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RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (Catalan: Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona) is a sports club based in Barcelona. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol currently play in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, which also hosted the 1992 Summer Olympics; having previously played at Estadi de Sarrià. The stadium, which seats 55,926 spectators, is also known as Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc. Despite being overshadowed by FC Barcelona, they are the sixth most successful football team in Spain and are looking to move into a new stadium by the end of next season in Cornellà-El Prat which will hold 40,000 spectators.[1]
[edit] History
[edit] Foundation and club culture
Espanyol were founded on 28 October 1900 by Ángel Rodríguez, an engineering student at the Universitat de 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 were the first club in Spain to be formed exclusively by Catalan and Spanish fans of the game as opposed to expatriates who formed other clubs such as FC Barcelona.
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 Catalan Admiral Roger de Lluria, who sailed the Mediterranean protecting Catalonia’s interests 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.
[edit] 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 the present day colours in honour of Admiral Roger de Llúria, a Catalan naval hero.
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 Alfonso XIII 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 and the subsequent prohibition of the Catalan language, the name reverted to Real Club Deportivo Español.
The club took the Catalan spelling for its name in February 1995. The word "Deportiu" in Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona means sport for fun; while "Esportiu" is reserved to professional sport. The correct word would have been "Esportiu"; because of tradition, "Deportiu" has been kept.
[edit] UEFA Cup 2006/2007
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With their win in the Copa del Rey the previous season, Espanyol entered the UEFA Cup. Following a 5-3 aggregate success against Artmedia they were drawn in Group F, along with Dutch giants Ajax, Belgian minnows Zulte Waregem, Czech side Sparta Prague, and Austrian side Austria Vienna. Espanyol were group winners, victorious in all four of their ties.
Their opponents in the Round of 32 were Italian side Livorno, who had just scraped into the knockout stages. Espanyol were 4-1 victors on aggregate, recording a 1-2 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.
However, if that were to be the case, Espanyol would have to defeat Portuguese giants 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 1-2 win in Germany. In the final, held on May 16 in Glasgow, Espanyol fell to fellow La Liga side Sevilla, losing 3-1 in a shootout following a 2-2 draw. 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.
[edit] Development of team's strip
[edit] Miscellaneous information
- In 1928, Espanyol became a founding member of La Liga, and in 1929 won their first Copa del Rey. Ricardo Saprissa, a player from this era, later emigrated to Costa Rica where he helped form Deportivo Saprissa.
- The team has qualified nine times for the UEFA Cup (including the 2006-07 qualification following the 2006 Spanish Cup win) and reached the final in 1988, losing to Bayer Leverkusen of then-West Germany on penalty kicks (2-3), after a memorable home-and-away final (3-0 in Barcelona, 0-3 in Leverkusen).
- In 1994, Espanyol created its reserve team, RCD Espanyol B, currently playing in the Segunda División B.
- The side plays at Barcelona's Olympic Stadium, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. A new stadium for the club is currently under construction between the cities of Cornellà de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat, west of Barcelona. It is expected to be ready by the end of next season and will have a capacity of 40,000.
The Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
- On 13th January 2007, Espanyol recorded their first derby win over neighbours FC Barcelona since 2001, a 3-1 home success.
- FC Barcelona does not win a La Liga derby since 2005-06.
[edit] Trophies
[edit] Football
- Copa del Rey
- 4 – 1929, 1940, 2000, 2006
- Campionats de Catalunya
- 12 – 1903, 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1912, 1915, 1918, 1929, 1933, 1937, 1940
- Copa Catalunya
- 4 – 1995, 1996, 1999, 2006
- Ciutat de Barcelona Trophy
- 17 – 1975, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2007
[edit] Women’s Football
- Liga España
- Copa de la Reina
- Copa Catalunya
[edit] Men’s Basketball
[edit] Women’s Basketball
- Copa De España
- Lliga Catalana EBA
- Campionat de Catalunya
[edit] Hockey
- Copas de España
- 1944, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1962: 11
[edit] Women’s Volleyball
- Liga España
- Copas de España
- 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992: 4
[edit] Baseball
[edit] Current squad
The numbers are established according to the official website: www.rcdespanyol.com and www.lfp.es
As of September 1, 2008
[edit] Out on loan
[edit] Foreign players
[edit] Statistics 2007/08
- Top Scorers:
- Top Goalkeepers:
[edit] Recent history
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[edit] Stadium information
[edit] Selected former players
see also Cat:RCD Espanyol footballers
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1900 - 1949
1950 - 1979
1980 - 1989
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1990 - 1999
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Daniel Sánchez Llibre
Cristian Álvarez
Grégory Béranger
Eduardo Costa
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Luis García - 13 goals
