Real Zaragoza facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Real Zaragoza

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 Santos
Head coach	Víctor Fernández
League	Segunda División
2022–23	Segunda División, 13th of 22
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Real Zaragoza is a football club from Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. It's often just called Zaragoza. The club plays its home games at a stadium called La Romareda.

Real Zaragoza was started on March 18, 1932. For most of its history, the team has played in La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain. However, they haven't been in La Liga since 2013. Currently, they play in the Segunda División, which is the second-highest league in Spain.

The club has won many 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 about 2.7% of people in Spain support Real Zaragoza. This makes them the seventh most popular team in the country. Their main rivals are SD Huesca, CD Numancia, and CA Osasuna.

Club History

How Real Zaragoza Started

Real Zaragoza was formed by combining two older rival teams. These teams were Iberia SC and Real Zaragoza CD. After the Spanish Civil War, which stopped football for three years, the team first played in La Liga in the 1939–40 season. They finished 7th out of 12 teams that year. But they were relegated (moved down to a lower league) in 1941.

The club went back to the top league one year later. However, they were immediately relegated again in 1943. They stayed in the Segunda División until the 1950–51 season. That year, 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 stadium, La Romareda.

The Golden Years

Starting in the 1960–61 season, Zaragoza had a very successful time. They had some of the best players in Spain during that decade. These players were so good that they were called Los Magníficos, which means "The Magnificent Ones."

Even though the team didn't win the league title, they always finished in the top five until 1968–69. They finished third twice. During this time, they also won their first two Copa del Rey titles and the 1963–64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.

Zaragoza had a famous group of attacking players. They included Canário, Carlos Lapetra, Marcelino, Eleuterio Santos, and Juan Manuel Villa. A player from Peru, Juan Seminario, won the Pichichi Trophy (given to the top scorer) in the 1961–62 season. He scored 25 goals in 30 games, and Zaragoza finished fourth that year.

From the 1970s to the End of the 1900s

Zaragoza finished third in 1973–74. The next season, they finished second, which was their best-ever league position. They lost the title to Real Madrid in the very last game. The club also lost 0–1 in the 1976 domestic cup final against Atlético Madrid. They spent two seasons in the second division during this decade, but they were promoted back to the top league quickly each time.

The starting team in the 1995 Cup Winners' Cup final

In 1986, Zaragoza won their third Copa del Rey. They beat Barcelona 1–0. In the 1990–91 season, the club finished 17th. This meant they had to play in special games to avoid being relegated. On June 19, 1991, they drew 0–0 away and then won 5–2 at home against Real Murcia. This win helped them stay in the top league.

Víctor Fernández became the manager in 1991. On May 10, 1995, one year after winning the Copa del Rey against Celta de Vigo, Zaragoza won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. They beat Arsenal in Paris. The score was 1–1, and the game went into extra time. In the very last minute of extra time, Nayim scored an amazing goal from far away, making the final score 2–1. After this, the club played in the 1995 UEFA Super Cup against Ajax. They lost 1–5 overall, even though the first game was a draw at home. Víctor Fernández was let go in November 1996.

The 21st Century

Players celebrating a goal by Hélder Postiga during the 2012–13 season.

In the 2000s, Zaragoza won two more Copa del Rey titles. One of these was the 2003–04 cup against Real Madrid in Barcelona. They won 3–2 after extra time. However, the club was also relegated from the top league in 2002. But they were promoted back right away in 2003.

In May 2006, Agapito Iglesias bought most of the club's shares. He promised to build one of the strongest teams in Spain and Europe. In his first year, he bought Pablo Aimar for €11 million. Former manager Víctor Fernández also came back to the club.

Diego Milito scored 23 goals in 2006–07. This helped Real Zaragoza finish in sixth place. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Cup. However, the next season ended in relegation. They finished 18th out of 20 teams. They only won 10 games out of 38. They were also knocked out of the European competition early. Víctor Fernández returned as coach but was fired in January 2008. The club had four different managers that season. On the last day of the season, two goals from Ricardo Oliveira were not enough. They lost 2–3 to Mallorca and were relegated.

Zaragoza was promoted from the second division in their first try. On June 20, 2009, they drew 2–2 at Rayo Vallecano. Goals came from David Generelo and Francisco Pavón. They finished just behind champions Xerez. That season, Zaragoza was the best team at home. They earned 50 of their 81 points in home games. But after four seasons mostly in the bottom half of the table, Zaragoza was relegated again after the 2012–13 Liga season. They finished last.

In April 2022, a group of international investors led by Jorge Mas bought a large part of the club.

Club Performance Over the Years

Chart of Real Zaragoza league performance 1929–2023

Real Zaragoza has played:

• 58 seasons in La Liga (the top league)
• 28 seasons in Segunda División (the second league)
• 4 seasons in Tercera División (the third league)

Current Team Players

No. Position Player 1 GK Cristian Álvarez (captain) 2 DF Marcos Luna 3 DF Jair Amador 4 DF Dani Tasende 5 DF Enrique Clemente (on loan from Las Palmas) 6 MF Keidi Bare 7 FW Mario Soberón 8 MF Marc Aguado 9 FW Iván Azón 10 MF Sergio Bermejo 11 FW Samed Baždar 12 DF Sebastián Kóša 13 GK Gaëtan Poussin

No. Position Player 14 MF Francho Serrano 15 DF Bernardo Vital 17 DF Carlos Nieto 19 DF Iván Calero 20 FW Adu Ares (on loan from Athletic Bilbao) 21 MF Toni Moya 22 FW Alberto Marí (on loan from Valencia) 23 MF Ager Aketxe 24 DF Lluís López 25 GK Joan Femenías 26 MF Gori Gracia 33 FW Adrián Liso 38 DF Andrés Borge

Reserve Team

Real Zaragoza also has a reserve team called Deportivo Aragón. Here are some players from that team:

No. Position Player 29 FW Pau Sans 31 DF Juan Carlos Sabater

No. Position Player 35 GK Guillermo Acín 40 GK Carlos Calavia

Players on Loan

Sometimes players are loaned to other teams for a while. Here are some players from Real Zaragoza who are currently playing for other clubs:

No. Position Player DF Juan Sebastián (at Alcorcón until 30 June 2025) MF Alberto Vaquero (at Lugo until 30 June 2025) FW Luis Carbonell (at Ejea until 30 June 2025)

No. Position Player FW Sergi Enrich (at Huesca until 30 June 2025) FW Sinan Bakış (at Górnik Zabrze until 30 June 2025)

Current Coaching Staff

Here are the people who help coach and manage the Real Zaragoza team:

Position	Staff
Head coach	Víctor Fernández
Assistant coach	David Navarro
Technical assistant coach	Javi Suárez
Goalkeeping coach	Mikel Insausti
Fitness coach	Miguel Lampre
Analyst GPS	Pablo Quílez
Delegate	Alberto Belsué
Doctor	Ireneo De los Mártires
Rehab fitness coach	Andrés Ubieto
Physiotherapist	Juan Carlos Palacio David Lahoz Jesús Dueñas Ignacio Cortés Daniel Pardos
Kit man	Antonio Hernández Francisco Remiro
Podiatrist	Carlos Martín
Nutritionist	Raúl Luzón

Club Honours and Trophies

Real Zaragoza has won several important competitions:

League Titles

• Segunda División
  • Winners: 1977–78 (They won the second division league once)

Cup Wins

• Copa del Rey
  • Winners: 1963–64, 1965–66, 1985–86, 1993–94, 2000–01, 2003–04 (They won this Spanish cup six times)
• Supercopa de España
  • Winners: 2004 (They won this Spanish Super Cup once)

International Trophies

• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
  • Winners: 1994–95 (They won this European cup once)
• Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
  • Winners: 1963–64 (They won this European cup once)

Club Records

Team Records

• Best position in La Liga: 2nd place (1974–75)
• Worst position in La Liga: 20th place (2001–02)
• Overall historical ranking in La Liga: 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 loss: Real Zaragoza 1–7 Real Madrid (1987–88)
• Biggest away loss: Athletic Bilbao 10–1 Real Zaragoza (1951–52)

Player Records

• Most matches played: Xavier Aguado (473 games)
• Most minutes played: Xavier Aguado (33,480 minutes)
• Most goals scored all-time: Marcelino (117 goals)
• Most goals in one season: Ewerthon (28 goals, 2008–09)
• Foreign player with most appearances: Gustavo Poyet (239 games)
• Most red cards: Xavier Aguado (18 red cards)

Famous Players

This list includes players who have played in at least 100 league games for Real Zaragoza or have played for their national team.

Club Coaches

Here is a list of the coaches who have managed Real Zaragoza over the years:

Dates Name March 1932 – June 1932 Elías Sauca June 1932 – April 1934 Felipe dos Santos April 1934 – July 1934 Tomás Arnanz July 1934 – June 1935 Francisco González July 1935 – March 1936 José Planas March 1936 – July 1939 Manuel Olivares Aug 1939 – July 1941 Tomás Arnanz July 1941 – Nov 1941 Francisco Gamborena Nov 1941 Julio Uriarte / Julio Ostalé Dec 1941 – June 1943 Jacinto Quincoces July 1943 – June 1945 Patricio Caicedo July 1945 – Dec 1945 Tomás Arnanz Dec 1945 – June 1946 Juan Ruiz July 1946 – June 1947 Manuel Olivares July 1947 – Jan 1948 Antonio Sorribas Jan 1948 – April 1948 Enrique Soladrero April 1948 – May 1948 Antonio Macheda July 1948 – Jan 1949 Francisco Bru Jan 1949 – June 1949 Isaac Oceja July 1949 – Feb 1950 Juan Ruiz Feb 1950 – June 1950 José Planas July 1950 – April 1951 Luis Urquiri April 1951 – Oct 1951 Juan Ruiz Oct 1951 – Oct 1952 Elemér Berkessy Oct 1952 José Luis Conde Nov 1952–53 Domingo Balmanya 1953–54 Pedro Eguiluz 1954 – June 1956 Mundo July 1956 – Feb 1958 Jacinto Quincoces Feb 1958 – June 1958 Casariego July 1958 – Dec 1959 Juan Otxoantezana Dec 1959 – June 1960 Mundo June 1960 Rosendo Hernández

Dates Name July 1960 – June 1963 César Rodríguez July 1963 – June 1964 Antoni Ramallets June 1964 Luis Belló July 1964 – June 1965 Roque Olsen July 1965 – Feb 1966 Luis Hon Feb 1966 – June 1967 Ferdinand Daučík June 1967 Andrés Lerín July 1967 – Nov 1968 Roque Olsen Nov 1968 – June 1969 César Rodríguez July 1969 – June 1970 Héctor Rial July 1970 – Oct 1970 Cheché Martín Oct 1970 – Jan 71 Domingo Balmanya Jan 1971 – Jun e1971 José Luis García Traid July 1971 – Oct 1971 Rosendo Hernández Oct 1971 Juan Jugo Larrauri Oct 1971 – June 1972 Rafael Iriondo July 1972 – June 1976 Carriega July 1976 – June 1977 Lucien Muller July 1977 – June 1978 Arsenio Iglesias July 1978 – June 1979 Vujadin Boškov June 1979 – March 1981 Manolo Villanova March 1981 – June 1984 Leo Beenhakker July 1984 – June 1985 Enzo Ferrari July 1985 – Dec 1987 Luis Costa Dec 1987 – June 1988 Manolo Villanova July 1988 – June 1990 Radomir Antić July 1990 – March 1991 Ildo Maneiro March 1991 – Nov 1996 Víctor Fernández Nov 1996 – Jan 1997 Víctor Espárrago Jan 1997 – June 1998 Luis Costa July 1998 – June 2000 Chechu Rojo July 2000 – Oct 2000 Juan Manuel Lillo Oct 2000 – June 2001 Luis Costa

Dates Name July 2001 – Jan 2002 Chechu Rojo Jan 2002 – March 2002 Luis Costa March 2002 – June 2002 Marcos Alonso June 2002 – Jan 2004 Paco Flores Jan 2004 – June 2006 Víctor Muñoz July 2006 – Jan 2008 Víctor Fernández Jan 2008 Ander Garitano Jan 2008 – March 2008 Javier Irureta March 2008 – June 2008 Manolo Villanova July 2008 – Dec 2009 Marcelino Dec 2009 – Nov 2010 José Aurelio Gay Nov 2010 – Dec 2011 Javier Aguirre Jan 2012 – June 2013 Manolo Jiménez June 2013 – March 2014 Paco Herrera March 2014 – Nov 2014 Víctor Muñoz Nov 2014 – Dec 2015 Ranko Popović Dec 2015 – June 2016 Lluís Carreras June 2016 – Oct 2016 Luis Milla Oct 2016 – March 2017 Raül Agné March 2017 – June 2017 César Láinez June 2017 – June 2018 Natxo González June 2018 – Oct 2018 Imanol Idiakez Oct 2018 – Dec 2018 Lucas Alcaraz Dec 2018 – Aug 2020 Víctor Fernández Aug 2020 – Nov 2020 Rubén Baraja Nov 2020 – Dec 2020 Iván Martínez Dec 2020 – May 2022 Juan Ignacio Martínez May 2022 – Nov 2022 Juan Carlos Carcedo Nov 2022 – Nov 2023 Fran Escribá Nov 2023 – Julio Velázquez

See also

In Spanish: Real Zaragoza para niños

• List of football clubs in Spain