Real Betis facts for kids

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Real Betis

Full name	Real Betis Balompié, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Los Verdiblancos Heliopolitanos (Heliopolitans) El Glorioso (The Glorious) Béticos (supporters)
Short name	Betis
Founded	12 September 1907; 117 years ago (1907-09-12) (as España Balompié)
Ground	Estadio Benito Villamarín
Ground Capacity	60,721
President	Ángel Haro García
Head coach	Manuel Pellegrini
League	La Liga
2022–23	La Liga, 6th of 20
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Real Betis Balompié, often called Real Betis, is a professional football club from Seville, Andalusia, Spain. They play in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain. Their home games are held at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, a stadium that can hold 60,721 fans.

Real Betis has won the Spanish league title once, in 1935. They have also won the Copa del Rey (a major cup competition) three times: in 1977, 2005, and 2022. The club has had a challenging history, with many times moving between different leagues. Because of this, their special saying is ¡Viva el Betis manque pierda!, which means "Long live Betis even if they lose!". This shows how loyal their fans are.

The Story of Real Betis

The name "Betis" comes from Baetis, which was the Roman name for the Guadalquivir river. This river flows through Seville. The word Real (meaning 'Royal') was added in 1914. This happened after King Alfonso XIII gave his support to the club.

How Real Betis Started

Real Betis team in 1913.

The Estadio de la Exposición (now Benito Villamarín) in 1929.

The first football club in Seville was Sevilla, started in 1905. A second club, España Balompié, began in September 1907. "Balompié" means "football" in Spanish, different from the more common "fútbol". Students from a local school started Balompié. Even though they started in 1907, they were officially recognized in 1909 as Sevilla Balompié.

Later, some people left Sevilla FC and formed a new club called Betis Football Club. In 1914, this club joined with Sevilla Balompié. In the same year, the club got royal support and changed its name to Real Betis Balompié. For a while, fans still called the club Balompié. They were known as Los Balompedistas until the 1930s. Then, Betis and Béticos (for the fans) became the usual names.

Real Betis first wore blue shirts and white shorts. These colors were easy to find. But one of the club's founders, Manuel Ramos Asensio, had studied in Scotland. He got the same green and white fabric used by Celtic (whose colors matched the flag of Andalusia). Ramos changed the horizontal stripes into vertical ones for Betis' shirts. No other Spanish club used these colors at the time. The club's official website does not mention Celtic. However, in 2017, Betis made a special hooped kit to celebrate Andalusia Day, showing the link. Blue is still often used for their away kits.

Winning the League and Tough Times (1930s)

During the Spanish Second Republic (1931–1939), the club was known as Betis Balompié. This was because royal names were not allowed. The club reached the Copa del Presidente de la República final for the first time in 1931. They lost 3–1 to Athletic Bilbao. Betis celebrated their 25th birthday by winning their first Segunda División title in 1932. This made them the first club from Andalusia to play in La Liga.

On April 28, 1935, with Irish coach Patrick O'Connell, Betis won La Liga. This is their only top league title so far. They finished just one point ahead of Madrid FC. A year later, Betis dropped to seventh place. This happened because the winning team broke up due to money problems and the start of the Civil War. Just 15 months after winning the league, only two players from 1935 were left. The league stopped during the Civil War (1936–1939). When it started again in 1939, Betis was relegated five years after winning the title.

The Darkest Period

Betis had a short return to the top division, but it only lasted one season. In 1947, the club reached its lowest point, being relegated to Tercera División. Many fans believe the ten years spent in this league helped shape the club's "identity" and "soul." During this time, Betis became known for having a stadium full of fans and huge support at away games. This was called the "Green March."

When the team returned to the second league in 1954, they became the only club in Spain to have won titles in all three major divisions. Much credit for getting Betis through this tough time goes to chairman Manuel Ruiz Rodríguez.

The Benito Villamarín Era

In 1955, Manuel Ruiz Rodríguez left his role. He felt he could not help the club grow more financially. Benito Villamarín, Betis' most famous former president, took over. During his time, Betis returned to the top division in 1958–59. They finished third in 1964. His purchase of the Estadio Heliópolis in 1961 was a key moment. The stadium was later named Estadio Benito Villamarín after him. In 1965, Villamarín stepped down after ten years.

Just one year after Villamarín left, the club was relegated again. They went up and down between leagues until they finally stayed in the top league in 1974–75.

First Copa del Rey Win and European Games

The Real Betis squad in 1974–75.

On June 25, 1977, Betis played Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final. The game ended 2–2. Betis won 8–7 after an amazing 21 penalties. This was their first Copa del Rey title. It completed a strong season where the club finished fifth in the league.

After this win, Betis played in the European Cup Winners' Cup. They beat Milan and reached the quarter-finals. There, they lost to Dynamo Moscow. Even with their good European performance, the team was relegated from the league.

The next year, Betis returned to the top league. This started a good period for the club. They finished in the top six three times. They also qualified for the UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1984.

In the summer of 1982, the Benito Villamarín stadium hosted two matches for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. It also saw the Spanish national team's famous 12–1 win against Malta. This win helped Spain qualify for UEFA Euro 1984.

Financial Challenges and New Ownership

Chart showing Real Betis' league performance from 1929 to today.

In 1992, new league rules meant Betis needed a lot of money. The club had to raise 1,200 million pesetas. This was about twice as much as other teams in the first and second divisions.

In just three months, fans raised 400 million pesetas. Then-vice-president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera stepped in. He provided money and became the main owner. The team just managed to avoid being relegated.

On September 11, 1994, Real Betis played its 1,000th game in La Liga.

Success with Serra Ferrer

After three more seasons in the second division, Lorenzo Serra Ferrer led Betis back to the top league for the 1994–95 season. They finished third, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup.

Betis' shirts in 2007 had a special emblem for their 100th birthday.

In Europe, Betis beat Fenerbahçe and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. They then lost to Bordeaux. In 1997, 20 years after their first Copa del Rey win, the club reached the final again. They lost 2–3 to Barcelona after extra time.

Serra Ferrer left for Barcelona that summer. Former player Luis Aragonés took over. Aragonés only stayed for one season. He led the team to eighth place and the quarter-finals in the Cup Winners' Cup. They lost to Chelsea.

After Aragonés, Javier Clemente took charge. The team dropped in the league, finishing 11th. They were also knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Bologna. For the next few seasons, Betis had many managers. They were relegated once and then promoted. After promotion, the team finished sixth with Juande Ramos as coach.

Ramos left after one season. Víctor Fernández replaced him. He led the team to eighth and ninth place in the league. They also reached the third round of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, losing to Auxerre.

In 2004, Serra Ferrer returned. He guided the team to fourth place in the top league. They also returned to the Vicente Calderón stadium on June 11, 2005, for the Copa del Rey final. They won the trophy for the second time. A goal in extra time by young player Dani gave them a 2–1 win against Osasuna.

Finishing fourth meant Betis became the first team from Andalusia to play in the UEFA Champions League. They reached the group stage after beating Monaco. In their group, they finished third, even with a 1–0 home win against Chelsea. They then moved to the UEFA Cup. There, they lost to Romanian club Steaua București. The league season was not as good. The club finished 14th, just three points above the relegation zone.

Celebrating 100 Years

Rafael Gordillo, a famous Betis player and president.

Betis celebrated its 100th birthday in 2007. The celebrations included a special match against Milan, the European champions, on August 9. Betis won 1–0 with a Mark González penalty. Seven days later, the club won the Ramón de Carranza Trophy. They beat Real Zaragoza on penalties in the final, after beating Real Madrid in the semi-finals.

Around this time, there were many changes to the team and coaching staff. Eight new players joined, and 14 left. In the summer of 2006, Luis Fernandez replaced Serra Ferrer for the 2006–07 season. However, the two seasons around the centenary (2006–07 and 2007–08) were disappointing. The club had four different managers and barely avoided being relegated in both seasons.

Relegation and Fan Protests

After many years of avoiding relegation, Betis' 2008–09 season ended with a 1–1 draw against Real Valladolid. This meant the club finished 18th and was relegated to the second division.

On June 15, 2009, over 65,000 Béticos (Betis fans) marched in Seville. Famous players like Rafael Gordillo joined them. Their slogan was "15-J Yo Voy Betis" (June 15th, I'm going Betis). They wanted the main owner, Ruiz de Lopera, to sell his shares. They wanted fans or another group to buy them and take over the club.

Despite the protests, no big changes were made during the 2009–10 season. Betis failed to get promoted back to the top league.

Court Action and New Leadership

A judge in Seville, Mercedes Alaya, looked into how Betis was linked to other businesses owned by Ruiz de Lopera. He was formally accused of fraud. On July 7, 2010, Lopera sold 94% of his shares (51% of Betis' total shares) to Bitton Sport. This company was led by Luis Oliver. The price was surprisingly low at €16 million. Oliver had reportedly caused problems for two other football clubs before.

However, before the sale was final, the judge froze Lopera's shares. Oliver then bought a small number of shares from someone else. He was voted onto the board of directors by the existing members, who were all friends of Lopera. This allowed him to keep running the club. In response, the judge appointed Rafael Gordillo, a respected former Betis and Spain player. He was put in charge of Lopera's shares. His job was to make sure Lopera was not still running the club and that decisions were good for the club.

Back to La Liga

Deportivo de La Coruña playing against Betis.

Captain Joaquín before a Europa League game in 2022.

Under coach Pepe Mel again, Betis started the 2011–12 season with four wins in a row. Rubén Castro continued to score many goals, just like in the previous season. Betis finished 13th in their first season back in La Liga.

In the 2012–13 season, Betis finished seventh in La Liga. This meant they qualified for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League. It was their first time in a European competition since the 2005–06 Champions League. This European journey ended in the quarter-finals. They lost on penalties to their city rivals, Sevilla. Betis was relegated from La Liga with three games left in the 2013–14 season. But they returned right away as champions with two games to spare.

More European Competitions

In the 2017–18 season, under Quique Setién, Betis finished sixth in La Liga. This earned them a spot in the Europa League. The 2018–19 season was very good. The club reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals. They also won their group in the Europa League. They were eventually knocked out by Stade Rennais.

On July 9, 2020, Manuel Pellegrini became Betis manager for the 2020–21 season. Pellegrini led Betis to a sixth-place finish and a Europa League spot. This was a big improvement from the previous season (2019–20), when Betis finished 15th.

On April 23, 2022, Betis won the Copa del Rey final against Valencia. The game was 1–1 after 120 minutes, and Betis won 5–4 on penalties. This was their first trophy in 17 years. Their last win was the Copa del Rey in 2005 against Osasuna.

Under Pellegrini, the club has been very consistent. They qualified for the UEFA Europa League for three seasons in a row. They finished fifth in 2021–22 and sixth in 2022–23. The club qualified for the Conference League after finishing seventh in the 2023–24 season. They will play Chelsea in their first European final on May 28th at the Wrocław Stadium in Poland.

The Seville Derby

Betis and their city rival, Sevilla FC, also have an annual rowing race on the Guadalquivir river.

Betis has a long-standing rivalry with their city neighbors, Sevilla FC. These two teams have played each other 114 times in official games. Sevilla has won 45% of these matches, while Betis has won 31%.

The first match between the two clubs was on February 8, 1915. Sevilla won 4–3. However, the game was not finished. The crowd became too aggressive and invaded the field, so the referee had to stop the match.

In 1916, the first Copa Andalucía was held. This was the first official derby in the Seville area. Sevilla won this cup 14 times out of 17. Betis only won it once. In 1918, Sevilla even won 22–0 after Betis sent their youth team to play.

The first time the teams met in the league (in Segunda) was in 1928–29. Both teams won their home games. They played for the first time in Spain's top division in the 1934–35 season. Sevilla lost 0–3 at home, and the game at Betis was a 2–2 draw. Betis won the national championship that season.

On January 17, 1943, Betis lost 5–0 to Sevilla and was later relegated. In the first game at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium, on September 21, 1958, Betis won 4–2. In later years, some matches were also affected by violence.

On February 7, 2009, Betis won 2–1 at Sevilla's stadium. But Betis was still relegated from the top league that season. Sevilla finished in third place.

On November 9, 2019, over 10,000 Betis fans visited the team's training before the last derby of 2019.

Derby Match Statistics

Real Betis in European Football

Numbers are correct as of May 28, 2025

Source: UEFA.com
Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference.

Team Statistics

Season by Season Performance

Betis' historical league positions.

• 60 seasons in La Liga
• 28 seasons in Segunda División
• 7 seasons in Tercera División (as third tier)
• Participations in UEFA Champions League: 1
• Participations in UEFA Cup: 7
• Participations in UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 2

Recent La Liga Seasons

Real Betis was relegated from La Liga in 1999–2000 and 2013–14. However, they were promoted back to the top league on their first try each time.

Players

First Team Squad

No. Position Player 2 DF Héctor Bellerín 3 DF Diego Llorente 4 MF Johnny Cardoso 5 DF Marc Bartra (vice-captain) 6 DF Natan (on loan from Napoli) 7 FW Antony (on loan from Manchester United) 9 FW Chimy Ávila 10 FW Abde Ezzalzouli 11 FW Cédric Bakambu 12 DF Ricardo Rodriguez 13 GK Adrián 14 MF William Carvalho

No. Position Player 15 DF Romain Perraud 16 MF Sergi Altimira 18 MF Pablo Fornals 19 FW Cucho Hernández 20 MF Giovani Lo Celso 21 MF Marc Roca 22 MF Isco (captain) 23 DF Youssouf Sabaly 24 DF Aitor Ruibal 25 GK Fran Vieites 32 DF Nobel Mendy 36 FW Jesús Rodríguez

Reserve Team Squad

No. Position Player 30 GK Germán García 31 GK Guilherme Fernandes 33 DF Xavi Pleguezuelo 34 MF Carlos Guirao (on loan from Leganés B) 37 MF Dani Pérez 40 DF Ángel Ortiz 41 GK Manu González 42 DF Pablo Busto

No. Position Player 43 DF Lucas Alcázar 44 FW Marcos Fernández 45 DF Rudy Kohon 46 MF Mateo Flores 47 MF Carlos Reina 52 FW Pablo García 57 DF Sergio Arribas

Players on Loan

No. Position Player GK Rui Silva (at Sporting CP until 30 June 2025) DF Keimer Sandoval (at Red Star Belgrade until 30 June 2026) DF Ricardo Visus (at Almere City until 30 June 2025) DF Álex Pérez (at Inter Milan until 30 June 2025) MF Iker Losada (at Celta until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player FW Álex Collado (at Al-Kholood until 30 June 2025) FW Yanis Senhadji (at Hércules until 30 June 2025) FW Borja Iglesias (at Celta until 30 June 2025) FW Juanmi (at Getafe until 30 June 2025)

Retired Jersey Numbers

26 Miki Roqué (deceased) (2009–12)

Player Records

Most Appearances for Betis

Rank	Player	Matches
1	Joaquín	528
2	José Ramón Esnaola	378
3	Rafael Gordillo	343
4	Julio Cardeñosa	337
5	Francisco López	328
6	Juan Merino	315
7	Antonio Benítez	305
8	Juanjo Cañas	303
9	Rogelio Sosa	300
10	Francisco Bizcocho	285

Top Goal Scorers for Betis

Rank	Player	Goals
1	Rubén Castro	148
2	Francisco González	109
3	Manuel Domínguez	98
4	Poli Rincón	93
5	Rogelio Sosa	92
6	Alfonso Pérez	80
7	Jorge Molina	77
8	Joaquín	68
9	Joaquín Sierra	59
10	Fernando Ansola	54

Club Honours

This sculpture in Seville celebrates Betis' 1934–35 La Liga title.

Real Betis Balompié has won all the main national championships in Spain.

League Titles

• La Liga (Top Spanish League)
  • Winners (1): 1934–35
• Segunda División (Second Spanish League)
  • Winners (7): 1931–32, 1941–42, 1957–58, 1970–71, 1973–74, 2010–11, 2014–15
• Tercera División (Third Spanish League)
  • Winners (1): 1953–54

Cup Titles

• Copa del Rey (Spanish Cup)
  • Winners (3): 1976–77, 2004–05, 2021–22
• Copa Federación de España (Spanish Federation Cup)
  • Winners (1): 1953–54

Other Titles

• Campeonato Regional Sur (Southern Regional Championship - no longer exists)
  • Winners (1): 1927–28

Coaches of Real Betis

Coach	Year	Notes
Manuel Ramos Asencio	1911–14, 1914–15
Herbert Richard Jones	1914, 1916	Also first president
J.P. Bryce	1917
Carmelo Navarro	1918
Basilio Clemente	1918
Salvador Llinat	1920
Andrés Aranda	1922, 1939–40, 1943–46, 1949–52, 1965
Ramón Porlan y Merlo	1923
Alberto Álvarez	1924
Carlos Castañeda	1925
Juan Armet "Kinké"	1927–30	First year of league competition (1929)
Emilio Sampere	1930–32	Copa del Rey runner-up 1931 Segunda champion 1932
Patrick O'Connell	1932–36, 1940–42, 1946–47	La Liga champion 1935
Cesáreo Baragaño	1942–43
Francisco Gómez	1942–43, 1953–55	Tercera champion, 1954
Pedro Solé	1944–45
José Suárez "Peral"	1946–47, 1948–49
José Quirante	1947–48
Manuel Olivares	1952–53
Sabino Barinaga	1955, 1960, 1968–69
Pepe Valera	1955–57, 1967–68
Carlos Iturraspe	1957
Antonio Barrios	1957–59, 1967, 1969–72	Segunda champion 1958 and 1971
Josep Seguer	1959
Enrique Fernández	1959–60
Ferdinand Daučík	1960–63, 1968–69
Ernesto Pons	1963, 1965, 1966
Domènec Balmanya	1963–64
Louis Hon	1964–65
Martim Francisco	1965–66
Luis Belló	1966–67
César	1967–68
Miguel González	1969–70
Esteban Areta	1971–72
Ferenc Szusza	1972–76	Segunda champion 1974
Rafael Iriondo	1976–78, 1981–82	Copa del Rey winner, 1977
José Luis Garcia Traid	1978–79
León Lasa	1979–80
Luis Cid	1979–81, 1984–86
Luis Aragonés	1981, 28 July 1997 – 30 June 1998
Pedro Buenaventura	1982, 1988–89
Antal Dunai	1982
Marcel Domingo	1982–83
Pepe Alzate	1983–85
Luis del Sol	1985–87, 2001
John Mortimore	1987–88
Eusebio Ríos	1988
Cayetano Ré	1988–89
Juan Corbacho	1989
Julio Cardeñosa	1990
José Luis Romero	1990–91
José Ramón Esnaola	1991, 1993
Jozef Jarabinsky	1991–92
Felipe Mesones	1992
Jorge D'Alessandro	1992–93
Sergije Krešić	1993–94
Lorenzo Serra Ferrer	1994–97, 1 July 2004 – 8 June 2006	Copa del Rey winner 2005 Qualified for 2005–2006 Champions League
António Oliveira	1998
Vicente Cantatore	26 August 1998 – 26 October 1998
Javier Clemente	27 October 1998 – 30 June 1999
Carlos Griguol	1999–00
Faruk Hadžibegić	2 January 2000 – 30 June 2001
Guus Hiddink	1 February 2000 – 31 May 2000
Fernando Vázquez	1 July 2000 – 19 March 2001
Juande Ramos	1 July 2001 – 16 May 2002
Víctor Fernández	1 July 2002 – 30 June 2004, 26 January 2010 – 12 July 2010
Javier Irureta	1 July 2006 – 22 December 2006
Luis Fernández	27 December 2006 – 10 June 2007
Héctor Cúper	14 July 2007 – 2 December 2007
Paco Chaparro	3 December 2007 – 7 April 2009
José María Nogués	7 April 2009 – 30 June 2009
Antonio Tapia	1 July 2009 – 25 January 2010
Pepe Mel	12 July 2010 – 2 December 2013, 19 December 2014 – 11 January 2016	Segunda champion, 2011 and 2015
Juan Carlos Garrido	2 December 2013 – 19 January 2014
Gabriel Calderón	19 January 2014 – 19 May 2014
Julio Velázquez	16 June 2014 – 25 November 2014
Juan Merino	25 November 2014 – 19 December 2014, 11 January 2016 – 9 May 2016
Gus Poyet	9 May 2016 – 12 November 2016
Víctor Sánchez	12 November 2016 – 9 May 2017
Alexis Trujillo	9 May 2017 – 26 May 2017
Quique Setién	26 May 2017 – 19 May 2019
Rubi	6 June 2019 – 21 June 2020
Manuel Pellegrini	9 July 2020 –	Copa del Rey winner 2022

Stadium

The Estadio Benito Villamarín stadium.

When Real Betis first started, they played at a field called Campo del Huerto de Mariana. In 1909, they moved to Campo del Prado de Santa Justa. Two years later, they moved to Campo del Prado de San Sebastián, sharing it with rivals Sevilla. In 1918, Real Betis moved to the Campo del Patronato Obrero. The first game there was against Sevilla on November 1, 1918, which Betis lost 5–1. During the 1920s, the club president, Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, improved the field many times. After the Estadio de la Exposición was built in 1929 (which is now Betis' current home), Real Betis officially moved there in 1936. They had played some games there since it was built.

The Estadio Benito Villamarín is the home stadium of Real Betis. It can hold 60,720 people. In the 2000s, it was named Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera after the club's owner. He planned to build a new stadium over the old one.

However, the stadium's renovation plans were often delayed. Half of it remained unchanged. On October 27, 2010, it went back to its original name after a decision by the club's members.

Team Colours

How the Colours Changed

Betis' green-and-white striped shirts are similar to those worn by Celtic. An early player brought the idea from Scotland.

In its early years, Sevilla Balompié wore blue shirts with white shorts. These colors represented the infantry (foot soldiers) at the time. From late 1911, the team started using shirts like those of Celtic. These shirts had vertical stripes of green and white. Manuel Asensio Ramos, who studied in Scotland, brought the idea from Glasgow. On February 28, 2017, for the 37th Andalusia Day, Real Betis wore Celtic-inspired hooped kits against Málaga CF.

When the team became Real Betis Balompié in 1914, they tried different kits. These included yellow and black stripes, green T-shirts, and going back to blue tops and white shorts. By the end of the 1920s, Betis was wearing green and white stripes again. Around this time, the Andalusian region officially adopted these colors. It's not fully known how much the two events are connected.

Since then, green and white stripes have remained Betis' main shirt design. There have been different versions, including wider stripes. Along with the green-and-white shirt, Betis has worn black, green, and white shorts.

See also

In Spanish: Real Betis Balompié para niños