RCD Espanyol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Espanyol

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)
Home colours Away colours 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

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.

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  CD Espanyol de Barcelona, Catalan champions in 1904

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  RCD Español in 1912

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.

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)

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.

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  Estadi de Sarrià

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  Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc

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  RCDE Stadium

Club Achievements

• 87 seasons in Primera División
• 6 seasons in Segunda División
• 8 times in UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League
• 2 times in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
• 2 times in UEFA Intertoto Cup

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

• Segunda División
  • Winners (2): 1993–94, 2020–21

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 FW Roberto Fernández 5 DF Fernando Calero 6 DF Leandro Cabrera (vice-captain) 7 FW Javi Puado (3rd captain) 8 MF Edu Expósito 10 MF Pol Lozano (4th captain) 11 FW Pere Milla 15 MF José Gragera 17 FW Jofre Carreras 22 DF Carlos Romero (on loan from Villarreal) 23 DF Omar El Hilali 24 DF Pablo Ramón

No. Position Player 31 MF Antoniu Roca 33 GK Ángel Fortuño GK Marko Dmitrović DF Hugo Pérez DF José Salinas DF Miguel Rubio DF Rubén Sánchez MF Javi Hernández MF Ramon Terrats (on loan from Villarreal) FW Kike García FW Marcos Fernández

Retired Numbers

No. Position Player 21 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	Raúl Tamudo	1996–2010	340	—	26	—	14	9	389
2	Antonio Argilés	1950–1964	301	14	38		—	4	357
3	José María	1965–1976	269	31	33		2	11	346
4	Thomas N'Kono	1982–1990	241	33	30	19	10	—	333
5	Mauricio Pochettino	1994–2006	275	—	30	—	13	2	320
6	Fernando Molinos	1974–1984	264		43	6	6	—	319
7	Manuel Zúñiga	1979–1988	259		29	18	9		315
8	Marañón	1974–1983	261		43	4	6		314
9	Arteaga	1993–2003	238	28	32	—	10	2	310
10	Diego Orejuela	1982–1991	216	33	27	15	12	—	303

Notes

Coaches

Club Officials

Current Technical Staff

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

Board of Directors

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

Presidents

Dates Name 1900–02 Àngel Rodríguez 1902–06 José María Miró 1906–09 no activities 1909 Julià Clapera 1909–10 Àngel Rodríguez 1910–11 Evelio Doncos 1911–12 José Gaspar Hardoy 1912–13 Santiago de la Riva 1913–14 Alfonso Ardura 1914–15 José Gaspar Hardoy

Dates Name 1915–18 José María Bernadas 1918–19 Manuel Allende 1919–20 Victorià de la Riva 1920–22 Genaro de la Riva 1922–22 Eusebio Fernández Muñiz 1922–24 Victorià de la Riva 1924–25 Santiago de la Riva 1925–30 Genaro de la Riva 1930–31 Santiago de la Riva 1931–33 Javier de Salas

Dates Name 1933–42 Genaro de la Riva 1942–47 Francisco Román Cenarro 1947–48 José Salas Painello 1948–58 Francisco Javier Sáenz 1958–60 Frederic Marimón Grifell 1960–62 Victorià de la Riva 1962–63 Cesáreo Castilla Delgado 1963–67 Josep Fusté Noguera 1967–69 Juan Vilá 1969–70 Josep Fusté Noguera

Dates Name 1970–82 Manuel Meler 1982–89 Antonio Baró 1989 Ferran Martorell 1989–93 Julio Pardo 1993–97 Francisco Perelló 1997–11 Daniel Sánchez Llibre 2011–12 Ramon Condal 2012–16 Joan Collet 2016– 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