RC Celta de Vigo facts for kids

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Celta de Vigo

Full name	Real Club Celta de Vigo, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Los/Os Celestes (The Sky Blues) O Celtiña (DIM)
Short name	Celta
Founded	23 August 1923; 100 years ago (1923-08-23) (as Club Celta)
Ground	Balaídos
Ground Capacity	24,791
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
Home colours Away colours

Real Club Celta de Vigo (Galician pronunciation: [reˈal ˈkluβ ˈθeltɐ ðɪ ˈβiɣʊ]; lit. Royal Celtic Club of Vigo), commonly known as Celta de Vigo or simply Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed Os Celestes (The Sky Blues), the club was founded in August 1923 as Club Celta, following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna. The club's home stadium is Balaídos, which seats 24,791 spectators.

The club's name is derived from the Celts, a people who once lived in the region. Celta have a long-standing rivalry with fellow Galician club Deportivo La Coruña, with whom they contest the Galician derby.

Celta have never won the league title nor Copa del Rey, although they have reached the final three times in the latter. The club finished in their best-ever position of fourth in 2002–03, qualifying for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by Arsenal in the round of 16. In the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, Celta reached the semi-finals for the first time, losing to Manchester United. In 2000, Celta were one of the co-winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

History

Foundation

Campo de Coia (1908–1928)

Real Club Celta de Vigo vs S.C. Braga in 1945

RC Celta de Vigo was formed as a result of the ambition of Vigo's teams to achieve more at national level, where the Basque sides had been their bête noire in the Spanish Championship. The idea was to merge both Vigo-based teams, Real Vigo Sporting and Real Club Fortuna de Vigo, to create a more powerful team at national level. The standard-bearer of this movement was Manuel de Castro, known as "Handicap", a sports writer for the Faro de Vigo who, from 1915, began to write in his articles about the need for a unitarian movement. The slogan of his movement was "Todo por y para Vigo" ("All by and for Vigo"), which eventually found support among the managers of both clubs. It was backed unanimously when De Castro himself presented the motion at the assembly of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in Madrid on 22 June 1923.

Chart of Celta de Vigo league performance 1929–2023

On 12 July 1923, the merger was approved at the annual general meetings of Vigo and Fortuna, held at the Cine Odeón and Hotel Moderno, respectively. At the last general meeting of Fortuna and Vigo, which approved the formation of the new club and was held on 10 August, the members decided on the name and colours of the team. Among the various names proposed were Club Galicia, Real Atlético FC, Real Club Olímpico, Breogán and Real Club Celta. The latter two names were the most liked and in the end they decided on Club Celta, an ethnic race linked to Galicia. The first president of Celta was Manuel Bárcena de Andrés, the Count of Torre Cedeira. This assembly also decided on the squad, which totaled 64 players and included some important players from Fortuna and Vigo, and was managed by Francis Cuggy. Their first match was a friendly against Portuguese side Boavista, which Celta won 8–2.

In 1947–48, Celta ranked fourth, the club's joint highest ever finish, and reached the Copa del Generalísimo Final, where they lost 4–1 to Sevilla FC. Local striker Pahiño, who took the Pichichi Trophy for 21 goals in 22 games that season, subsequently moved to Real Madrid.

EuroCelta and subsequent decline

Celta supporters before a match

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Celta were dubbed "EuroCelta" by the Spanish press as a result of their European performance. This included a 4–1 aggregate win against Liverpool in a run to the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup. In the next season's edition they again reached the last eight, with a 4–0 second leg win over Juventus and a 7–0 home win against Benfica (8–1 on aggregate). Domestically, the team reached the 2001 Copa del Rey final, losing 3–1 to Real Zaragoza in Seville.

Key players during the period included Alexander Mostovoi, Valery Karpin and Haim Revivo, though the squad also relied upon other international players as well, such as goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero; defender and future coach Eduardo Berizzo, midfielders Claude Makélélé and Mazinho; winger Gustavo López; and strikers Catanha and Lyuboslav Penev, amongst others.

In 2002–03, under manager Miguel Ángel Lotina, Celta ranked fourth, their highest finish since 1948, and qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. They reached the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Arsenal 5–2 on aggregate. Domestically that year, the team came 19th and suffered relegation to the Segunda División. Although the squad was heavily dismantled following the demotion, Celta earned an immediate return to the top flight after finishing second in 2004–05.

In 2006–07, Celta finished 18th and were once again relegated to the Segunda División. The team subsequently fought against relegation to the third tier, and the risk of bankruptcy. This trend was bucked in the 2010–11 season, when new striker David Rodríguez, winger Enrique de Lucas and manager Paco Herrera helped them finish sixth. They were eliminated in the first knockout round by Granada after a penalty shoot-out, the game having finished 1–1 in 90 minutes.

Return to La Liga and Europe

Celta playing regional rivals Deportivo de La Coruña in 2012

On 3 June 2012, Celta returned to La Liga after a five-year absence. In their first season after returning to the top flight, they avoided relegation to the Segunda División on the final day after beating RCD Espanyol 1–0 to ensure a 17th-place finish.

Under "EuroCelta" veteran Eduardo Berizzo in 2015–16, Celta finished sixth for their best result in a decade and earned a spot in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. In their return to European competitions, Celta reached the semi-finals of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Manchester United.

Identity

Crest

Celta's original crest was rather simple, featuring a red shield with two stylised letter Cs (Club Celta) and the royal crown of Spain; in the year of its foundation, the club became one of a number of Spanish football clubs to be granted patronage by Alfonso XIII and thus the right to use the honorific real (Royal) in its name and the crown on its badge. The following year the shield's colour was changed to the traditional sky blue colour. Like many other Galician clubs, such as Compostela and Racing Ferrol, the crest also features the red cross of Saint James which was added in 1928. During the Spanish Second Republic (1931–1936), the honorific title and crown were removed from the club's name and crest; however, it was to return under the Spanish State.

Kit

Celta's home colours are sky blue and white. Originally, their home strip consisted of a red shirt, black shorts and blue socks. This was later changed at an unknown date to the current colours, representative of the Galician flag.

1923–1924

Current

Celta had the longest-running sponsorship deal in Spanish football, and one of the longest-running in the world, with the French automobile manufacturer Citroën from 1985 to 2016. The company established its plant within walking distance from Balaídos in 1958, and had first sponsored the club's women's basketball team in 1980. In 2016, the sponsor was changed to that of Galician brewery, Estrella Galicia, which had advertised on the back of the shirts since 2011. Their business deal with kit supplier, Umbro, was also one of the longest-running ones, from 1986 to 2010.

Players

First-team squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Carl Starfelt 3 DF Óscar Mingueza 4 DF Unai Núñez (on loan from Athletic Bilbao) 5 MF Renato Tapia 6 MF Carlos Dotor 7 FW Carles Pérez 8 MF Fran Beltrán 9 FW Tadeo Allende 10 FW Iago Aspas (captain) 11 FW Franco Cervi 12 FW Anastasios Douvikas 13 GK Iván Villar

No. Position Player 14 MF Luca de la Torre 15 DF Joseph Aidoo 16 MF Jailson 17 FW Jonathan Bamba 18 FW Jørgen Strand Larsen 19 MF Williot Swedberg 20 DF Kevin Vázquez 21 DF Mihailo Ristić 22 DF Javier Manquillo 23 DF Manu Sánchez 24 FW Miguel Rodríguez 25 GK Vicente Guaita

Reserve team

No. Position Player 26 GK Coke Carrillo 27 GK Ruly García 28 DF Carlos Domínguez 30 MF Hugo Sotelo 31 DF Javi Domínguez

No. Position Player 32 DF Javi Rodríguez 33 FW Hugo Álvarez 34 MF Damián Rodríguez 35 DF Joel López

Out on loan

No. Position Player DF Sergio Carreira (at Elche until 30 June 2024) DF José Fontán (at Cartagena until 30 June 2024) MF Miguel Baeza (at Mirandés until 30 June 2024)

No. Position Player FW Lautaro de León (at Mirandés until 30 June 2024) FW Julen Lobete (at Andorra until 30 June 2024) FW Gonçalo Paciência (at VfL Bochum until 30 June 2024)

Records

Club

As of 31 March 2024

• Most league goals: 184, Iago Aspas (2008–2013, 2015–present)
• Most La Liga goals: 150, Iago Aspas (2012–2013, 2015–present)
• Most goals in a season: 69 (1998–99)
• Most league appearances: 462, Manolo (1966–1982)
• Biggest win and biggest home win: 10–1 (against Gimnàstic, 23 October 1949)
• Biggest away win: 6–1 (against Athletic Bilbao, 24 March 2002)
• Biggest defeat and biggest away defeat: 0–10 (against Athletic Bilbao, 11 January 1942)
• Most home points in a season: 46 (1997–98)
• Most away points in a season: 27 (2015–16)

Individual

As of 31 March 2024. All current players are in bold.

Most appearances Rank Player Matches Years 1 Manolo 533 1966–1982 2 Iago Aspas 485 2008–2013, 2015–present 3 Hugo Mallo 449 2009–2023 4 Atilano 392 1982–1994 5 Javier Maté 369 1981–1993 6 Vicente Álvarez 351 1979–1996 7 Juan Fernández 349 1969–1980 8 Santiago Castro 328 1970–1980 9 Gustavo López 295 1999–2007 10 Aleksandr Mostovoi 290 1996–2004

Most goals scored Rank Player Goals Years 1 Iago Aspas 201 2008–2013, 2015–present 2 Hermidita 113 1945–1956 Vladimir Gudelj 113 1991–1999 4 Nolete 102 1932–1943 5 Pichi Lucas 93 1981–1990 6 Abel Fernández 92 1965–1970 7 Pahiño 91 1943–1948 8 Ramón Polo 76 1923–1935 9 Francisco Roig 75 1940–1949 10 Mauro 72 1953–1958 Aleksandr Mostovoi 72 1996–2004

Internationals playing at Celta

The following past and present Celta players have been capped at full international level while playing for the club.

Management

Ownership

Carlos Mouriño was the club's president between 2006 and 2023

Real Club Celta de Vigo, S.A.D. is a sociedad anónima deportiva, a public limited sports company, owned by the Spanish-Mexican businessman Carlos Mouriño, who has been the majority shareholder since May 2006 when he acquired Horacio Gómez's 39.84% shareholding in the club. He currently owns 67.9% of the club through the holding company Grupo Corporativo Ges, S.L.

In October 2016, the club was the subject of a potential €100 million takeover by the Chinese CITS Group.

Board of directors

List of presidents

Coaches

List of Celta de Vigo head coaches since 1923.

Honours

2000 Intertoto Cup

National titles

• Segunda División
  • Winners: 1935–36, 1981–82, 1991–92
• Segunda División B
  • Winners: 1980–81
• Tercera División
  • Winners: 1930–31
• Copa del Rey
  • 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

Seasons

Celta Vigo's finishing positions in the Spanish football league system

• 58 seasons in La Liga
• 32 seasons in Segunda División
• 1 season in Segunda División B
• 1 season in Tercera División

European competitions

Celta score listed first.

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

See also

In Spanish: Real Club Celta de Vigo para niños