RCD Espanyol

Espanyol

Full name	Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Periquitos (Budgerigars) Blanquiazules (White and Blue) Mágico (Magical)
Founded	28 October 1900 (28 October 1900) as Sociedad Española de Football
Ground	RCDE Stadium
Ground Capacity	40,500[1]
Owner	Rastar Managerial Group[2]
President	Chen Yansheng
Manager	Quique Sánchez Flores[3]
League	La Liga
2016–17	La Liga, 8th
Website	Club website
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation: [rəˈjaɫ ˈkɫub dəpurˈtiw əspəˈɲɔɫ də βərsəˈɫonə]; Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, or simply as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

Founded in 1900, the club plays in La Liga, the highest division of Spanish football and play their home games at the RCDE Stadium, which holds up to 40,500 spectators. Espanyol have won Copa del Rey four times, most recently in 2006, and reached the UEFA Cup final in 1988 and 2007. The team compete in the Barcelona Derby against FC Barcelona.

History

Foundation and club culture

Espanyol was founded on 28 October 1900 by Ángel Rodríguez Ruiz (1879–1959), an engineering student at the University of Barcelona. The club's original home was in the well-off district of Sarrià and was initially known as the Sociedad Española de Football. One year later, the club changed its name to Club Español de Fútbol. Espanyol was the first club in Spain to be formed exclusively by Spanish fans of the game.

The club originally played in bright yellow shirts, with the colour of the shorts being left to the individual player. A friend of the club founder owned a textile business and happened to have an abundance of yellow material left over from a job. In 1910, the club changed its name to Club Deportivo Español and chose blue and white stripes as shirt colours and as the central colours of the club badge. Blue and white was chosen in homage to the colours appearing on the shield of the great Sicilian-Aragonese Admiral Roger de Lluria, who sailed the Mediterranean protecting the interests of the Crown of Aragon in the Middle Ages. The club were successful from the very beginning, winning the Campionat de Catalunya in 1903 and subsequently playing in the Copa del Rey.

Development of club's name

In 1906, the club folded due to financial reasons and most of the players joined the X Sporting Club. This club won the Campionat de Catalunya three times between 1906 and 1908. In 1909, this club was effectively relaunched as Club Deportivo Español, and in 1910, they adopted their present-day colours. Espanyol are one of several Spanish football clubs granted patronage by the Spanish crown and thus entitled to use Real in their names and the royal crown on their badge. This right was granted to Espanyol in 1912 by Alfonso XIII and the club subsequently became known as Real Club Deportivo Español.

Following the abdication of the same king in 1931 and the declaration of the Second Spanish Republic, due to prohibition of royal symbols, the club adopted the more Catalan/republican friendly name, Club Esportiu Espanyol. After the Spanish Civil War, the name reverted.

The club took the Catalan spelling for its name in February 1995. The word "Deportiu" in Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a Catalanised form of the original word "Deportivo" (Castilian), despite the correct word being "Esportiu" in the Catalan language. This choice was made in order to retain the initials "RCD" in the club's name.

In 1994, Espanyol created its reserve team, Espanyol B, currently playing in the Segunda División B.

2006–07 UEFA Cup

With their win in the Copa del Rey the previous season, Espanyol entered the UEFA Cup. Following a 5–3 aggregate success against Slovak side Artmedia Bratislava, they were drawn in Group F alongside Ajax, Belgian minnows Zulte Waregem, Sparta Prague and Austria Wien. Espanyol were group winners, victorious in all four of their ties.

Their opponent in the Round of 32 was Livorno, who had just scraped into the knockout stages. Espanyol were 4–1 victors on aggregate, recording a 2–1 win in Tuscany and finishing the job 2–0 in Barcelona. Next up was Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, and after a dour 0–0 draw in the away leg, Espanyol thrashed their Israeli counterparts 4–0 in the second leg. Many were starting to see Espanyol as favourites to go all the way to the final in Glasgow's Hampden Park.

If that were to be the case, however, Espanyol would have to defeat Portuguese club Benfica, two-time European Cup winners. Espanyol did not seem fazed by this, as they raced into a 3–0 lead in Spain. However, Benfica fought back and scored two away goals to leave the tie firmly in the balance. Nevertheless, Espanyol survived a daunting trip to Lisbon, coming away with a 0–0 draw, which was enough to book them a place in the semi-finals.

Germans Werder Bremen lay in wait for the Catalan side in the last four, but once again, Espanyol produced a brilliant home performance to virtually seal the tie on the night. A 3–0 rout of the Germans put the Spanish firmly in control, and any real doubts about their passage to the final disappeared, with a 2–1 win in Bremen. In the final, held on 16 May in Glasgow, Espanyol fell to fellow La Liga side Sevilla, losing 3–1 in a shootout following a 2–2 draw.^[4] They became the only football team in UEFA Cup history to remain unbeaten in the tournament, yet didn't take home the trophy. Walter Pandiani, who would leave the club at the end of the season, was the top goal scorer of the UEFA Cup of that season.

On 9 June 2007, Raúl Tamudo became Espanyol's highest-ever goalscorer after surpassing the 111 goals scored by Rafael Marañón. (Tamudo also scored his 113 goal in the night.) One of the most memorable of Tamudo's goals was his 90th-minute match equalizer away at the Camp Nou against rivals Barcelona in 2006–07. The goal, which secured a 2–2 draw, cost Barcelona the Liga title after it finished level on points (76) with champions Real Madrid, but with a poorer head-to-head record.

On 31 May 2009, Espanyol played its last match at the Estadio Olímpico de Montjuic, a 3–0 defeat of Málaga. Espanyol played in the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic after moving from their all life ground in Sarria. With the move, club talisman Raúl Tamudo had the unique distinction of having played in three different home stadiums with his club: Sarrià, Montjuïc and, beginning in the 2009–10 season, the Cornellà-El Prat.

Recent years

After 12 seasons playing at the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Espanyol moved to the Estadi de Cornellá-El Prat. The new stadium was officially inaugurated on 2 August 2009 with a match between Espanyol and Liverpool. The periquitos ("budgerigars") won 3–0, with Luis García scoring the first goal at the ground, followed by a Ben Sahar double.

On 8 August 2009, Espanyol captain Daniel Jarque, then 26, died from a cardiac arrest in the Italian village of Coverciano, where the club was at the time after playing several fixtures in Italy.^[5] Since then, at every match in the 21st minute – his former shirt number – for a full minute an ovation is made in his honour. Espanyol supporters also pay tribute to Jarque by singing his name.

On 10 September 2009, the IFFHS published the best European Clubs classification during the 20th century, ranking Espanyol 98th due to their European participations. Mauricio Pochettino, former player, was named manager of the team during the 2008–09 season in order to prevent the team from relegation to the Second Division; an objective that he fulfilled, the Club carries out a sport project based in the promotion of footballers coming from the Club lower teams as well as within this environment of cutbacks. In subsequent seasons, the Club managed to stay in the First Division trouble free, even in certain moments the team fought to take part in the UEFA Europa League. Nevertheless, after 14 matches in season 2012–13, the Directors of the Club fired Pochettino since the team was last in the classification. A few days later, Mexican coach Javier Aguirre took over managing to revert the situation and obtaining good results.

Javier Aguirre carried on in charge one more year and again he managed to keep the Club in the First Division in the course of a so-called transition season. Sergio González took over in the summer of 2014 and in his first season the team reached the semifinal of the Cup and the team ended the league with no difficulties in staying in the First Division. But on December 2015, the Board of Directors decided to sack him in view of poor results obtained.^[6] It was then Constantin Galca, another former Espanyol player, who was appointed as new Manager.^[7]

At the same time, there were remarkable changes office wise. President Joan Collet and his Board of Directors resigned on January 20, 2016 so that Chen Yanseng got in charge of the management of the Club. Rastar Managerial Group owner bought out in November 2015 the shares, over 50% of the written down capital to the main shareholders, thus he was able to be in full control although the operation was completed on January 19, 2016 when the acquisition was finally confirmed.^[2] His take over was crucial to cover several payments with the Treasury as well as various suppliers.

Rivalries

El derbi Barceloní

In the first half of the XX century during the Miguel Primo de Rivera dictatorship (1923-1930), FC Barcelona was seen as a club of the catalanism nationalism ideology in stark contrast to RCD Espanyol which cultivated a kind of compliance to the central authority .^[8]

In 1918 the municipalities of Catalonia promote a campaign to request to the Spanish Government a Statute of Autonomy. FC Barcelona joins that request and the Catalan press explains it by saying "F. C. Barcelona has become the club of Catalonia" .The other great team of the city, RCD Espanyol is dissociated from the claim.

In the present FC Barcelona is close to power in Catalonia, the last presidents have placed the club in a favourable position to Catalan independence movement and the holding of a referendum even with discomfort in a little part of the fans in Catalonia and practically the totality of the fans in the rest of Spain.^[9] Although some of the directors of the RCD Espanyol have manifested their independentist ideology the club stay out of politics and it is considered that most of the fans are against the independence of Catalonia.^[10]

On numerous occasions the RCD Espanyol has complained of an unfavourable treatment and sometimes directly offensive according to them towards the club in favour of FC Barcelona by some public media dependent on the Generalidat of Catalonia like TV3.^[11][12][13]

Despite these differences in ideology, the derbi has always been more relevant to Espanyol supporters than Barcelona ones due to the difference in objectives.

Though it is the most played local derby in the history of La Liga, it is also the most unbalanced, with Barcelona overwhelmingly dominant. In the league table, Espanyol has only managed to end above Barça on three occasions in almost 70 years and the only all-Catalan Copa del Rey final was won by Barça in 1957. Espanyol has the consolation of achieving the largest margin win with a 6–0 in 1951.

Espanyol achieved a 2–1 win against Barça during the 2008–09 season, becoming the first team to defeat Barcelona at Camp Nou in their treble-winning season.^[14]

Stadium

From 1923 until 1997, Espanyol played their home games in Estadi de Sarrià in the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district of Barcelona. In 1997, they moved to the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys on Montjuïc. For the beginning of the 2009–10 season, Espanyol moved into the newly constructed Estadi Cornellà-El Prat between Cornellà de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat.

Competition summary

• 80 seasons in Primera División
• 4 seasons in Segunda División
• 7 participations in UEFA Cup
• 2 participations in Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
• 2 participations in UEFA Intertoto Cup

Achievements

• In 1928, Espanyol became a founding member of La Liga, and in 1929, the team won their first Copa del Rey. Espanyol has completed the highest number of seasons in La Liga without actually winning the title.
• The team has qualified seven times for the UEFA Cup (including the 2006–07 qualification following the 2006 Spanish Cup win) and reached the final in 1988^{[15][16][17][18]}, losing to Bayer Leverkusen of then-West Germany on penalty kicks (3–2), after a memorable home-and-away final (3–0 in Barcelona, 0–3 in Leverkusen)^[19][20] and in 2007, losing to Sevilla on another penalty kicks round (3–1), after a memorable match (ended 1–1 after normal time, and 2–2 after extra time).

Honours

Men's football

Domestic competitions

• Copa del Rey^[21]

Winners (4): 1929, 1940, 2000, 2006

• Segunda División^[22]

Winner (1): 1993–94

International competitions

• UEFA Cup

Runners-up (2): 1987–88, 2006–07

• Intertoto Cup

Winner (1): 1968

Regional competitions

• Campionat de Catalunya^[23]

Winners (11): 1903–04, 1905–06, 1906–07, 1907–08, 1911–12, 1914–15, 1917–18, 1928–29, 1932–33, 1936–37, 1939–40

• Copa Catalunya^[24]

Winners (6): 1994–95, 1995–96, 1998–99, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2016–17

Runners-up (5): 1993–94, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09

Women's football

• Primera División

Winners (1): 2005–06

Runners-up (3): 2006–07, 2009–10, 2010–11

• Copa de la Reina

Winners (6): 1996, 1997, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012

Runners-up (4): 1990, 2002, 2007, 2011

Players

Current squad

As of 10 August 2017^[25]

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

No. Position Player 4 MF Víctor Sánchez (vice-captain) 6 DF Óscar Duarte 7 FW Gerard Moreno 9 FW Sergio Garcia (4th captain) 11 FW Léo Baptistão 12 DF Aarón Martín 13 GK Diego López 14 MF José Manuel Jurado 15 MF David López (3rd captain) 16 DF Javi López (captain) 17 MF Hernán Pérez 18 MF Javi Fuego

No. Position Player 19 MF Pablo Piatti 20 MF Pape Diop 22 FW Álvaro Vázquez 23 MF Esteban Granero 25 GK Pau López 28 MF Marc Roca 30 MF Óscar Melendo 31 DF Marc Navarro — DF Mario Hermoso — DF Naldo — MF Paco Montañés — FW Jairo Morillas

Out on loan

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

No. Position Player — GK Roberto (at Málaga until 30 June 2018)

Retired numbers

21 Daniel Jarque (posthumous honour) (2002–09)

Players with most appearances

Competitive, professional matches only.

As of 24 May 2014

	Name	Years	League	Second Division	League Cup	Other	Total
1	Raúl Tamudo	1996–2010	340	–	–	49	389
2	José María	1965–1976	269	31	–	10	310
3	Antonio Argilés	1950–1964	301	4	–	5	309
4	Mauricio Pochettino	1994–2006	275	–	–	29	304
5	Thomas N'Kono	1982–1990	241	33	19	10	303
6	Arteaga	1993–2003	238	28	–	29	295
7	Manuel Zúñiga	1979–1988	259	–	18	9	286
8	Fernando Molinos	1974–1984	264	–	6	6	276
9	Diego Orejuela	1982–1991	216	33	15	12	276
10	Marañón	1974–1983	261	–	4	6	271

¹Includes Copa del Rey data only since 1997.

Managers

Dates Name 1922–24 Edward Garry 1924–26 Francisco Bru 1926 – June 1930 Jack Greenwell July 1930 – June 1933 Patricio Caicedo July 1933 – June 1935 Ramón Trabal July 1935 – Nov 1935 Harry Lowe Nov 1935 – June 1943 Patricio Caicedo July 1943 – Dec 1943 Pedro Solé Dec 1943 – June 1944 Crisant Bosch July 1944 – Dec 1945 Baltasar Albéniz Jan 1946 – June 1946 Crisant Bosch July 1946 – June 1947 Josep Planas July 1947 – June 1949 José Espada July 1949 – Feb 1950 Patricio Caicedo Feb 1950 – June 1952 Juan José Nogués July 1952 – Dec 1954 Alejandro Scopelli Dec 1954 José Espada Jan 1955 – June 1955 Odilio Bravo July 1955 – June 1957 Ricardo Zamora July 1957 – June 1958 Elemér Berkessy July 1958 – June 1959 Marcel Domingo July 1959 – June 1960 Antonio Barrios July 1960 – Jan 1961 Ernesto Pons Jan 1961 – Feb 1961 Alejandro Scopelli Feb 1961 – June 1961 Ricardo Zamora July 1961 – Nov 1961 José Luis Saso

Dates Name Nov 1961 – Dec 1961 Ricardo Zamora Dec 1961 – June 1962 Julián Arcas July 1962 – June 1963 Heriberto Herrera July 1963 – Dec 1963 Pedro Areso Dec 1963 – June 1964 Pedro Solé July 1964 – June 1965 László Kubala July 1965 – Feb 1966 Fernando Argila Feb 1966 – June 1966 José Espada July 1966 – Oct 1968 Jenő Kalmár Oct 1968 – June 1969 Antonio Argilés July 1969 – Feb 1970 Fernando Riera Feb 1970 – June 1970 Rafael Iriondo July 1970 – June 1971 Ferdinand Daučík July 1971 – Dec 1977 José Santamaría Dec 1977 – June 1978 Heriberto Herrera July 1978 – Dec 1979 José Antonio Irulegui Dec 1979 – June 1980 Vicente Miera July 1980 – June 1983 José María Maguregui July 1983 – Sep 1983 Milorad Pavić Sep 1983 – June 1986 Xabier Azkargorta July 1986 – Feb 1989 Javier Clemente Feb 1989 – Apr 1989 Pepe Mauri Apr 1989 Raúl Longhi Apr 1989 – June 1989 José María García Andoaín July 1989 – Dec 1989 Benito Joanet Jan 1990 – June 1990 Juanjo Díaz

Dates Name June 28, 1990 – June 9, 1991 Luis Aragonés July 1991 – Nov 1991 Ljupko Petrović Nov 1991 – Jan 1992 Jaume Sabaté Jan 21, 1992 – June 30, 1992 Javier Clemente July 1992 – May 1993 José Manuel Díaz Novoa May 1993 – June 1993 Juanjo Díaz July 1993 – June 1996 José Antonio Camacho July 1996 – Jan 1997 Pepe Carcelén Jan 1997 – Mar 1997 Vicente Miera Mar 1997 – June 1997 Paco Flores July 1, 1997 – June 1, 1998 José Antonio Camacho July 1, 1998 – Sep 6, 1998 Marcelo Bielsa Sep 1998 – Jan 2000 Miguel Ángel Brindisi Jan 17, 2000 – June 30, 2002 Paco Flores July 1, 2002 – Oct 20, 2002 Juande Ramos Oct 2002 – Dec 2002 Ramón Moya Dec 18, 2002 – Nov 4, 2003 Javier Clemente Nov 4, 2003 – June 30, 2004 Luis Fernández July 1, 2004 – June 30, 2006 Miguel Ángel Lotina July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2008 Ernesto Valverde July 1, 2008 – Nov 30, 2008 Tintín Márquez Dec 1, 2008 – Jan 20, 2009 Mané Jan 20, 2009 – Nov 26, 2012 Mauricio Pochettino Nov 28, 2012 – May 16, 2014 Javier Aguirre May 28, 2014 – December 14, 2015 Sergio González December 14, 2015 – May 27, 2016 Constantin Gâlcă June 9, 2016 – Quique Sánchez Flores

Presidents

Dates Name 1900–02 Ángel Rodríguez Ruiz 1902–06 Josep María Miró Trepat 1906–09 no activities 1909 Julià Clapera Roca 1909–10 Ángel Rodríguez Ruiz 1910–11 Evelio Doncos 1911–12 Josep García Hardoy 1912–13 Santiago de la Riva 1913–14 Alfonso Ardura 1914–15 Josep García Hardoy

Dates Name 1915–18 José María Bernadas 1918–19 Manuel Allende 1919–20 Victorià de la Riva 1920–22 Genaro de la Riva 1922–24 Victorià de la Riva 1924–25 Santiago de la Riva 1925–30 Genaro de la Riva 1930–31 Santiago de la Riva 1931–33 Javier de Salas 1933–42 Genaro de la Riva

Dates Name 1942–47 Francisco Román Cenarro 1947–48 José Salas Painello 1948–58 Francisco Javier Sáenz 1958–60 Frederic Marimón Grifell 1960–62 Victorià Oliveras de la Riva 1962–63 Cesáreo Castilla Delgado 1963–67 Josep Fusté Noguera 1967–69 Juan Vilá 1969–70 Josep Fusté Noguera 1970–82 Manuel Meler

Dates Name 1982–89 Antonio Baró 1989 Ferrán Martorell 1989–93 Julio Pardo 1993–97 Francisco Perelló 1997–11 Daniel Sánchez Llibre 2011–12 Ramon Condal 2012–16 Juan Collet 2016– Chen Yansheng

Historical departments of RCD Espanyol

Until the 1990s, Espanyol had several sporting sections. In March 2017, the Association of Supporters and Shareholders of RCD Espanyol boosted a project for recovering the sporting sections of the club, but this time without any economic link with the football team. The new multi-sports club was created with the name of Seccions Deportives Espanyol (Sporting sections Espanyol).^[26]

Two months later, the Association confirmed that Espanyol will start competing in the 2017–18 season, with a roller hockey team and women's volleyball youth teams.^[27]

Men's basketball

• Copa del Rey

Winners (1): 1941

• Catalan championship

Winners (2): 1931, 1932

Runners-up (3): 1941, 1943, 1954

Women's basketball

• Copa de la Reina

Winners (1): 1943

Runners-up (1): 1944

Men's hockey

• Copa del Rey

Winners (11): 1944, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1962

Runners-up (4): 1946, 1952, 1953, 1958

Women's volleyball

• Superliga

Winners (3): 1985, 1988, 1991

• Copa de la Reina

Winners (5): 1984, 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992

Men's baseball

• División de Honor

Winners (2): 1946, 1953

See also

• RCD Espanyol B
• RCD Espanyol cantera
• Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to RCD Espanyol.

• Official website (in Catalan) (in Spanish) (in English)
• RCD Espanyol at La Liga (in English) (in Spanish)
• RCD Espanyol at UEFA (in English) (in Spanish)