Celta de Vigo

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Celta Vigo
logo
Full name Real Club Celta de Vigo, S.A.D.
Nickname(s) Los Celestes (The Sky Blues)
Los Celtiñas (The Lovely/Little Celts)
Founded August 23, 1923 (1923-08-23) (88 years ago)
Ground Balaídos
(Capacity: 32,500)
President Spain Carlos Mouriño 1
Head Coach Spain Paco Herrera
League Segunda División
2010-11 6th
Home colours
Away colours
Current season

Real Club Celta de Vigo (Spanish pronunciation: [reˈal ˈkluβ ˈθelta ðe ˈβiɣo]), simply referred to as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, currently playing in the Segunda División. It was founded on March 28, 1923 following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna Foot-ball Club.

Nicknamed Los Celestes (The Sky Blues), they play in sky blue shirts and white shorts. The club's home stadium is Balaídos, which seats 32,500 spectators.[1]

Celta Vigo have played for many years in the Spanish first division, but have never been champions of the league or cup, despite having come close. Their best season was 1970—71, when they were not beaten at home and were known as the "giant-killers." They finished the season in sixth place (with the same number of points as Athletic Bilbao in fifth). This meant that the team qualified for the UEFA Cup for the next season. Unfortunately for them, they were knocked out by Aberdeen in the first round. They were unable to recover from a 2-0 loss at home.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Foundation

R.C. Celta de Vigo was formed as a result of the ambition of Vigo's teams to achieve more at national level, where the Basque sides had been their bête noire in the Spanish Championship. The idea was to merge both teams to create a more powerful team at national level. The standard-bearer of this movement was Manuel de Castro "Handicap", a sports writer for the Faro de Vigo who, from 1915, started to write in his articles about the need for a Unitarian movement. The slogan of his movement was "Todo por y para Vigo" (All for and to Vigo), which eventually found support amongst the managers of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Club Fortuna de Vigo. It was backed unanimously when De Castro himself presented the motion at the assembly of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in Madrid, on 22 June 1923.

On 12 July 1923, at the AGM's of Vigo and Fortuna held at the Odeon Theatre and in the Hotel Moderno, respectively, the merger was approved. Thus the "Team of Galicia" was born, as it was dubbed. In the last AGM of Fortuna and Vigo to approve the formation of a new club held on 10 August 1923, the members decided upon the team's name. Various names were suggested:

  • Real Unión de Vigo
  • Club Galicia
  • Real Atlántic
  • Breogán
  • Real Club Olimpico

The last name was popular but they eventually decided on Real Club Celta, an ethnic race linked to Galicia (see Celts). The first president of Celta was Manuel Bárcena de Andrés, the Count of Torre Cedeira. At this AGM, the squad was also decided, which numbered 64 players in total, that included some notable players from both Fortuna and Vigo:

  • Goalkeepers: Isidro, Lilo and Rubido
  • Defenders: Otero, Pasarín, Juanito Clemente, Daniel y Kaíto
  • Midfielders: Jacobo Torres, Balbino, Queralt, Hermida, Pombo, Cruces, Córdoba, Máximo y Bienvenido
  • Forwards: Reigosa, Chiarroni, Posada, Polo, Correa, Gerardito, Ramón González, Caride, Pinilla, Salvador, Chicha, Miguelito y Casal.
  • Manager: Francis Cuggy

[edit] EuroCelta

The late 1990s (1997—2001) saw the best results in Celta's history, in which they managed to consolidate themselves as a top-six league side, culminating in 2001-02, when they did not fall below sixth the whole season. They were dubbed EuroCelta by the Spanish press. In February 2001 the IFFHS declared Celta the best team of the world during that period, as a consequence of the fantastic results. The most important players during that period were Alexander Mostovoi, Valery Karpin and Haim Revivo. The squad counted also with other international players such as the goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero, the midfielder Claude Makelele, the winger Gustavo López or the strikers Catanha and Benny McCarthy, among others.

[edit] Decline

Celta had a dramatic reversal of fortune in 2003—04. The previous season, they finished fourth in the league, putting them in the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Celta entered the group phase after eliminating Slavia Praga, and eventually reached the last 16 before being knocked out by Arsenal. However, their domestic form was disastrous, and they finished second to the last in La Liga, so they were relegated to the second level. Although their squad was heavily dismantled, they earned a return to the top flight at the first attempt, after finishing second in in 2004-05's Segunda.

In the 2005-06 season, they finished sixth earning a return once more to the UEFA Cup. They made it to the last 16 in that competition as well, before losing to Werder Bremen.

In the 2006—07 season, Celta finished in 18th position and were relegated to Segunda División. At the end of June 2007, Celta avoided going into administration. However, if an agreement was not put in place between the club and its creditors within three months, then courts would declare the liquidation of the club’s assets.

Due to the huge debt, the club was forced to sell many players and make tremendous cuts in the club's finances. Since then, they have been relying mainly in the reserves team, combined with some inexpensive signings. During the first three seesons in Segunda División the club struggled hard to avoid relegation, amid fears of the club's disappearance. This was a period of high inestability, with constant changes of managers and players. In the season 2010-2011, the signings of the striker David Rodríguez, the winger Enrique de Lucas and the manager Paco Herrera turned the situation and the club finished 6º, performing a fantastic season and qualifying for the promotion. Nevertheless, they were eliminated in the first knockout by Granada CF on the penalty shootout, after an aggregate of 1-1.

[edit] Colours & badge

Red jersey, black shorts, and white socks with blue trim
Celta Vigo's original home colours (1923).

Celta Vigo's original team strip consisted of a red shirt, black shorts and blue socks. This was later changed at an unknown date to the traditional sky blue and white strip - representative of the Galician flag.

Like many other Galician clubs, such as Racing de Ferrol, the club badge is based on the red cross of Santiago (St. James). On top of the cross sits a sky blue shield with two letter Cs (Club Celta). In 1923 Celta became one of several Spanish football clubs that were granted patronage by the Spanish crown and thus entitled to use Real (Royal) in their names and the royal crown on their badge. This right was granted to Celta by Alfonso XIII and the club subsequently became known as Real Club Celta de Vigo. During the Spanish Second Republic (1931—1936) the title Real was removed from the club's name and the royal crown was taken off the club crest, however it was to return under the Spanish State.

[edit] Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Celta Vigo have the longest-running sponsorship deal in Spanish football. Going back to the 1985-86[2] season, Citroën, the biggest employer in Vigo, and in Galicia, has been their official shirt sponsor. Their business deal with kit supplier, Umbro, is also one of the longest-running ones - Umbro's regional headquarters are based in nearby Redondela.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner
1982–1986 Adidas None
1986–2010 Umbro Citroën
2010– Li-Ning

[edit] Club anthem

  • Download in mp3 format:

Galician: [1] Castilian: [2]

Other popular songs sung by the celtistas are A Rianxeira, O Miudiño, and the Foliada Celeste.

[edit] Rivalry

Celta Vigo's biggest rivals are their northern neighbours Deportivo La Coruña. Matches between the two teams are known as the Galician derby.

Teams P W D L F A
vs Deportivo 64 24 16 24 82 91

[edit] Seasons

[edit] Recent seasons

Season Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Europe Notes
1997/98 1D 6 38 17 9 12 54 47 60
1998/99 1D 5 38 17 13 8 69 41 64 UC quarter-final
1999/00 1D 7 38 15 8 15 45 43 53 UC quarter-final
2000/01 1D 6 38 16 11 11 51 49 59 Final UC quarter-final UI: winner
2001/02 1D 5 38 16 12 10 64 46 60 2nd round UC 2nd round
2002/03 1D 4 38 17 10 11 45 36 61 2nd round UC 3rd round
2003/04 1D 19 38 9 12 17 48 68 39 Quarter-final ECL last 16 relegated
2004/05 2D 2 42 22 10 10 55 38 76 2nd round promoted
2005/06 1D 6 38 20 4 14 45 33 64 Last 16
2006/07 1D 18 38 10 9 19 40 59 39 Round of 32 UC last 16 Relegated to 2ª División
2007/08 2D 16 42 13 13 16 56 55 52 2nd round
2008/09 2D 17 42 10 17 14 46 56 48 Round of 32
2009/10 2D 12 42 13 13 16 38 44 52 Quarter-final

[edit] Season to season

Season Division Place Copa del Rey
1929 9th
1930/31 1st
1931/32 9th
1932/33 7th
1933/34 4th
1934/35 1st
1935/36 1st
1939/40 10th
1940/41 10th
1941/42 5th
1942/43 5th
1943/44 14th
1944/45 3rd
1945/46 10th
1946/47 9th
1947/48 4th
1948/49 11th
1949/50 7th
1950/51 8th
Season Division Place Copa del Rey
1951/52 9th
1952/53 13th
1953/54 10th
1954/55 11th
1955/56 10th
1956/57 13th
1957/58 7th
1958/59 16th
1959/60 2nd
1960/61 2nd
1961/62 6th
1962/63 6th
1963/64 9th
1964/65 5th
1965/66 2nd
1966/67 3rd
1967/68 3rd
1968/69 2nd
1969/70 10th
Season Division Place Copa del Rey
1970/71 6th
1971/72 10th
1972/73 15th
1973/74 12th
1974/75 17th
1975/76 2nd
1976/77 17th
1977/78 3rd
1978/79 16th
1979/80 17th
1980/81 2ªB 1st
1981/82 1st
1982/83 17th
1983/84 6th
1984/85 3rd
1985/86 18th
1986/87 1st
1987/88 7th
1988/89 8th
1989/90 19th
1990/91 14th
Season Division Place Copa del Rey
1991/92 1st
1992/93 11th
1993/94 15th
1994/95 13th
1995/96 11th
1996/97 16th
1997/98 6th
1998/99 5th
1999/00 7th
2000/01 6th
2001/02 5th
2002/03 4th
2003/04 19th
2004/05 2nd
2005/06 6th
2006/07 18th
2007/08 16th
2008/09 17th
2009/10 12th
2010/11 6th Second Round
2011/12

[edit] Current squad

The numbers are established according to the official website:www.celtavigo.net and www.lfp.es

As of 31 August 2011.

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

No. Position Player
1 Spain GK Sergio Álvarez
2 Spain DF Hugo Mallo
3 Spain DF Roberto Lago
4 Spain MF Borja Oubiña (captain)
5 Venezuela DF Andrés Túñez
6 Spain MF Jonathan Vila
7 Spain MF Dani Abalo
9 Spain FW Mario Bermejo
10 Spain MF Iago Aspas
13 Spain GK Yoel
14 Spain MF Cristian Bustos
No. Position Player
15 Spain DF Oier
16 Spain DF Carlos Bellvís
17 Spain FW Joan Tomás
18 Spain FW David Rodríguez
19 Chile FW Fabián Orellana (on loan from Granada)
20 Spain MF Toni
21 Spain MF Álex López
22 Spain MF Quique de Lucas
23 Spain DF Sergio Ortega
24 Spain DF David Català
25 Spain MF Natxo Insa

[edit] Club Records

  • Most league goals – 107, Hermidita (1945–55)
  • Most Primera Division league goals
  • Most goals in a season
  • Most league appearances – 235, Mostovoi (1996-04)
  • Current player with most league appearances
  • Biggest win and biggest home win – 10-1 (v. Gimnastic Tarragona, October 23, 1949)
  • Biggest away win – 0-5 (v. Hercules, March 2, 1941)
  • Biggest defeat and biggest away defeat – 10-0 (v. Athletic Bilbao, January 11, 1944)
  • Most Home points in a season -
  • Most Away points in a season - 18 (2006–07)
  • Record transfer fee paid - £7.4 million, Catanha from Málaga CF
  • Record transfer fee received - £11 million, Michel Salgado to Real Madrid CF

[edit] Top goalscorers

[edit] Internationals

Number of capped players (with Spain) - 21

[edit] Club Officials

President Spain Carlos Mouriño
Vice Presidents Spain Ricardo Barros Hermida, Jesús García García & Raúl López López
Director of Football Spain Miguel Torrecilla
Director of Youth Teams Spain Antonio Otero
Club Delegate Spain José Ricardo Fernández
Administrative Director Spain María José Herbón
Head of PR Spain José Carlos Bastos
Head coach Spain Paco Herrera
Assistant coach Spain Carlos Hugo García Bayón
Fitness coaches Spain Gerardo Izaguirre
Goalkeeping coach Spain Patxi Villanueva

[edit] Celta Vigo B

Celta de Vigo B is Celta's youth team. It was founded in 1990 and plays in Group I of the Segunda División B.

[edit] Honours

[edit] Regional

  • Campeonato de Galicia [3]
    • Winners (6): 1923-24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1933–34
  • Campeonato Astur-Gallego
    • Winners (1): 1934-35
  • Copa Xunta de Galicia
    • Winners (1): 2007, 2008

[edit] Domestic

[edit] European

[edit] Friendly

[edit] Individual

[edit] Pichichi

[edit] Zamora

[edit] Further reading

  • González Villar, Celso (in Galician). Albores do fútbol Vigues. 
  • Cros, Jaime (1973) (in Spanish). El Celta y la Liga. Murcia: APANDA de Artes Gráficas, S.A.. ISBN 8460558517. 
  • Cros, Jaime (1974) (in Spanish). Celta 74. 
  • Álvarez, Eugenio (2004) (in Spanish). A historia do Celta (1992-2004). Vigo. pp. 272. 
  • Ball, Phil (2001). "Raining Champions". Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football. Kings Lynn, England: WSC Books. pp. 165–181. ISBN 0954013468. 

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

1.^ Carlos Mouriño is the majority shareholder, with 35%, and as such is the club president.

[edit] External links

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