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Celta Vigo
RC Celta de Vigo logo.svg
Full name Real Club Celta de Vigo, S.A.D.
Nickname(s) Los Celestes (The Sky Blues)
O Celtiña (DIM)
Short name Celta
Founded 23 August 1923; 101 years ago (1923-08-23) (as Club Celta)
Ground Balaídos
Ground Capacity 24,870
Ground Coordinates 42°12′42.6″N 8°44′22.9″W / 42.211833°N 8.739694°W / 42.211833; -8.739694
Owner Grupo Corporativo Ges, S.L.
President Marián Mouriño
Head coach Claudio Giráldez
League La Liga
2022–23 La Liga, 13th of 20
Third colours

Real Club Celta de Vigo, often called Celta Vigo, is a professional football club from Vigo, Galicia, Spain. They play in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain. The team is known as Os Celestes, meaning "The Sky Blues," because of their light blue jerseys.

Celta Vigo was started in August 1923. It was formed when two local teams, Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna, joined together. Their home stadium is Balaídos, which can hold 24,870 fans. The club's name, Celta, comes from the ancient Celts who lived in the region. Celta Vigo has a big rivalry with another Galician club, Deportivo La Coruña. This match is called the Galician derby.

Celta Vigo has never won the main league title or the Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup). However, they have reached the Copa del Rey final three times. Their best league finish was fourth place in the 2002–03 season. This allowed them to play in the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, where they made it to the Round of 16. In the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, Celta reached the semi-finals for the first time. They also won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000.

Club History

How Celta Vigo Started

Campo de Coia
Campo de Coia, an early stadium (1908–1928)
Copa Rey Alfonso XIII Celta de Vigo
Copa del Rey Alfonso XIII trophy from 1927

RC Celta de Vigo was created because football teams in Vigo wanted to be more successful across Spain. They often struggled against teams from the Basque region. The idea was to combine the two main Vigo teams, Real Vigo Sporting and Real Club Fortuna de Vigo, to make one stronger team.

Manuel de Castro, a sports writer, pushed for this idea starting in 1915. His motto was "All by and for Vigo." The managers of both clubs eventually agreed. The merger was officially approved on July 12, 1923.

On August 10, 1923, the clubs decided on the new team's name and colors. They chose "Club Celta" because the Celts were an ancient group of people connected to the Galicia region. The first president of Celta was Manuel Bárcena de Andrés. The new team had 64 players and was coached by Francis Cuggy. Their very first game was a friendly match against the Portuguese team Boavista, which Celta won 8–2.

In January 1927, Celta won the 'Copa del Rey Alfonso XIII' trophy. They beat an English sailors' team 4–1. In the 1947–48 season, Celta finished fourth in the league, which was their best result at the time. They also reached the Copa del Generalísimo final, but lost 4–1 to Sevilla FC.

European Success and Challenges

Antes partido Celta Depor 2012
Celta fans before a match

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Celta Vigo was nicknamed "EuroCelta" by the Spanish media. This was because they played very well in European competitions. For example, they beat Liverpool 4–1 overall to reach the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup. The next season, they again reached the quarter-finals, with big wins over Juventus (4–0) and Benfica (7–0 at home).

At home, the team reached the 2001 Copa del Rey final but lost 3–1 to Real Zaragoza. Famous players during this time included Alexander Mostovoi, Valery Karpin, and Haim Revivo. Other important international players were goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero, defender Eduardo Berizzo, midfielders Claude Makélélé and Mazinho, winger Gustavo López, and strikers Catanha and Lyuboslav Penev.

In the 2002–03 season, Celta finished fourth in the league under coach Miguel Ángel Lotina. This was their highest league finish ever. They qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League and reached the Round of 16, where they were knocked out by Arsenal. However, in the same year, the team finished 19th in the league and was relegated to the Segunda División.

Even though many players left, Celta quickly returned to the top league. They finished second in the 2004–05 season. In the 2006–07 season, Celta was relegated again. The team then faced tough times, even risking falling to the third division and going bankrupt. Things improved in the 2010–11 season, when new players like David Rodríguez and Enrique de Lucas, along with coach Paco Herrera, helped them finish sixth.

Back in La Liga and Europe

508cdc331d159-img partido Celta-Dépor, 27 outubro 2012
Celta playing against their rivals Deportivo de La Coruña in 2012

On June 3, 2012, Celta Vigo returned to La Liga after five years away. In their first season back, they managed to avoid relegation on the very last day by beating RCD Espanyol 1–0.

Under former "EuroCelta" player and coach Eduardo Berizzo, Celta finished sixth in the 2015–16 season. This was their best result in ten years and earned them a spot in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. In this competition, Celta reached the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Manchester United.

Celta Vigo avoided relegation on the final day of the season in 2019 and 2020. The goals scored by local forward Iago Aspas were very important in both seasons. In late 2023, after the club's 100th anniversary, Carlos Mouriño stepped down as president. His daughter, Marián Mouriño, became the first woman to hold the position. In the 2024–25 season, Celta finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League again after nine years.

Club Identity

Team Crest

Celta's first crest was simple. It had a red shield with two "C" letters for "Club Celta" and the royal crown of Spain. The club was given the right to use the word real (Royal) in its name and the crown on its badge by King Alfonso XIII. The next year, the shield's color was changed to the sky blue that is now traditional. Like many other clubs from Galicia, the crest also includes the red cross of Saint James, which was added in 1928.

Team Kit

Celta's home colors are sky blue and white. When the club first started, their home kit was a red shirt, black shorts, and blue socks. Later, the colors were changed to the current ones, which represent the Galician flag.

1923–1924
Current

Celta had a very long sponsorship deal with the French car company Citroën, lasting from 1985 to 2016. Citroën had a factory near the Balaídos stadium. In 2016, the sponsor changed to Estrella Galicia, a Galician brewery. They had already been advertising on the back of the shirts since 2011. Celta also had a long partnership with their kit supplier, Umbro, from 1986 to 2010.

Years Kit manufacturer Sponsor
Brand Company
1980–1982 Meyba None
1982–1986 Adidas
1986–2010 Umbro Citroën Citroën Automóviles España, S.A.
2010–2013 Li-Ning
2013–2016 Adidas
2016–2024 Estrella Galicia 0,0 Hijos de Rivera, S.A.U
2024–present Hummel

Players

First-team Squad

No. Position Player
1 Spain GK Iván Villar
2 Sweden DF Carl Starfelt
3 Spain DF Óscar Mingueza
4 Spain DF Unai Núñez
5 Spain DF Sergio Carreira
6 Guinea MF Ilaix Moriba
8 Spain MF Fran Beltrán
9 Spain FW Ferran Jutglà
10 Spain FW Iago Aspas (captain)
11 Argentina FW Franco Cervi
13 Romania GK Ionuț Radu
14 Spain MF Damián Rodríguez
15 Ghana DF Joseph Aidoo
No. Position Player
18 Spain FW Pablo Durán
19 Sweden FW Williot Swedberg
20 Spain DF Marcos Alonso
21 Serbia DF Mihailo Ristić
22 Spain MF Hugo Sotelo
23 Spain FW Hugo Álvarez
24 Spain DF Carlos Domínguez
25 Spain GK Marc Vidal
32 Spain DF Javi Rodríguez
Spain DF Manu Fernández
Spain DF Javi Rueda
Spain DF Manu Sánchez

Reserve Team

No. Position Player
29 Spain MF Yoel Lago
34 Spain MF Miguel Román
No. Position Player
35 Spain GK Coke Carrillo
39 Morocco FW Jones El-Abdellaoui

Players on Loan

No. Position Player
United States MF Luca de la Torre (at San Diego FC until 31 December 2025)
Spain MF Carlos Dotor (at Málaga until 30 June 2026)
No. Position Player
Argentina FW Tadeo Allende (at Inter Miami until 31 December 2025)
Spain FW Carles Pérez (at Aris Thessaloniki until 30 June 2026)

Club Records

These are some of Celta Vigo's top records as of May 24, 2025:

  • Most league goals: 197, Iago Aspas (2008–2013, 2015–present)
  • Most La Liga goals: 163, Iago Aspas (2012–2013, 2015–present)
  • Most goals in a season (top division): 69 (1998–99)
  • Most league appearances: 462, Manolo (1966–1982)
  • Biggest win in top division: 10–1 (against Gimnàstic, October 23, 1949)
  • Biggest away win in top division: 6–1, achieved twice:

* Against Las Palmas, October 6, 1957 * Against Athletic Bilbao, March 24, 2002

  • Biggest defeat in top division: 0–10 (against Athletic Bilbao, January 11, 1942)

Top Players by Appearances

All current players are in bold.

International Players at Celta

Many players who have played for Celta Vigo have also played for their national teams. Here are some of them:

  • Sweden Carl Starfelt
  • Sweden Williot Swedberg
  • Turkey Emre Mor
  • Turkey Okay Yokuşlu
  • United States Luca de la Torre
  • Uruguay Fabián Canobbio
  • Uruguay Pablo García
  • Uruguay Maxi Gómez
  • Venezuela Andrés Túñez
  • Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Goran Đorović

Club Management

Ownership

XXIII Memorial Quinocho (RC Celta vs Mainz 05) - 34 (cropped)
Carlos Mouriño was the club's president from 2006 to 2023

Real Club Celta de Vigo is a public limited sports company. It is mostly owned by the Spanish-Mexican businessman Carlos Mouriño. He became the main owner in May 2006. He owns 67.9% of the club through his company, Grupo Corporativo Ges, S.L.

In October 2016, a Chinese company, CITS Group, was interested in buying the club for about €100 million.

Board of Directors

The board of directors helps run the club.

Position Name
President Marián Mouriño
Vice presidents Ricardo Barros
Pedro Posada
Board of directors María José Táboas
Primitivo Ferro
Carmen Avendaño
José Fernando Rodilla
Managing director Antonio Chaves
Financial director María José Herbón
'Fundación Celta' director Germán Arteta
Academy director Carlos Hugo García
Business development director Carlos Cao
Commercial director Carlos Salvador
Marketing director Maruxa Magdalena
Security director Julio Vargas

Last updated: December 2023
Source: RC Celta

Club Presidents Over Time

Dates Name
1923–27 Manuel de Barcena y Andrés
1927–28 Ramón Fernández Mato
1928–29 Manuel Prieto González
1929–32 Alfredo Escobar
1932–33 Luis de Vicente Sasiáin
1933–34 Indalecio Vázquez
1934–35 Cesáreo González
1935–39 Rodrigo de la Rasilla
1939–40 Pedro Braña Merino
Dates Name
1940–41 Manuel Núñez González
1941–42 Fernando de Miguel Rodríguez
1942–48 Luis Iglesias Fernández
1948–50 Avelino Ponte Caride
1950–52 Faustino Álvarez Álvarez
1952–56 Manuel Prieto Pérez
1956–58 Antonio Herrero Montero
1958–59 Antonio Alfageme
1959–61 Celso Lorenzo Vila
Dates Name
1961–63 Carlos Barreras Barret
1963–64 Antonio Crusat Pardiñas
1964–65 Manuel Rodríguez Gómez
1965–69 Daniel Alonso González
1969–70 Ramón de Castro
1970–73 Rodrigo Alonso Fariña
1973–77 Antonio Vázquez Gómez
1977–80 Jaime Arbones Alonso
1980 Rodrigo Arbones Alonso
Dates Name
1980 Elías Posada
1980–82 Elías Alonso Riego
1982–90 José Luis Rivadulla García
1990–91 José Luis Alejo Álvarez
1991 Eloy de Francisco
1991–95 José Luis Núñez Gallego
1995–06 Horacio Gómez Araújo
2006–2023 Carlos Mouriño
2023– Marián Mouriño

List of Head Coaches

Here is a list of Celta de Vigo's head coaches since 1923:

  • England Francis Cuggy (1923–1926)
  • Spain Andrés Balsa (1926–1927)
  • Scotland W. H. Cowan (1927–1928)
  • Spain Ramón Encinas (1928–1931)
  • Spain José Planas (1931–1932)
  • Spain José María Peña (1932–1935)
  • Spain Ricardo Comesaña (1935–1940)
  • Spain Joaquín Cárdenes (1940–1941)
  • Spain Baltasar Albéniz (1941–1944)
  • Hungary Károly Plattkó (1944–1945)
  • Spain Armando Ligorri (1945–1946)
  • Spain Ricardo Zamora (1946–1949)
  • Spain Luis Pasarín (1949–1951)
  • Spain Roberto Ozores (1951–1952)
  • Spain Odilio Bravo (1952–1953)
  • Spain Armando Ligorri (1953)
  • Spain José Iraragorri (1953)
  • Spain Ricardo Zamora (1953–1955)
  • Spain Luis Urquiri (1955–1956)
  • Argentina Alejandro Scopelli (1956–1957)
  • Spain Luis Pasarín (1957–1959)
  • Spain Luis Miró (1959)
  • Argentina Enrique Lúpiz (1959)
  • Spain Baltasar Albéniz (1959)
  • Spain Santiago Sanz Fraile (1959–1960)
  • Spain Ricardo Zamora (1960)
  • Spain Santiago Sanz Fraile (1960–1961)
  • France Louis Hon (1961)
  • Spain Juan Rodríguez Aretio (1961–1962)
  • Spain Ignacio Eizaguirre (1962–1963)
  • Spain Joseíto (1963–1965)
  • Spain Rafa Yunta (1965–1966)
  • Spain César (1966–1967)
  • Spain Pepe Villar (1967)
  • Spain Ignacio Eizaguirre (1967–1969)
  • Argentina Roque Olsen (1969–1970)
  • Spain Juan Arza (1970–1972)
  • Argentina Pedro Dellacha (1972–1973)
  • Spain Juan Rodríguez Aretio (1973)
  • Spain Juan Arza (1973–1974)
  • Spain Mariano Moreno (1974–1975)
  • Spain Pepe Villar (1975)
  • Spain Carmelo Cedrún (1975–1977)
  • Spain Antonio Cuervo (1977)
  • Spain Pepe Villar (1977)
  • Spain José María Maguregui (1977–1978)
  • Spain Laureano Ruiz (1978–1979)
  • Spain Pedro González Carnero (1979)
  • Spain Carmelo Cedrún (1979–80)
  • Spain Juan Arza (1980)
  • Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Milorad Pavić (1980–1983)
  • Spain Carriega (1983)
  • Spain Félix Carnero (1984–85)
  • Spain José Luis García Traid (1985–1986)
  • Spain Pepe Villar (1986)
  • England Colin Addison (1986–1987)
  • Spain José María Maguregui (1987–1988)
  • Spain Pepe Villar (1988)
  • Spain José Manuel Díaz Novoa (1988–1990)
  • Spain José María Maguregui (1990–1991)
  • Spain Txetxu Rojo (1991–1994)
  • Argentina Carlos Aimar (1994–1995)
  • Spain Fernando Castro Santos (1995–1997)
  • Spain Javier Irureta (1997–1998)
  • Spain Víctor Fernández (1998–2002)
  • Spain Miguel Ángel Lotina (2002–2004)
  • Serbia and Montenegro Radomir Antić (2004)
  • Spain Ramón Carnero (2004)
  • Spain Fernando Vázquez (2004–2007)
  • Bulgaria Hristo Stoichkov (2007)
  • Spain Juan Ramón López Caro (2007–2008)
  • Spain Antonio López (2008)
  • Spain Alejandro Menéndez (2008)
  • Spain Pepe Murcia (2008–2009)
  • Spain Eusebio Sacristán (2009–2010)
  • Spain Paco Herrera (2010–2013)
  • Spain Abel Resino (2013)
  • Spain Luis Enrique (2013–2014)
  • Argentina Eduardo Berizzo (2014–2017)
  • Spain Juan Carlos Unzué (2017–2018)
  • Argentina Antonio Mohamed (2018)
  • Portugal Miguel Cardoso (2018–2019)
  • Spain Fran Escribá (2019)
  • Spain Óscar García Junyent (2019–2020)
  • Argentina Eduardo Coudet (2020–2022)
  • Portugal Carlos Carvalhal (2022–2023)
  • Spain Rafael Benítez (2023–2024)
  • Spain Claudio Giráldez (2024–present)

Club Achievements

Taça intertoto celta de Vigo
Celta Vigo's 2000 Intertoto Cup trophy

National Titles

  • Segunda División (Second Division)
    • Winners: 1935–36, 1981–82, 1991–92
  • Segunda División B (Third Division)
    • Winners: 1980–81
  • Tercera División (Fourth Division)
    • Winners: 1930–31
  • Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup)
    • Runners-up: 1947–48, 1993–94, 2000–01

European Titles

  • UEFA Intertoto Cup
    • Winners: 2000

Regional Titles

  • Galician Championship
    • Winners (6): 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1933–34
  • Asturian-Galician Championship (Galician Group)
    • Winners: 1934–35
  • Regional Government of Galicia Cup
    • Winners: 2006
  • Copa Galicia
    • Winners: 2008

Friendly and Unofficial Tournaments

  • Trofeo Cidade de Vigo
    • Winners (21): 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012
  • Trofeo Memorial Quinocho
    • Winners (21): 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023
  • Trofeo Luis Otero
    • Winners (13): 1965, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2014
  • Trofeo Emma Cuervo
    • Winners (9): 1954, 1961, 1968, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1997, 2010
  • TIM Trophy
    • Winners: 2016
  • Teresa Herrera Trophy
    • Winners: 1999
  • Trofeo Xacobeo
    • Winners: 1999
  • Trofeo Federación Galega
    • Winners: 2014
  • Copa Comunidad Gallega
    • Winners: 2016

Club Seasons

Real Club Celta de Vigo league performance 1929-present
Celta Vigo's finishing positions in the Spanish football league system

Celta Vigo has played:

European Competitions

Celta Vigo has played in several European tournaments. Here are some of their results (Celta's score is always listed first):

Season Competition Round Opponent Home Away Aggregate
1971–72 UEFA Cup First round Scotland Aberdeen 0–2 0–1 0–3
1998–99 UEFA Cup First round Romania Argeș Pitești 7–0 1–0 8–0
Second round England Aston Villa 0–1 3–1 3–2
Third round England Liverpool 3–1 1–0 4–1
Quarter-finals France Marseille 1–2 0–0 1–2
1999–2000 UEFA Cup First round Switzerland Lausanne 4–0 2–3 6–3
Second round Greece Aris 2–2 2–0 4–2
Third round Portugal Benfica 7–0 1–1 8–1
Fourth round Italy Juventus 0–1 4–0 4–1
Quarter-finals France Lens 0–0 1–2 1–2
2000 UEFA Intertoto Cup Third round North Macedonia Pelister 3–0 2–1 5–1
Semi–finals England Aston Villa 1–0 2–1 3–1
Finals Russia Zenit Saint Petersburg 2–1 2–2 4–3
2000–01 UEFA Cup First round Croatia Rijeka 0–0 1–0 1–0
Second round Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Red Star Belgrade 0–1 3–0 3–1
Third round Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–0 1–0 1–0
Fourth round Germany VfB Stuttgart 0–0 2–1 2–1
Quarter-finals Spain Barcelona 3–2 1–2 4–4 (a)
2001–02 UEFA Cup First round Czech Republic Sigma Olomouc 4–0 3–4 7–4
Second round Czech Republic Slovan Liberec 3–1 0–3 3–4
2002–03 UEFA Cup First round Denmark Odense 2–0 0–1 2–1
Second round Norway Viking 3–0 1–1 4–1
Third round Scotland Celtic 2–1 0–1 2–2 (a)
2003–04 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round Czech Republic Slavia Prague 3–0 0–2 3–2
Group H Netherlands Ajax 3–2 0–1 2nd
Belgium Club Brugge 1–1 1–1
Italy Milan 0–0 2–1
Round of 16 England Arsenal 2–3 0–2 2–5
2006–07 UEFA Cup First round Belgium Standard Liège 1–0 3–0 4–0
Group H Germany Eintracht Frankfurt 1–1 N/A 2nd
England Newcastle United N/A 1–2
Turkey Fenerbahçe 1–0 N/A
Italy Palermo N/A 1–1
Round of 32 Russia Spartak Moscow 1–1 2–1 3–2
Round of 16 Germany Werder Bremen 0–1 0–2 0–3
2016–17 UEFA Europa League Group G Netherlands Ajax 2–2 2–3 2nd
Belgium Standard Liège 1–1 1–1
Greece Panathinaikos 2–0 2–0
Round of 32 Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–1 2–0 (aet) 2–1
Round of 16 Russia Krasnodar 2–1 2–0 4–1
Quarter-finals Belgium Genk 3–2 1–1 4–3
Semi-finals England Manchester United 0–1 1–1 1–2
2025–26 UEFA Europa League League phase TBD
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See also

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