RC Celta de Vigo

Campo de Coia (1908–1928)

Real Club Celta de Vigo vs S.C. Braga in 1945

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, known as "Handicap", a sports writer for the Faro de Vigo who, from 1915, began 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 among 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 annual general meetings (AGMs) 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 suggested include "Real Unión de Vigo", "Club Galicia", "Real Atlántic", "Breogán" and "Real Club Olimpico". The latter name was popular, but they eventually decided on "Real Club Celta", an ethnic race linked to Galicia. 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 and included some notable players from both Fortuna and Vigo, and managed by Francis Cuggy.

In 1947–48, Celta ranked a joint-best 4th (with 2003) and reached the Copa del Generalísimo Final, where they lost 4–1 to Sevilla FC. Local striker Pahiño, who took the Pichichi Trophy for 21 goals in 22 games that season, subsequently moved to Real Madrid.[2]

Celta de Vigo supporters before a game

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Celta were dubbed "EuroCelta" by the Spanish press as a result of their European exploits . This included a 4–1 aggregate win against Liverpool in a run to the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup.[3] In the next season's edition they again reached the last eight, with a 4–0 second leg win over Juventus and a 7–0 home win against Benfica (8–1 aggregate).[4] Domestically, the team reached the 2001 Copa del Rey Final, losing 3–1 to Real Zaragoza in Seville.[5]

Key players during the period included Alexander Mostovoi, Valery Karpin and Haim Revivo, though the squad also relied upon other international players as well, such as goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero; defender and future coach Eduardo Berizzo, midfielders Claude Makélélé and Mazinho; winger Gustavo López; and strikers Catanha and Lyuboslav Penev, amongst others.

In 2002–03, Celta came 4th under Miguel Ángel Lotina (joint best with 1948) and qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. They went out in the last 16 to Arsenal 5–2 on aggregate.[6] Domestically that year, the team came 19th and suffered relegation to the Segunda División.[7] Although the squad was heavily dismantled following the demotion, Celta earned an immediate return to the top flight after finishing second in 2004–05.[8]

In 2006–07, Celta finished in 18th and were once again relegated to the Segunda División. The team subsequently fought against relegation to the third tier, and the risk of bankruptcy.[9] This trend was bucked in the 2010–11 season, when new striker David Rodríguez, winger Enrique de Lucas and manager Paco Herrera helped them finish sixth. They were eliminated in the first knockout round by Granada after a penalty shootout, the game having finished 1–1 in 90 minutes.[10]

Celta playing local rivals Deportivo de La Coruña on 27 October 2012

On 3 June 2012, Celta returned to La Liga after a five-year absence.[11] In their first season back, they avoided relegation to the Segunda División on the final day after beating RCD Espanyol 1–0 to ensure a 17th-place finish.[12]

Under "EuroCelta" veteran Eduardo Berizzo in 2015–16, Celta came 6th for their best result in a decade and earned a spot in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League.[13] In their return to European competitions, Celta reached the semi-finals of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, where they were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual champions Manchester United.[14]

Celta's original crest was rather simple, featuring a red shield with two stylised letter Cs (Club Celta) and the royal crown of Spain; in the year of its foundation the club became one of a number of Spanish football clubs that were granted patronage by Alfonso XIII and thus entitled to use the honorific real (Royal) in their names and the crown on their badge. The following year the shield's colour was changed to the traditional sky blue colour. Like many other Galician clubs, such as Compostela and Racing Ferrol, the crest also features the red cross of Saint James which was added in 1928.[15][16][17] During the Spanish Second Republic (1931–1936), the honorific title and crown were removed from the club's name and crest; however, it was to return under the Spanish State.

Celta's home colours are sky blue and white. Originally, their home strip consisted of a red shirt, black shorts and blue socks. This was later changed at an unknown date to the current colours, representative of the Galician flag.

1923-1924

Current

Celta had the longest-running sponsorship deal in Spanish football, and one of the longest-running in the world, with the French automobile manufacturer Citroën from 1985 to 2016. The company established its plant within walking distance from Balaídos in 1958, and first sponsored the club's women's basketball team in 1980. In 2016, the sponsor was changed to that of Galician brewery, Estrella Galicia, which had advertised on the back of the shirts since 2011.[18] Their business deal with kit supplier, Umbro, was also one of the longest-running ones, from 1986 to 2010.[19]

As of 1 February 2021[20]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ESP Iván Villar 2 DF  ESP Hugo Mallo (captain) 3 DF  ESP David Costas 4 DF  MEX Néstor Araujo 6 MF  ESP Denis Suárez 8 MF  ESP Fran Beltrán 9 FW  ESP Nolito 10 FW  ESP Iago Aspas (vice-captain) 11 FW  TUR Emre Mor 12 FW  ARG Facundo Ferreyra 13 GK  ESP Rubén Blanco 14 MF  PER Renato Tapia

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  ESP Jorge Sáenz (on loan from Valencia) 17 DF  ESP David Juncà 18 DF  GHA Joseph Aidoo 19 DF  ESP Aarón Martín (on loan from Mainz 05) 20 DF  ESP Kevin 21 MF  ARG Augusto Solari 22 FW  ESP Santi Mina 23 MF  ESP Brais Méndez 24 DF  COL Jeison Murillo (on loan from Sampdoria) 25 GK  ESP Sergio Álvarez (3rd captain) 27 MF  ESP Miguel Baeza

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

No. Pos. Nation Player 26 GK  ESP Iago Domínguez 28 DF  ESP Diego Pampín 29 DF  ESP José Fontán 31 MF  ESP Gabri Veiga 32 FW  ESP Miguel Rodríguez 34 DF  ESP Sergio Carreira

No. Pos. Nation Player 35 MF  ESP Raúl Blanco 36 FW  ESP Alfon (on loan from Albacete) 39 MF  SCO Jordan Holsgrove 38 FW  URU Lautaro De León 40 DF  ESP Carlos Domínguez

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

No. Pos. Nation Player — GK  ESP Ruly (at Unionistas until 30 June 2021) — MF  ESP Jozabed (at Málaga until 30 June 2021) — FW  ESP Álvaro Vadillo (at Espanyol until 30 June 2021)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  TUR Okay Yokuşlu (at West Bromwich until 30 June 2021) — FW  URU Gabriel Fernández (at Zaragoza until 30 June 2021) — FW  ESP Juan Hernández (at Sabadell until 30 June 2021)

As of 30 December 2020[21]

• Most league goals – 144, Iago Aspas (2008–2013, 2015–present)[22]
• Most Primera División league goals – 110, Iago Aspas (2012–2013, 2015–present)[22]
• Most goals in a season – 69, (1998–99)
• Most league appearances – 432, Manolo (1966–1982)
• Current player with most league appearances – 221, Hugo Mallo
• Biggest win and biggest home win – 10–1 (v. Gimnàstic, 23 October 1949)
• Biggest away win – 6–1 (v. Athletic Bilbao, 24 March 2002)
• Biggest defeat and biggest away defeat – 10–0 (v. Athletic Bilbao, 11 January 1942)
• Most home points in a season – 46 (1997–98)[23]
• Most away points in a season – 25 (2001–02 and 2002–03)[24][25]
• Record transfer fee paid – €13.5 million, Catanha from Málaga (summer 2000)
• Record transfer fee received – €21 million, Stanislav Lobotka to Napoli (winter 2020)

As of 30 December 2020[21]

Appearances # Name Matches Years 1 Manolo 484 1966–1982 2 Hugo Mallo 380 2009– 3 Iago Aspas 363 2008–2013, 2015– 4 Atilano 347 1982–1994 5 Juan 331 1969–1980 Maté 1981–1993 7 Vicente Álvarez 320 1979–1996 8 Castro 303 1970–1980 9 Gustavo López 295 1999–2007 10 Alexander Mostovoi 290 1996–2004

Goals # Name Goals Years 1 Iago Aspas 161 2008–2013, 2015– 2 Hermidita 113 1945–1956 3 Vladimir Gudelj 105 1991–1999 4 Abel Fernández 92 1965–1970 5 Pahiño 91 1943–1948 6 Pichi Lucas 73 1981–1990 7 Mauro 72 1953–1958 Alexander Mostovoi 1996–2004 9 Francisco Roig 66 1940–1949 10 Juan Aretio 62 1943–1954

Carlos Mouriño is the current club president.

The Mexican-Spanish businessman Carlos Mouriño has been the plurality shareholder since May 2006 when he acquired Horacio Gómez's 39.84% shareholding in the club. He currently owns 52.26% of the club through the holding company Grupo Corporativo Ges, S.L.[26]

• Segunda División

Winners: 1935–36, 1981–82, 1991–92

Runners-up (7): 1959–60, 1960–61, 1965–66, 1968–69, 1975–76, 2004–05, 2011–12

• Segunda División B

Winners: 1980–81

• Tercera División

Winners: 1930–31

• Copa del Rey

Runners-up: 1947–48, 1993–94, 2000–01

• UEFA Intertoto Cup

Winners: 2000

• Galician Championship[29]

Winners (6): 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1933–34

• Asturian-Galician Championship (Galician Group)

Winners: 1934–35[30]

• Galician Cup[lower-alpha 1]

Winners: 2006–07,[31] 2007–08[32]

• Trofeo Federación Galega

Winners: 2014[33]

• Copa Comunidad Gallega

Winners: 2016[34]

• Trofeo Cidade de Vigo[35]

Winners (21): 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012

• Trofeo Memorial Quinocho[36]

Winners (19): 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016

• Trofeo Luis Otero[37][38]

Winners (13): 1965, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2014

• Trofeo Emma Cuervo[39]

Winners (9): 1954, 1961, 1968, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1997, 2010

• TIM Trophy

Winners: 2016[40]

• Teresa Herrera Trophy

Winners: 1999[41]

• Trofeo Xacobeo

Winners: 1999[42]

Celta score listed first.

Season	Round	Competition	Club	Home	Away	Aggregate
1971–72	UEFA Cup	First round	Aberdeen	0–2	0–1	0–3
1998–99	UEFA Cup	First round	Argeș Pitești	7–0	1–0	8–0
		Second round	Aston Villa	0–1	3–1	3–2
		Third round	Liverpool	3–1	1–0	4–1
		Quarter-finals	Marseille	1–2	0–0	1–2
1999–00	UEFA Cup	First round	Lausanne	4–0	2–3	6–3
		Second round	Aris	2–2	2–0	4–2
		Third round	Benfica	7–0	1–1	8–1
		Fourth round	Juventus	0–1	4–0	4–1
		Quarter-finals	Lens	0–0	1–2	1–2
2000	UEFA Intertoto Cup	Third round	Pelister	3–0	2–1	5–1
		Semi–finals	Aston Villa	1–0	2–1	3–1
		Finals	Zenit	2–1	2–2	4–3
2000–01	UEFA Cup	First round	Rijeka	0–0	1–0	1–0
		Second round	Red Star	0–1	3–0	3–1
		Third round	Shakhtar Donetsk	0–0	1–0	1–0
		Fourth round	Stuttgart	0–0	2–1	2–1
		Quarter-finals	Barcelona	3–2	1–2	4–4 (a)
2001–02	UEFA Cup	First round	Sigma Olomouc	4–0	3–4	7–4
		Second round	Slovan Liberec	3–1	0–3	3–4
2002–03	UEFA Cup	First round	Odense	2–0	0–1	2–1
		Second round	Viking	3–0	1–1	4–1
		Third round	Celtic	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
2003–04	UEFA Champions League	Third qualifying round	Slavia Prague	3–0	0–2	3–2
		Group H	Ajax	3–2	0–1	2nd
			Club Brugge	1–1	1–1
			Milan	0–0	2–1
		Round of 16	Arsenal	2–3	0–2	2–5
2006–07	UEFA Cup	First round	Standard Liège	1–0	3–0	4–0
		Group H	Eintracht Frankfurt	1–1	N/A	2nd
			Newcastle United	N/A	1–2
			Fenerbahçe	1–0	N/A
			Palermo	N/A	1–1
		Round of 32	Spartak Moscow	1–1	2–1	3–2
		Round of 16	Werder Bremen	0–1	0–2	0–3
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	Group G	Ajax	2–2	2–3	2nd
			Standard Liège	1–1	1–1
			Panathinaikos	2–0	2–0
		Round of 32	Shakhtar Donetsk	0–1	2–0	2–1
		Round of 16	Krasnodar	2–1	2–0	4–1
		Quarter-finals	Genk	3–2	1–1	4–3
		Semi-finals	Manchester United	0–1	1–1	1–2