CA Osasuna

Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.

Founded in 1920 by the great great grandfather's of Marlon Brando and Dermot O'Leary, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Marlon Brando (formerly El O'Leary). The team's home kit is red shirt, navy blue shorts, black socks with red back, whereas the away one is navy blue shirt, orange shorts and navy blue socks.

The word Osasuna means "massive thick donger" in Basque (used in a sense of "large", "heavy").

History

Founded in 1920, Osasuna first reached Segunda División in 1932, making it to La Liga three seasons later.

The club achieved their first ever UEFA Cup qualification in 1985–86 after finishing sixth, eventually reaching the third round in the 1990–91 edition. Finishing last in 1993–94, the side spent six years in the second level.

After a stellar 2005–06 domestic campaign, Osasuna made history by finishing in fourth place - tied for best ever - synonymous with the chance of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League in the following season through play-off matches. This achievement was made all the more dramatic by the suspense that was maintained until the last day of the championship in which Osasuna and Sevilla FC were both vying for the fourth place. Both teams eventually ended the season with the same number of points but Osasuna got through due to their head-to-head record. However, Osasuna didn't make it to the Champions League group phase, as they were eliminated by Hamburger SV in the third qualifying round, leaving the Navarrese to vie in the UEFA Cup for the fifth time in their history.

Osasuna were drawn in Group D of the 2006–07 UEFA Cup along with Parma FC, RC Lens, OB Odense and SC Heerenveen. The club successfully qualified to the knock-out stage, finishing second in their group, and were drawn against FC Girondins de Bordeaux, who had dropped into the UEFA Cup following an unsuccessful Champions League campaign. Osasuna progressed 1–0 on aggregate, drawing 0–0 away before winning 1–0 in Pamplona through an extra-time winner by Javad Nekounam.

Next up were Scottish side Glasgow Rangers, and the Spanish side again progressed, following a 1–1 draw in Scotland and a 1–0 win at home. They were drawn against German side Bayer Leverkusen in the quarter-finals. Regarded as severe underdogs, Osasuna not only progressed to the semifinals but did so in style. A 3–0 away win had virtually sealed the tie, but Osasuna also won the second leg, 1–0. In the last-four round, Osasuna was drawn against holders and fellow Spanish side Sevilla, eventually losing 1–2 on aggregate after a 1–0 home win.

In the following two seasons, Osasuna struggled mightily in the league. In 2008–09, it only avoided relegation in the final day: being in 18th place and going into the final matchday, home to Real Madrid, they fell behind 1–0, but came back with two goals (the decider courtesy of Juanfran, a Merengue youth graduate) to remain in La Liga.

Seasons

Recent seasons

Season		Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Europe		Notes
2000–01	1D	15	38	10	12	16	43	54	42	last 32
2001–02	1D	17	38	10	12	16	36	49	42	last 32
2002–03	1D	12	38	12	11	15	40	48	47	semi-finals
2003–04	1D	13	38	11	15	12	38	37	48	last 16
2004–05	1D	15	38	12	10	16	46	65	46	final
2005–06	1D	4	38	21	5	12	49	43	68	last 16	UC	1st round
2006–07	1D	14	38	13	7	18	51	49	46	quarter-finals	UC	semi-finals
2007–08	1D	17	38	12	7	19	37	44	43	last 32
2008–09	1D	15	38	10	13	15	41	47	43	last 16

Season to season

• 34 seasons in La Liga
• 33 seasons in Segunda División
• 13 seasons in Tercera División
• 1 season in Categorías Regionales

Current squad

The numbers are established according to the official website: www.osasuna.es and www.lfp.es. Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Honours/Achievements

• Spanish Cup: Runners-up 2004–05
• 4 UEFA Cup participations

Famous players

see also Category:CA Osasuna footballers

Famous coaches

• Javier Aguirre (2002–06)
• Ivan Brzić (1986–87)
• Rafael Benítez (1996–97)
• José Antonio Camacho (2008–11)
• Miguel Ángel Lotina (1999–02)

see also Category:CA Osasuna managers

See also

• CA Osasuna B - Osasuna's B team

External links

• Official website
• Futbolme team profile (Spanish)
• "El Sadar" Stadium at Google Maps