Real Valladolid facts for kids
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| Full name | Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. | |||
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| Nickname(s) | Pucela / Pucelanos (Pucelle) Blanquivioletas / Albivioletas (White and Violets) |
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| Founded | 20 June 1928 | |||
| Ground | Estadio José Zorrilla | |||
| Capacity | 27,846 | |||
| Owner | Ronaldo (82%) | |||
| President | Ronaldo | |||
| Head coach | Paulo Pezzolano | |||
| League | Segunda División | |||
| 2022–23 | La Liga, 18th of 20 (relegated) | |||
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Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid, is a professional football club from Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. They play in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain.
The team's colors are violet and white stripes. They have used these colors since the club started on June 20, 1928. Real Valladolid plays its home games at the Estadio José Zorrilla. This stadium can hold 27,846 fans.
Valladolid has won one important trophy, the Copa de la Liga in 1983–84. They also reached the final of the Copa del Rey twice, in 1949–50 and 1988–89. The club has played in European competitions like the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Their reserve team, Real Valladolid Promesas, plays in the Segunda Federación.
Real Valladolid is the most successful football club in its region, Castile and León. They have played 47 seasons in the First Division (La Liga). They have also spent 36 seasons in the Second Division and 10 in the Third. Historically, Valladolid is ranked as the 13th best team in Spain based on overall league points. Two of their players, Manuel Badenes and Jorge da Silva, have won the Pichichi Trophy for being the top scorer. Ten players from the club have also played for the Spanish national team.
Since the year 2000, the club has often moved between the first and second divisions. On September 3, 2018, the famous Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Nazario bought most of the club's shares. As of June 2024, Ronaldo owns 82% of the club.
Contents
Club History
Early Years and Achievements (1928–2001)
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Real Valladolid was formed when two clubs, Real Unión Deportiva de Valladolid and Club Deportivo Español, joined together. Their first game was on September 22, 1928, which they won 2–1 against Alavés.
The club first reached the top league, La Liga, in the 1947–48 season. They won the Segunda División (Second Division) that year. This made them the first club from Castile and León to play in Spain's top flight. The next year, they made it to the Copa del Rey final. They played at the Chamartín Stadium but lost 4–1 to Athletic Bilbao.
For the next ten years, Valladolid stayed in the first division. After a short time in the second division, they were promoted again in 1958–59. They won 5–0 against Terrassa. This was under manager José Luis Saso, who was a legendary figure for the club. He had been a goalkeeper and later served as the club's president.
Valladolid often moved between the first and second divisions. They even dropped to the third division in 1970–71. But they were promoted back to the second division the next year. In 1980, they returned to the first division and stayed there until 1992. They were promoted again in 1992–93 but went down again after the 2003–04 season.
In 1984, Valladolid won the Copa de la Liga. This competition was only played for a few years in the early 1980s. They beat Atlético Madrid to win it.
On April 14, 1996, Valladolid played its 1,000th game in La Liga. Their best finish during an 11-year period in La Liga was seventh place in 1996–97.
Modern Era and Promotions (2001–Present)
In the 2006–07 season, Valladolid had one of its best years in the second division. They were led by coach José Luis Mendilibar. The club finished with a record 88 points, winning the championship by eight points. They also went unbeaten for 29 matches in a row. They were promoted to La Liga very early, on April 22, 2007.
They also did well in the Copa del Rey that season. They reached the quarter-finals, beating two top-division teams.
After two seasons in La Liga, they were relegated in 2009–10. They returned to La Liga in the 2011–12 season after winning the play-offs. However, they were relegated again in 2013–14.
In the 2017–18 season, Valladolid earned promotion back to the first division. They won the play-offs by beating Sporting de Gijón and Numancia.
Ronaldo Takes Over (2018–Present)
In the summer of 2018, the famous Brazilian player Ronaldo Nazário bought most of the club. He became the main owner and president on September 3, 2018. The previous president, Carlos Suárez, stayed on as CEO for a while.
The team had a strong defense at the start of the 2018–19 La Liga season. They improved their standing but later faced challenges with scoring goals. They managed to stay in the league by the end of the season.
Sergio González Soriano continued as coach for the 2019–20 season. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the season to pause. When it restarted, the team finished 13th, their best position in 18 seasons. They avoided relegation throughout the season. A young Ghanaian defender named Salisu played very well and was later sold for a club record fee.
Real Valladolid also started working with other sports clubs. On May 23, 2020, they agreed to work with the basketball club, Club Baloncesto Ciudad de Valladolid. This led to the basketball team changing its name to Real Valladolid Baloncesto and adopting the club's white and purple colors. They also made an agreement with Atlético Tordesillas to become their second reserve team.
The 2020–21 season was affected by COVID-19. Teams had to find alternative stadiums for home matches. Valladolid considered stadiums in Madrid, Seville, and Vigo. Real Madrid and Celta Vigo even chose Valladolid's Estadio José Zorrilla as their alternative venue.
Despite challenges, Real Valladolid had a small chance to avoid relegation until the last match. However, they lost to Atlético de Madrid and were relegated. This was their fifth relegation in two decades.
In the 2021–22 season, Valladolid aimed to get promoted again. They had a strong defense and set a new club record for not letting in goals. They secured direct promotion to La Liga by beating S.D. Huesca 3–0 in the final match. They finished second in the league and were the top-scoring team with 71 goals.
The 2022–23 season was inconsistent. The team often conceded goals late in games. Paulo Pezzolano took over as coach during the season. Despite his efforts, the team was relegated again on the final matchday.
After this, President Ronaldo confirmed Pezzolano would remain as coach for the 2023–24 season. Fans showed their unhappiness with the club's management, calling for Ronaldo to leave. However, the team achieved promotion back to La Liga at the end of the 2023-24 season.
Home Stadium
Real Valladolid plays at the Estadio Nuevo José Zorrilla. It can hold 26,421 people. The stadium was built in 1982. It replaced an older stadium with the same name that had been there since 1940. Both stadiums are named after José Zorrilla y Moral, a famous poet from the city.
The new stadium opened on February 20, 1982. It hosted the Copa del Rey Final and three matches for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. The city council of Valladolid owns the stadium.
In 2010, there were plans to make the stadium bigger, to hold 40,000 spectators. This project was called Valladolid Arena. But it depended on Spain being chosen to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, which did not happen.
Club Performance Over the Years
Real Valladolid has played:
- 47 seasons in La Liga (First Division)
- 38 seasons in Segunda División (Second Division)
- 9 seasons in Tercera División (Third Division)
European Competitions
UEFA Cup
Real Valladolid has played in the UEFA Cup twice:
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984–85 | Round of 64 | v.  Rijeka |
1–0 | 1–4 | 2–4 |
| 1997–98 | Round of 64 | v.  Skonto |
2–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 |
| Round of 32 | v.  Spartak Moscow |
1–2 | 0–2 | 1–4 |
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
They played in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup once:
| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989–90 | Round of 32 | v.  Ħamrun Spartans |
5–0 | 1–0 | 6–0 |
| Round of 16 | v.  Djurgårdens IF |
2–0 | 2–2 | 4–2 | |
| Quarter-finals | v.  Monaco |
0–0 | 0–0 (aet) | 1–3 (pen.) |
Current Team Players
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Reserve Team
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Players on Loan
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Team Uniform
Since it was started in 1928, Real Valladolid has always had a home uniform of purple and white stripes. This uniform was chosen to be different from other early clubs. They still use the same basic design today. Purple and white are a big part of the club's story.
During the 2012–13 season, Real Valladolid wore a special shirt. This was to support Madrid's bid to host the 2020 Olympics. They wore it for a match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. The shirt had black and purple stripes with bright orange numbers.
On September 24, 2023, Real Valladolid had to wear a fourth kit. This happened when they played against Real Oviedo. The referees thought their usual three kits were too similar to Oviedo's first kit. This was even though Valladolid had played with their first kit before by changing their shorts to violet. The reserve team had worn a yellow shirt and socks with violet shorts without any problems.
Club Trophies
League Titles
- Segunda División: 1947–48, 1958–59, 2006–07
- Tercera División: 1933–34
Cup Wins
- Copa de la Liga: 1984
- Copa Real Federación Española de Fútbol: 1952–53
Club Records
- Most games unbeaten in Segunda División: 29 (in 2006–07)
- Earliest promotion in Segunda División: on day 34 (out of 42), April 22, 2007
- Fastest goal in La Liga history: 7.42 seconds. Scored by Joseba Llorente on January 20, 2008, against Espanyol.
Famous Players
More About Real Valladolid
In Spanish: Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol para niños
- Real Valladolid B – Valladolid's B team
- Real Valladolid (women)
