Real Sociedad
Full name | Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D. | ||
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Nickname(s) |
Txuriurdin (White and Blue) Erreala / La Real (The Royals) | ||
Founded | 7 September 1909 | ||
Ground | Anoeta | ||
Capacity | 32,200 | ||
Chairman | Jokin Aperribay | ||
Manager | Eusebio Sacristán | ||
League | La Liga | ||
2015–16 | La Liga, 17th | ||
Website | Club home page | ||
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Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (pronounced: [reˈal soθjeˈðað]; Royal Society) or La Real, is a Spanish football club based in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 September 1909. Its home stadium is Anoeta, which seats 32,200 spectators. Real Sociedad won the La Liga title in 1980–81 and 1981–82, and last finished runners-up in 2002–03. La Real has also won the Copa del Rey twice, in 1909 and 1987. The club play the Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao. Real Sociedad were founder members of La Liga in 1928, and their longest spell in the top flight was for 40 seasons from 1967 to 2007.[1]
The club has competed in the UEFA Champions League twice. In the 2003–04 season the club made it to the round of 16 before losing to French club Olympique Lyon.
Real Sociedad has also several sports sections: women's football, track and field, field hockey and basque pelota.
Name and colours
The club's name means Royal Society of Football in Spanish. During the Second Spanish Republic (1931–1939), it was renamed "Donostia Club de Fútbol". The club is nicknamed in Basque as Erreala or the txuri-urdin ("white-blue" due to the colours of their kit). The colours stem from the flag of San Sebastian: a blue canton on a white field.
History
Early history
Football was introduced to San Sebastián in the early 1900s by students and workers returning from Britain. In 1904 they formed the San Sebastian Recreation Club and in 1905 they competed in the Copa del Rey. In May 1905 the San Sebastian Football Club was formed as a separate branch of the club. In 1909 they applied to enter the Copa del Rey but complications over registration permits saw them compete as Club Ciclista de San Sebastian. This team beat Club Español de Madrid 3–1 in the final. Out of the confusion the Sociedad de Futbol was formed on 7 September 1909. In 1910 Spanish clubs played in two rival cup competitions and Sociedad de Futbol entered the Copa UECF as Vasconia de San Sebastian. In the same year the King Alfonso XIII, who used San Sebastián as his summer capital, gave the club his patronage. They subsequently became known as Real Sociedad de Fútbol. Real Sociedad were founder members of La Liga in 1928. The team came fourth with Francisco "Paco" Bienzobas finishing as top scorer. The team's name was changed to Donostia Club de Futbol in 1931, with the advent of the Second Spanish Republic, but changed back to Real Sociedad after the Spanish Civil War in 1939. The team has generally fluctuated between the Primera and Segunda divisions, in one period (during the 1940s) managing to be relegated and promoted seven times. Around that time the sculptor Eduardo Chillida was the team's goalkeeper until injury put a stop to his football career.
Real Sociedad Ranking Graph 1929–2013
1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
15 | 15 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
19 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
29 | 29 30 | 30 31 | 31 32 | 32 33 | 33 34 | 34 35 | 35 36 | 39 40 | 40 41 | 41 42 | 42 43 | 43 44 | 44 45 | 45 46 | 46 47 | 47 48 | 48 49 | 49 50 | 50 51 | 51 52 | 52 53 | 53 54 | 54 55 | 55 56 | 56 57 | 57 58 | 58 59 | 59 60 | 60 61 | 61 62 | 62 63 | 63 64 | 64 65 | 65 66 | 66 67 | 67 68 | 68 69 | 69 70 | 70 71 | 71 72 | 72 73 | 73 74 | 74 75 | 75 76 | 76 77 | 77 78 | 78 79 | 79 80 | 80 81 | 81 82 | 82 83 | 83 84 | 84 85 | 85 86 | 86 87 | 87 88 | 88 89 | 89 90 | 90 91 | 91 92 | 92 93 | 93 94 | 94 95 | 95 96 | 96 97 | 97 98 | 98 99 | 99 00 | 00 01 | 01 02 | 02 03 | 03 04 | 04 05 | 05 06 | 06 07 | 07 08 | 08 09 | 09 10 | 10 11 | 11 12 | 12 13 | 13 14 | 14 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Champions of La Liga
Qualified for European competition
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Promoted
Relegated
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The success of the 1980s
The team finished as runners-up in La Liga for the first time in 1979–80, gaining 52 points compared to Real Madrid's 53, and 13 points clear of third-placed Sporting Gijón. Real Sociedad won their first ever Primera División title at the end of the 1980–81 season, denying Real Madrid a fourth-consecutive title by beating them on goal difference after both clubs gained 45 points in the season.[2] This qualified La Real for the 1981–82 European Cup, where they were knocked out in the first round by CSKA Sofia of Bulgaria, who hosted and won the first leg 1–0. The second leg in Spain was a 0–0 draw.[3]
The club retained the title the following season beating Barcelona by 47 points to 45, under the management of Alberto Ormaetxea.[4] The forward Jesus Maria Satrustegui was the club's top scorer for 1980–81 with 16 goals.[5] He scored 13 the following season as Pedro Uralde was the top scorer with one more.[6] The club reached the semi-finals of the 1982–83 European Cup, defeating Víkingur of Iceland, Celtic of Scotland and Sporting Lisbon of Portugal before losing 3–2 on aggregate to eventual champions Hamburger SV of Germany.[7] Real Sociedad won the Supercopa at the beginning of the 1982–83 season. They overturned a 1–0 defeat in the first leg to defeat Real Madrid 4–1 on aggregate.
On 11 March 1987, Real Sociedad set a record for most goals in a quarter-final of the Copa del Rey by beating Mallorca 10–1. In the semi-finals of the same tournament, they beat their Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao 1–0 over two legs. On 27 June 1987, Real Sociedad won their only Copa del Rey title, beating Atlético Madrid 4–2 on penalties after drawing 2–2. The match was held at the La Romareda stadium in Zaragoza, Aragon.[8] In the following season's Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad defeated Atlético Madrid again by beating them in the quarter-finals. They then beat Real Madrid 5–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, but lost 1–0 in the final to FC Barcelona at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium on 30 March 1988.[9] In the 1987–88 La Liga, Real Sociedad were runners-up for the first time since they lost their title, with 51 points compared to Real Madrid's 62, and three points clear of third-placed Atletico de Madrid.[2]
For many years, Real Sociedad followed the practice of their Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao of signing only Basque players. They abandoned the policy in 1989 when they signed Irish international John Aldridge from Liverpool.[10] Aldridge scored 16 goals in his first season to be the club's top scorer,[11] and fourth-highest scorer of the whole league as La Real finished fifth.[12] In 1990, La Real signed another English league striker, Dalian Atkinson of Sheffield Wednesday,[13] who therefore became the club's first black player. He scored 12 goals in his first season, second at the club only to Aldridge's 17.[14] That was Aldridge's final season at La Real, and he returned to England to play in the lower leagues at Tranmere Rovers, while Atkinson left to top-flight Aston Villa.
In 1997–98 Real Sociedad came third, their best finish since being runners-up for the first time since 1988. Their total of 63 points was 11 less than champions FC Barcelona, and two less than runners-up Athletic Bilbao. The club came higher than Real Madrid on goal difference.[12] Yugoslav striker Darko Kovačević scored 17 times that season, making him the fourth-highest scorer in the league.[15] The third-place finish qualified La Real for the 1998-99 UEFA Cup where they beat Sparta Prague of the Czech Republic and Dynamo Moscow of Russia before being knocked out in the third round by another Spanish club, Atletico de Madrid.
21st century
After finishing 13th for three consecutive seasons, Real Sociedad were runners-up in the 2002–03 La Liga, their best finish since 1988.[16] Their tally of 76 points was only beaten by Real Madrid's 78, and La Real had four more points than third-placed Deportivo La Coruña.[17] The club was managed by Frenchman Raynald Denoueix. La Real's strikeforce combined the Turkish striker Nihat Kahveci with Yugoslav international Darko Kovačević. The two were third and fourth top scorer in the league respectively, with 23 and 20 goals.[18] The team also included Dutch goalkeeper Sander Westerveld, and Xabi Alonso in midfield. Alonso was the winner of the 2003 Don Balon award for the best Spanish player in the league, while Nihat was voted the best foreign player and Denoueix the best manager.[19]
Key moments from that season came when Real Sociedad beat Real Madrid in April 4–2 at the Anoeta in San Sebastián. They kept first place in La Liga until the penultimate game of 38 when they lost 3–2 away to Celta de Vigo, while Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 4–0. This meant that Real Madrid secured first place two points clear of Real Sociedad for the last game, where La Real defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 and Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao to gain the title.[20] The team qualified directly for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League by finishing 2nd, they were unbeaten at home, scored 71 goals in total, and were defeated on 6 occasions only.
Real Sociedad were placed in Group D of the 2003–04 Champions League with Juventus of Italy, Galatasaray of Turkey and Olympiacos of Greece. The team won two matches, drew three and lost away to Juventus to finish second and advance [21] to the last 16. There they were knocked out after losing 1–0 in both games against Olympique Lyonnais of France, hosting the first game. [22] 2003–04 La Liga saw a dramatic decline in the club's performance, slipping to 15th out of 20. Their tally of 46 points was only five more than relegated Real Valladolid .[23]
Real Sociedad were relegated from La Liga in 2006–07, finishing 19th. On 9 July 2007, former Welsh international and Fulham manager Chris Coleman was appointed as the new club coach, on the recommendation of former Real Sociedad manager John Toshack, an important board member at the club. Coleman resigned on 16 January 2008.
On 13 June 2010, Real Sociedad returned to La Liga.
In the 2012–13 season, Real Sociedad finished in fourth place and qualified for the 2013-14 UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League season, but in the play-offs, this time. In the play-offs, they reencountered with Lyon of France, but they won both games 2–0, qualifying for the group stage. Real Sociedad didn't make it out of the group as it obtained only one point.[24]
On 10 November 2014, Real Sociedad announced David Moyes as the chosen manager, to replace Jagoba Arrasate, who was sacked following a series of bad results, both home and abroad. Moyes also became the fourth British manager in the club's history. Moyes was sacked 9 November 2015 after falling to 16th in La Liga, later that day he was replaced by Eusebio Sacristán.
Fanbase
The Spanish Centro de Investigaciones Sociologicas (Centre of Sociological Investigations) found out that of 2,473 adults interviewed in 49 provinces, 1.3% of the Spanish population have more feelings for Real Sociedad than any other club, and 1.5% have more feelings for La Real than any other club apart from their favourite.[25]
In appreciation of the value of the supporters to the club – in the words of club president Jokin Aperribay, "The fans are the soul, the nourishment and the reason for Real Sociedad" – the players each wore the name of a randomly selected club member on their shirt for the match against Sevilla in December 2012.[26]
Honours
- Winners (1): 1982
Current squad
- As of 1 February 2016[27]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Seasons
Recent seasons
Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Europe Notes 1997–98 1D 3 38 16 15 7 60 37 63 last 16 1998–99 1D 10 38 14 12 12 47 43 54 UC last 16 1999-00 1D 13 38 11 14 13 42 49 47 2000–01 1D 13 38 11 10 17 52 68 43 2001–02 1D 13 38 13 8 17 48 54 47 1st round 2002–03 1D 2 38 22 10 6 71 45 76 1st round 2003–04 1D 15 38 11 13 14 49 53 46 3rd round UCL last 16 2004–05 1D 14 38 13 8 17 47 56 47 last 32 2005–06 1D 16 38 11 7 20 48 65 40 3rd round 2006–07 1D 19 38 8 11 19 32 47 35 last 32 Relegated 2007–08 2D 4 42 18 14 10 55 39 68 2nd round 2008–09 2D 6 42 17 16 9 48 38 67 3rd round 2009–10 2D 1 42 20 14 8 53 37 74 2nd round Promoted 2010–11 1D 15 38 14 3 21 49 66 45 last 32 2011–12 1D 12 38 12 11 15 46 52 47 last 16 2012–13 1D 4 38 18 12 8 70 49 66 last 16 2013–14 1D 7 38 16 11 11 62 55 59 Semi-final UCL Group
Season to season
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- As Real Sociedad de Fútbol
- 69 seasons in La Liga
- 16 seasons in Segunda División
European record
Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Aggregate | |
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1998–99 | UEFA Cup | 1R | Sparta Prague | 1–0 | 4–2 | 5–2 | |
2R | Dynamo Moscow | 3–0 | 3–2 | 6–2 | |||
3R | Atlético Madrid | 2–1 | 1–4 | 3–5 | |||
2003–04 | UEFA Champions League | Group D | Juventus | 0–0 | 2–4 | 2nd | |
Galatasaray | 1–1 | 2–1 | |||||
Olympiacos | 1–0 | 2–2 | |||||
Round of 16 | Lyon | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | |||
2013–14 | UEFA Champions League | PO | Lyon | 2–0 | 2–0 | 4–0 | |
Group E | Manchester United | 0–0 | 0–1 | 4th | |||
Bayer Leverkusen | 0–1 | 1–2 | |||||
Shakhtar Donetsk | 0–2 | 0–4 | |||||
2014–15 | UEFA Europa League | 3Q | Aberdeen | 2–0 | 3–2 | 5–2 | |
PO | FC Krasnodar | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–3 | |||
- Notes
- 1R: First round
- 2R: Second round
- 3R: Third round
- 3Q: Third qualifying round
- PO: Play-off round
Managers
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Notable players
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See also
References
- ↑ "Real Sociedad". free-elements.com.
- 1 2 http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/spanhist7989.html#8081
- ↑ "UEFA Champions League 1981/82 - History - 1st – UEFA.com". Uefa.com.
- ↑ "Performance record of Real Sociedad football Club". contentcreatorz.com.
- ↑ "Real Sociedad 1980-1981". free-elements.com.
- ↑ "Real Sociedad 1981-1982". free-elements.com.
- ↑ http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/matches/season=1982/round=1037/match=63866/prematch/index.html
- ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/spancup1987.html
- ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/spancup1988.html
- ↑ "BBC - Oxford - Oxford Inspires - John Aldridge". bbc.co.uk. horizontal tab character in
|title=
at position 31 (help) - ↑ "Real Sociedad 1989-1990". free-elements.com.
- 1 2 http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/spanhist8999.html
- ↑ "Página web Oficial de la Liga de Fútbol Profesional - Liga de Fútbol Profesional". lfp.es.
- ↑ "Real Sociedad 1990-1991". free-elements.com.
- ↑ "La Liga Top Scorers - 1997-1998". free-elements.com.
- ↑ "Resultados Fútbol y clasificaciones - Bienvenido a Futbolme". futbolme.com.
- ↑ "Human Check". soccerpunter.com.
- ↑ "La Liga Top Scorers - 2002-2003". free-elements.com.
- ↑ http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/spanpoy.html
- ↑ "Cheap phentermine diet pills". holdingmidfield.com.
- ↑ "UEFA Champions League 2003/04 - History - Standings – UEFA.com". UEFA.com.
- ↑ "UEFA Champions League 2003/04 - History - 1/8. – UEFA.com". Uefa.com.
- ↑ "Spanish Primera División Table - ESPN FC". go.com.
- ↑ 2013–14 Uefa Champions league, Group A Uefa.com
- ↑ http://www.cis.es/cis/export/sites/default/-Archivos/Marginales/2700_2719/2705/Es2705mar_A.pdf
- ↑ "Real Sociedad players wear supporters' names on their shirts". Supporters Direct. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ↑ "Primer equipo" [First team] (in Spanish). Real Sociedad. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
External links
- Official website (Spanish) (English) (Basque)
- Real Sociedad at La Liga (English) (Spanish)
- Real Sociedad at UEFA (English) (Spanish)
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