kids encyclopedia robot

Real Zaragoza facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza logo.svg
Full name Real Zaragoza, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)
  • Los Maños
  • Los Blanquillos
Founded 18 March 1932; 93 years ago (1932-03-18)
Ground Estadio de La Romareda
Ground Capacity 33,608
Owner Pablo Jiménez de Parga
Amber Capital
Jeber Barreto
President Jorge Mas
Head coach Gabi
League Segunda División
2022–23 Segunda División, 13th of 22
Third colours

Real Zaragoza is a football club from Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. They are known by nicknames like Los Maños or Los Blanquillos. The team plays its home games at the Estadio de La Romareda.

The club was started on March 18, 1932. For most of its history, Real Zaragoza has played in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain. However, they have been in the Segunda División, the second tier, since 2013.

Real Zaragoza has won several important trophies. They have won the Copa del Rey six times. They also won the 1963–64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Their traditional team colors are white shirts and socks with royal blue shorts.

In 2007, a survey showed that Real Zaragoza was the seventh most supported football team in Spain. Their main rivals include SD Huesca, CD Numancia, and CA Osasuna.

Club History

Starting Out

Real Zaragoza was formed by combining two older rival teams: Iberia SC and Real Zaragoza CD. After the Spanish Civil War, the team first played in La Liga in the 1939–40 season. They finished 7th but were relegated in 1941.

They quickly returned to the top division a year later. However, they were immediately relegated again. The club stayed in the Segunda División until the 1950–51 season. They earned promotion back to La Liga by finishing second in a special play-off league.

On September 8, 1957, the team moved from their old stadium, El Torrero, to their current home, La Romareda.

The Golden Era

The 1960s were a very successful time for Real Zaragoza. The team had some of the best players in Spain, and they were called Los Magníficos (The Magnificent Ones). Even though they didn't win the league title, they finished in the top five every year until 1969. They also won their first two Copa del Rey titles and the 1963–64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

Famous players from this time included Canário, Carlos Lapetra, Marcelino, Eleuterio Santos, and Juan Manuel Villa. Juan Seminario, a player from Peru, won the Pichichi Trophy in the 1961–62 season. He scored 25 goals in 30 matches, helping Zaragoza finish fourth.

From the 1970s to the 2000s

In the 1973–74 season, Zaragoza finished third in La Liga. The next season, 1974–75, they achieved their best-ever second-place finish, just missing the title to Real Madrid. They also lost the 1976 domestic cup final to Atlético Madrid. The club spent two seasons in the second division during this decade but quickly got promoted back both times.

Real Zaragoza 1994-1995
The starting team in the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup final

In 1986, Real Zaragoza won their third Copa del Rey, beating Barcelona 1–0. In 1991, they had to play in a special play-off to stay in the top league. They won 5–2 at home, keeping their spot in La Liga.

Víctor Fernández became the manager in 1991. On May 10, 1995, one year after winning the Copa del Rey, Zaragoza won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They beat Arsenal 2–1 in Paris. The winning goal was scored by Nayim from far away in the last minute of extra time. After this, they played in the 1995 UEFA Super Cup but lost to Ajax.

The 21st Century

Celebracion Real Zaragoza 2013 postiga (cropped)
Players celebrating a goal by Hélder Postiga during the 2012–13 season.

In the 2000s, Real Zaragoza won two more Copa del Rey titles. One of these was in 2004, when they beat Real Madrid 3–2 after extra time. However, the club was also relegated from the top league in 2002. They quickly returned in 2003.

In 2006, Agapito Iglesias bought most of the club's shares. He promised to build a very strong team. In his first year, he bought Pablo Aimar and brought back former manager Víctor Fernández.

Thanks to Diego Milito's 23 goals in the 2006–07 season, Real Zaragoza finished sixth. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. But the next season, 2007–08, they were relegated again. They finished 18th out of 20 teams. They also got knocked out early from the European competition.

Zaragoza got promoted back from the second division in 2009. They finished second in the league. However, after four more seasons, they were relegated again in 2013, finishing last in La Liga.

In April 2022, a group of international investors led by Jorge Mas bought a large part of the club. As of July 2025, the club is still playing in the Segunda División.

Honours

Real Zaragoza has won many important competitions:

Domestic Titles

Cups

International Titles

Club Records

  • Best La Liga position: 2nd (1974–75)
  • Worst La Liga position: 20th (2001–02)
  • Overall La Liga historical ranking: 9th
  • Biggest home win: Real Zaragoza 8–1 Español (1978–79), Real Zaragoza 8–1 Sevilla (1987–88)
  • Biggest away win: Elche 2–7 Real Zaragoza (1960–61)
  • Biggest home defeat: Real Zaragoza 1–7 Real Madrid (1987–88)
  • Biggest away defeat: Athletic Bilbao 10–1 Real Zaragoza (1951–52)

Player Records

  • Most matches played: Xavier Aguado (473 games)
  • Most goals scored all-time: Marcelino (117 goals)
  • Most goals in one season: Ewerthon (28 goals, 2008–09)

Notable Players

Many great players have played for Real Zaragoza over the years. Here are some of them:

Coaches

Real Zaragoza has had many coaches throughout its history. As of March 2025, the head coach is Gabi Fernández.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Real Zaragoza para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Real Zaragoza Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.