Real Unión

Real Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Irun, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country, in the province of Gipuzkoa, near the border with France. Founded on 15 May 1915 it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 2, holding home matches at the 5,000-seater Stadium Gal.[2] Real Union was one of the founding members of La Liga in 1929. The club spent four seasons in the Spanish elite, suffering relegation in 1932. Real is yet to return to the top tier, spending the rest of its history bouncing between the second and fourth tiers of Spanish football.

Real Unión
Full nameReal Unión Club de Irún, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)Txuri-beltz (White-black)
Founded15 May 1915 (1915-05-15)
GroundGal, Irun,
Basque Country, Spain
Capacity5,000[1]
ChairmanRicardo García
ManagerAlberto Iturralde
League2ªB – Group 2
2019–202ªB – Group 2, 17th

History

Real Unión were among the early pioneering Spanish football teams and, along with fellow Basque clubs Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Arenas Club de Getxo were founding members of La Liga, in 1928.

The club was formed in 1915 following the merger of Irún Sporting Club and Racing Club de Irún. The former was founded in 1902 as Irún Foot-Ball Club, changing its name in 1907. The latter, formed in 1908, had already won the 1913 Copa del Rey, beating Athletic Bilbao 1–0 in a replayed final.

Real Unión squad of 1916.

The club was briefly known as Unión Club Irún before Alfonso XIII gave the club royal approval. During the Second Spanish Republic the club reverted to this name. Real Unión subsequently won the Copa del Rey a further three times, beating Real Madrid in 1918 and again in 1924 (with former Derby County and England Striker Steve Bloomer acting as their coach). In 1927 they defeated Arenas Getxo in the only all-Basque final to date. In 1922 they were runners-up, losing 5–1 to FC Barcelona. The club were relegated from La Liga in 1932.

In 1920, when Spain made their international debut at the Olympic Games, the club provided the squad with three players—Egiazabal, Vázquez and Arabolaza. Another Real Unión player, René Petit, took part in the same Olympic Games with France. In the 70s and 80s, Spanish internationals Javier Irureta and Roberto López Ufarte began their career with the club.

On 11 November 2008, in the 2008–09 Copa del Rey against Real Madrid, Real Unión lost 3–4 at the Santiago Bernabéu, but secured a famous aggregate victory following a 3–2 home victory in the first leg (away goals rule). It was the first time in history that Real Madrid were eliminated by a Segunda División B team at home.[3]

The club finally returned to the Segunda División after a 44-year absence, successively defeating CE Sabadell FC (2–1 aggregate) and AD Alcorcón (3–1) in the 2008–09 promotion play-offs. However, it would be a short-lived return, as the team was immediately relegated, after ranking 21st.

Season to season

Real Union squad of 1931.
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1928/29 1 9th
1929/30 1 6th
1930/31 1 7th
1931/32 1 10th
1932/33 2 10th
1933/34 2 8th
1934/35 2 5th
1935/36 2 8th
1939/40 2 3rd
1940/41 2 9th
1941/42 2 8th
1943/44 3 10th
1944/45 3 9th
1945/46 3 10th
1946/47 3 5th
1947/48 3 5th
1948/49 3 10th
1949/50 3 17th
1950/51 3 17th
1951/52 4 Regional 12th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1952/53 4 Regional 3rd
1953/54 4 Regional 6th
1954/55 4 Regional 5th
1955/56 4 Regional 4th
1956/57 3 12th
1957/58 3 1st
1958/59 2 16th
1959/60 3 2nd
1960/61 3 5th
1961/62 3 4th
1962/63 3 2nd
1963/64 3 1st
1964/65 2 16th
1965/66 3 7th
1966/67 3 2nd
1967/68 3 4th
1968/69 3 2nd
1969/70 3 6th
1970/71 3 14th
1971/72 3 19th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1972/73 4 Regional 2nd
1973/74 4 Regional 3rd
1974/75 3 12th
1975/76 3 4th
1976/77 3 7th
1977/78 3 2ªB 10th
1978/79 3 2ªB 17th
1979/80 4 14th
1980/81 4 9th
1981/82 4 6th
1982/83 4 8th
1983/84 4 4th
1984/85 4 8th
1985/86 4 12th
1986/87 4 8th
1987/88 4 5th
1988/89 4 6th
1989/90 4 5th
1990/91 4 16th
1991/92 4 1st
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1992/93 4 1st
1993/94 3 2ªB 14th
1994/95 3 2ªB 5th
1995/96 3 2ªB 5th
1996/97 3 2ªB 11th
1997/98 3 2ªB 18th
1998/99 4 3rd
1999/00 3 2ªB 16th
2000/01 3 2ªB 9th
2001/02 3 2ªB 6th
2002/03 3 2ªB 1st
2003/04 3 2ªB 12th Second round
2004/05 3 2ªB 2nd
2005/06 3 2ªB 5th Third round
2006/07 3 2ªB 4th Second round
2007/08 3 2ªB 5th Round of 32
2008/09 3 2ªB 1st Round of 16
2009/10 2 21st
2010/11 3 2ªB 4th Round of 32
2011/12 3 2ªB 14th First round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2012/13 3 2ªB 8th
2013/14 3 2ªB 15th
2014/15 3 2ªB 4th
2015/16 3 2ªB 5th First round
2016/17 3 2ªB 7th First round
2017/18 3 2ªB 13th First round
2018/19 3 2ªB 16th
2019/20 3 2ªB 17th

Honours

International

  • Tournoi de Pâques de l’Olympique de Pantin
Winners: 1922[5]
  • Tournoi de Pentecôte de Paris Football Latin
Winners: 1923[5]
  • Tournoi "Stade Buffalo" de Paris
Runners-up: 1930[6]

Notes

  1. As Racing de Irún
  2. Third tier
  3. Not promoted in play-offs
  4. Promoted in play-offs
  5. Third tier
  6. Promoted in play-offs
  7. Promoted in play-offs
  8. Fourth tier
  9. Not promoted in play-offs
  10. Promoted in play-offs

Famous players

Note: players that have reached international status.

Category:Real Unión footballers

Former coaches

References

  1. "Stadium Gal - Real Union - Irun - The Stadium Guide". Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. "Stadium Gal". Real Unión Club (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  3. "El Real Unión de Irún elimina al Real Madrid de la Copa del Rey pese a Raúl (4–3)" [Real Unión of Irún ousts Real Madrid from the Spanish Cup in spite of Raúl (4–3)] (in Spanish). 20 Minutos. 11 November 2008. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  4. "Spain - List of Champions of Norte". RSSSF. 21 January 2000. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  5. "International Tournaments (Paris) 1904-1935". www.rsssf.com.
  6. "Tournoi "Stade Buffalo" de Paris 1931". www.rsssf.com.
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