UE Lleida facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Lleida

Full name	Unió Esportiva Lleida
Nickname(s)	Els Blaus (The Blues) Els de la Terra Ferma (Firmlanders)
Founded	1939 (as Lérida Balompié-AEM) 1947 (as Unión Deportiva Lérida)
Dissolved	10 May 2011
Ground	Camp d´Esports, Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
Ground Capacity	13,500
Home colours Away colours

Unió Esportiva Lleida was a Spanish football team from Lleida, a city in Catalonia, Spain. The club started on October 30, 1939, as Lérida Balompié-AEM. Later, in 1947, it became Unión Deportiva Lérida after joining with another team called CD Leridano.

The team played its home games at the Camp d´Esports stadium, which could hold 13,500 fans. Unió Esportiva Lleida stopped existing in 2011. However, a new club, Lleida Esportiu, was formed to continue its spirit.

In 1978, the club changed its name to the Catalan version, Lleida. For most of its history, the team played in the lower football leagues. But in the early 1950s and again in the early 1990s, they managed to get promoted to La Liga, which is the top football league in Spain!

During the 1990s, famous coaches like Mané, Juande Ramos, and Víctor Muñoz led the club. They all went on to become very successful managers for other teams. From 1987, Lleida also hosted its own summer football tournament, called the Ciutat de Lleida Trophy.

Club History

First Football Teams in Lleida

Football first came to Lleida in 1910, thanks to a businessman from Barcelona named Manuel Azoz. Some of the very first football clubs in the city were Montserrat, started in 1913, and FC Lleida, founded in 1914. These early teams played their games in an area called Pla d’en Gardeny. In 1915, another group called the Associació Cultural Lleidatana was formed.

By 1917, two more clubs, Club Colonial and Athlètic Metalúrgic, began playing at the Camp de Mart. In 1918, FC Joventut was created, and during the 1920s, they became the strongest team in the city.

In 1919, a team named Lleida was the first to use the Camp d´Esports stadium. However, this team was later closed down in 1927. Other clubs from the 1920s, like AE Lleida Calaveres, Lleida Sport Club, and AEM Lleida, also disappeared during the 1930s.

Lérida Balompié and CD Leridano Unite

After the Spanish Civil War, former players from some of the older clubs created Lérida Balompié-AEM. After playing in local leagues for four seasons, they joined the fourth division in 1943. The next year, the club split into two teams: Lérida Balompié and AEM.

Meanwhile, in 1941, a new club called CD Leridano was formed. A friendly rivalry grew between CD Leridano and Lérida Balompié. On March 9, 1947, these two teams decided to merge and become Unión Deportiva Lérida. The new team kept the blue and white colors and the club badge of Lérida Balompié. Eduard Estadella became the first president of the new club.

The First Golden Age

UD Lérida had a fantastic period in the late 1940s and early 1950s. They moved up from the third division to the first division in just three seasons! In 1949, they won the third-tier league. The next season, 1949–50, they played in the Segunda División for the first time.

In the 1949–50 season, the club achieved its biggest league win ever, beating CD Lugo 9–2. They finished second in the league, which meant they were promoted to the top division for the very first time! However, during their first season in La Liga (1950–51), they had some tough losses, like 9–0 to CD Málaga and 10–0 to Athletic Bilbao. They were relegated back down that same season.

The Mané Era and Second Golden Age

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Lleida had another great period under coach Mané. He joined the club in 1988 and helped them move up from Segunda División B all the way to La Liga.

The 1993–94 season was the club's second time in the top league. They even managed to beat the famous FC Barcelona Dream Team 1–0 at their home stadium, the Camp Nou. They also beat Real Madrid 2–1 at home! Despite these big wins, Lleida only won seven games in total and was relegated again.

In the 1994–95 season, the club finished third in the second division. They played in a promotion play-off but lost to Sporting de Gijón. In 2001, the team returned to the third level. They played in the second division again in 2004–05 and 2005–06. For a decade starting in 1996, legendary player Miguel Ángel Rubio also served as the team's manager.

The End of the Club

On May 10, 2011, Lleida faced a big problem. The club had a debt of €28 million, and its assets were put up for auction. On July 12, a local businessman named Sisco Pujol bought the club's spot. He then started a new club, which was named Lleida Esportiu.

Club Achievements and Records

League and Cup History

Unió Esportiva Lleida played:

• 2 seasons in La Liga (the top league)
• 24 seasons in Segunda División (the second league)
• 19 seasons in Segunda División B (the third league)
• 22 seasons in Tercera División (which was the third league until 1976–77)

Honours

These are the official titles and awards the club won:

• Segunda División: 1992–93
• Segunda División B: 1989–90, 2003–04
• Tercera División: 1948–49
• Regional Preferente: 1970–71
• Segunda Regional: 1939–40, 1940–41
• Copa Catalunya: Runner-up in 1991–92, 1998–99

The club also won these friendly tournaments:

• Nostra Catalunya Trophy: 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1986, 1987, 1990
• Ciutat de Lleida Trophy: 1987, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008

Club Records

• Best league finish: 16th place in La Liga, in the 1950–51 season.
• Best cup finish: Reached the Last 16 stage six times (in 1986, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2005).
• Most league points in a season: 68 points in 2003–04 (when a win was worth three points).
• Most league goals in a season: 102 goals in 1957–58.
• Most league wins in one season: 26 wins in 1957–58.
• Biggest home league win: 9–0 against Calella on November 30, 1941.
• Biggest away league win: 8–1 against Europa on February 22, 1942.
• Biggest cup win: 7–0 against Sant Andreu on December 19, 1985.

Player Records

• Most league games played: 460 games by Miguel Rubio (from 1982 to 1996).
• Most league goals scored: 82 goals by Mariano Azcona (from 1984 to 1991).
• Most league goals in one season: 25 goals by Mariano Azcona in 1989–90.
• Most league goals in one match: 5 goals by Mariano Azcona (in a 6–1 win against Fraga on October 15, 1989) and by Vallejo (in a 7–1 win against Alavés on May 23, 1965).
• Most international games played while at the club: 12 games by Miguel Mea Vitali for the Venezuela national team (in 2000–01).

Top Goalscorers by Season (Selected)

Season	Top scorer	Goals
2010–11	Rubén Rayos	19
2005–06	Mate Bilić	18
2003–04	Nakor Bueno	16
1994–95	Paco Salillas	18
1989–90	Mariano Azcona	26
1986–87	Mariano Azcona	16
1985–86	Mariano Azcona	9
1984–85	José María Serna	17

Most La Liga Appearances

• Mauro Ravnic: 37 games
• Urbano Ortega: 36 games
• Virgilio Hernández: 35 games
• Miguel Rubio: 35 games

Most La Liga Goals

• Ignacio Bidegain: 8 goals
• Luis Pellicer: 7 goals
• Nikola Milinković: 6 goals

Famous Former Players

These are some well-known players who played for Unió Esportiva Lleida. Some of them played for their national teams or won the UEFA Champions League.

Famous Former Coaches

Here are some of the notable coaches who managed Unió Esportiva Lleida:

• Mané (1988–95)
• Víctor Muñoz (1999–2000)
• Juande Ramos (1997–98)
• Marcel Domingo (1962–63)
• Nicolae Simatoc (1959–60)

Club Presidents

Here is a list of the people who served as president of Unió Esportiva Lleida:

See also

In Spanish: Unió Esportiva Lleida para niños

• List of UE Lleida records and statistics