarrià, Montjuïc, and the new Cornellà-El Prat stadium.

Recent Years (2009–Present)

Espanyol 24
Iván Alonso playing for Espanyol in 2009

In January 2009, former Espanyol player Mauricio Pochettino became the manager. The team was in the relegation zone at the time. He helped the club stay in the top league. One big win was 2–1 against rivals Barcelona at their home stadium, Camp Nou. Barcelona, led by Pep Guardiola, won three major trophies that season.

After 12 seasons at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Espanyol moved to the Estadi de Cornellá-El Prat. The new stadium opened on August 2, 2009. Espanyol played against Liverpool and won 3–0. Luis García scored the first goal in the new stadium.

Six days later, the team's captain, Daniel Jarque, sadly passed away from a heart problem. He was only 26 years old. Since then, in every Espanyol match, fans give an ovation in his honour during the 21st minute. This is because 21 was his shirt number.

After Pochettino left in 2012, the club stayed in the top league with different managers. In January 2016, a Chinese businessman named Chen Yansheng took over the club. He bought more than half of the club's shares. In the 2018–19 season, Espanyol finished 7th. This meant they returned to the Europa League for the first time since 2007.

However, the next season, the club was relegated from La Liga. This happened after a 1–0 loss to Barcelona. On August 3, 2020, the club asked La Liga to stop relegation, but it did not happen. Espanyol quickly won promotion back to La Liga. They secured their spot on May 8, 2021, after a 0–0 draw against Zaragoza.

Since 2022, Espanyol has worked with LEYU SPORTS, who became their official Asian partner. On May 28, 2023, Espanyol was relegated to the Segunda División again. However, they were promoted back to La Liga on June 23, 2024. They won their promotion playoff against Real Oviedo 2-0 (2-1 on aggregate).

Club Rivalries=

The Barcelona Derby

In the early 1900s, during the Miguel Primo de Rivera dictatorship, FC Barcelona was seen as a symbol of Catalan identity. RCD Espanyol, however, was seen as being more aligned with the central Spanish government.

In 1918, cities in Catalonia asked the Spanish Government for more self-rule. FC Barcelona supported this request. The Catalan media saw FC Barcelona as an important part of the Catalan independence movement. Espanyol did not join this request.

Today, FC Barcelona is often seen as being closer to the political powers in Catalonia. Its recent presidents have linked the club with the Catalan independence movement. This has sometimes made some Catalan fans and fans in other parts of Spain uncomfortable. While some of Espanyol's leaders have expressed pro-independence views, the club generally stays out of politics. Many of the team's fans are believed to be against Catalonia's independence.

Espanyol has often complained that some Catalan public media, like TV3, treat them unfairly. They feel these media outlets favor FC Barcelona.

Despite these differences, the "derby" (local rivalry game) is usually more important to Espanyol fans. Barcelona fans often care more about their rivalry with Real Madrid (known as El Clásico).

The Barcelona derby is the most played local derby in La Liga history. However, it is also the most unbalanced, with Barcelona winning most of the time. Espanyol has only finished above Barcelona in the league three times in almost 70 years. Barcelona also won the only all-Catalan Copa del Rey final in 1957. Still, Espanyol holds the record for the biggest win in the derby, a 6–0 victory in 1951.

Espanyol famously beat FC Barcelona 2–1 at Camp Nou in the 2008–09 season. They were the first team to defeat Barcelona at home that season. Barcelona went on to win three major trophies that year.

Espanyol lost 0–1 to FC Barcelona on July 8, 2020. This loss led to Espanyol being relegated to the Segunda División.

Stadiums

From 1923 to 1997, Espanyol played their home games at Estadi de Sarrià. This stadium was in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi area of Barcelona. In 1997, they moved to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Montjuïc. For the start of the 2009–10 season, Espanyol moved into their new stadium. This stadium is called the RCDE Stadium (also known as Estadi Cornellà-El Prat). It is located between Cornellà de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat.

Club Achievements

Major Wins

  • In 1928, Espanyol was one of the founding members of La Liga. In 1929, the team won their first Copa del Rey. Espanyol has played the most seasons in La Liga without winning the league title.
  • The team has qualified for the UEFA Cup/Europa League eight times. This includes qualifications after winning the 2000 and 2006 Spanish Cups.
  • Espanyol reached the UEFA Cup final in 1988. They lost to Bayer 04 Leverkusen on penalty kicks (3–2). The final was played over two games and ended 3–3 overall. They reached a second final in 2007. They lost to fellow Spanish team Sevilla, again on penalties (3–1). This memorable match in Glasgow ended 1–1 after normal time and 2–2 after extra time.

Honours

League

Cups

  • Copa del Rey
    • Winners (4): 1928–29, 1940, 1999–2000, 2005–06

Regional Titles

  • Campionat de Catalunya
    • Winners (9): 1902–03, 1903–04, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1917–18, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1939–40
  • Supercopa de Catalunya
    • Winners (1): 2016

Women's Football

League

  • Primera División
    • Winners (1): 2005–06

Cups

  • Copa de la Reina
    • Winners (6): 1996, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012

Players

Current Squad

No. Position Player
2 Spain FW Roberto Fernández
5 Spain DF Fernando Calero
6 Uruguay DF Leandro Cabrera (vice-captain)
7 Spain FW Javi Puado (3rd captain)
8 Spain MF Edu Expósito
10 Spain MF Pol Lozano (4th captain)
11 Spain FW Pere Milla
15 Spain MF José Gragera
17 Spain FW Jofre Carreras
22 Spain DF Carlos Romero (on loan from Villarreal)
23 Morocco DF Omar El Hilali
24 Spain DF Pablo Ramón
No. Position Player
31 Spain MF Antoniu Roca
33 Spain GK Ángel Fortuño
Serbia GK Marko Dmitrović
Spain DF Hugo Pérez
Spain DF José Salinas
Spain DF Miguel Rubio
Spain DF Rubén Sánchez
Spain MF Javi Hernández
Spain MF Ramon Terrats (on loan from Villarreal)
Spain FW Kike García
Spain FW Marcos Fernández

Retired Numbers

No. Position Player
21 Spain DF Daniel Jarque (2002–09) – posthumous honour)

Players with Most Appearances

Name Years La Liga Segunda División Copa del Rey Copa de la Liga UEFA Cup Other Total
1 Spain Raúl Tamudo 1996–2010 340 26 14 9 389
2 Spain Antonio Argilés 1950–1964 301 14 38 4 357
3 Spain José María 1965–1976 269 31 33 2 11 346
4 Cameroon Thomas N'Kono 1982–1990 241 33 30 19 10 333
5 Argentina Mauricio Pochettino 1994–2006 275 30 13 2 320
6 Spain Fernando Molinos 1974–1984 264 43 6 6 319
7 Spain Manuel Zúñiga 1979–1988 259 29 18 9 315
8 Spain Marañón 1974–1983 261 43 4 6 314
9 Spain Arteaga 1993–2003 238 28 32 10 2 310
10 Spain Diego Orejuela 1982–1991 216 33 27 15 12 303

Notes

Coaches

  • Scotland Ted Garry (1922–24)
  • Spain Francisco Bru (1924–26)
  • England Jack Greenwell (1926–30)
  • Spain Patricio Caicedo (1930–33)
  • Spain Ramón Trabal (1933–35)
  • England Harry Lowe (1935)
  • Spain Patricio Caicedo (1935–43)
  • Spain Pedro Solé (1943)
  • Spain Crisant Bosch (1943–44)
  • Spain Baltasar Albéniz (1944–45)
  • Spain Crisant Bosch (1945–46)
  • Spain Josep Planas (1946–47)
  • Spain Josep Espada (1947–49)
  • Spain Patricio Caicedo (1949–50)
  • Spain Juan José Nogués (1950–52)
  • Argentina Alejandro Scopelli (1952–54)
  • Spain Josep Espada (1954–55)
  • Spain Odilio Bravo (1955)
  • Spain Ricardo Zamora (1955–57)
  • Hungary Elemér Berkessy (1957–58)
  • France Marcel Domingo (1958–59)
  • Spain Antonio Barrios (1959–60)
  • Spain Ernesto Pons (1960–61)
  • Argentina Alejandro Scopelli (1961)
  • Spain Ricardo Zamora (1961)
  • Spain José Luis Saso (1961)
  • Spain Ricardo Zamora (1961)
  • Spain Julián Arcas (1961–62)
  • Paraguay Heriberto Herrera (1962–63)
  • Spain Pedro Areso (1963)
  • Spain Pedro Solé (1963–64)

Club Officials

Current Technical Staff

Role Name Appointed
Manager Spain Manolo González Mar 12, 2024
Assistant managers Spain Gerard Garrido Jul 1, 2024
Fitness coach Spain Dani Parra
Spain David Martín
Jul 1, 2021
Goalkeeping coach Spain Iñigo Arteaga Jul 4, 2023
Analyst Spain David Llobet
Spain Igor Labaien
-
Club doctor Spain Narciso Amigó
Spain Quique Pérez
-
Physiotherapist Spain Albert Torner
Spain Adrià García
Spain Daniel Marco
Spain Francesc Soriano
Spain Carles Busquets
-
Nutritionist Spain Robert Bausells -
Kit man Spain Ángel Inac
Spain Víctor Ruiz
Spain Oscar Busquet
-
Delegate Spain Guillem Calzón -

Board of Directors

Role Name
Owner China Rastar Group
President China Chen Yansheng
Vice president China Wang Hongyuan
Board Secretary Spain Jorge Sarró Riu
Board Vice Secretary Spain Iñaki Frías Inchausti
Board of Directors China Liu Shenghua
China Mao Ye Wu
China Zheng Zefeng
China Lu Zuilan
Spain Rafael Marañón
Business and Coordination Director China Mao Yewu
Sport General Area Manager Spain Óscar Perarnau Figueras
CEO Spain José María Durán
Professional Football Director Spain Francisco Rufete
Professional Football Management Spain Raúl Tamudo
Academy director Spain Luis Vicente Mateo
Femenino Football Director Spain Raquel Cabezón
Femenino Sporting Director Spain Francisca Camúñez Moreno
Head of medical services Spain Manolo González Postigo
Marketing and Commercial Director Spain Antoni Alegre Puzo
Financial Director Spain Joan Fitó Pardo
Chief Communications Officer Spain Agustín Rodríguez Mas
Social area Director Spain Alberto Ariza Navarro
Head of Ciutat Esportiva Dani Jarque's Schools
and Academies
Spain Eloy Pérez García
Stadium Director Spain Josep Toldrà Alegret
Office manager Spain Olga Moscatel Vivet
Administration and human resources manager Spain Laura Carranza
Security Director Spain Antoni Guerra Rojas
Telecommunications Director Spain Ángel Rojas Gómez
Business Coordination and Expansion in Asia China Senon Chen

Presidents

Dates Name
1900–02 Spain Àngel Rodríguez
1902–06 Spain José María Miró
1906–09 no activities
1909 Spain Julià Clapera
1909–10 Spain Àngel Rodríguez
1910–11 Spain Evelio Doncos
1911–12 Puerto Rico José Gaspar Hardoy
1912–13 Spain Santiago de la Riva
1913–14 Spain Alfonso Ardura
1914–15 Puerto Rico José Gaspar Hardoy
Dates Name
1915–18 Spain José María Bernadas
1918–19 Uruguay Manuel Allende
1919–20 Spain Victorià de la Riva
1920–22 Spain Genaro de la Riva
1922–22 Spain Eusebio Fernández Muñiz
1922–24 Spain Victorià de la Riva
1924–25 Spain Santiago de la Riva
1925–30 Spain Genaro de la Riva
1930–31 Spain Santiago de la Riva
1931–33 Spain Javier de Salas
Dates Name
1933–42 Spain Genaro de la Riva
1942–47 Spain Francisco Román Cenarro
1947–48 Spain José Salas Painello
1948–58 Spain Francisco Javier Sáenz
1958–60 Spain Frederic Marimón Grifell
1960–62 Spain Victorià de la Riva
1962–63 Spain Cesáreo Castilla Delgado
1963–67 Spain Josep Fusté Noguera
1967–69 Spain Juan Vilá
1969–70 Spain Josep Fusté Noguera
Dates Name
1970–82 Spain Manuel Meler
1982–89 Spain Antonio Baró
1989 Spain Ferran Martorell
1989–93 Spain Julio Pardo
1993–97 Spain Francisco Perelló
1997–11 Spain Daniel Sánchez Llibre
2011–12 Spain Ramon Condal
2012–16 Spain Joan Collet
2016– China Chen Yansheng

Other Sports at Espanyol

Until the 1990s, Espanyol had many different sports sections. In 2017, a group of supporters and shareholders started a project to bring back these sports sections. They created a new multi-sports club called Seccions Deportives Espanyol. This new club is separate from the football team financially.

In 2017, the association confirmed that Espanyol would start competing again. They began with a roller hockey team and women's volleyball teams. In the next season, a basketball section was restarted. A new handball section was also created.

Men's Basketball

  • Copa del Rey
Winners (1): 1941
  • Catalan championship
Winners (2): 1931, 1932

Women's Basketball

  • Copa de la Reina
Winners (1): 1943

Men's Rink Hockey

  • Copa del Rey
Winners (11): 1944, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1962

Women's Volleyball

  • Superliga
Winners (3): 1985, 1988, 1991
  • Copa de la Reina
Winners (5): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992

Men's Baseball

  • División de Honor
Winners (2): 1946, 1953

See Also

  • RCD Espanyol B
  • RCD Espanyol cantera
  • Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy
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