RCD Espanyol

Daniel Sánchez Llibre | manager = Ernesto Valverde | league = La Liga |

 season = 2005-06 |

position = La Liga, 15th |

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RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (Catalan: Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona) is a Spanish sports club based in Barcelona. It is best known for its football team. Espanyol play in the Estadi Lluís Companys, site of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The stadium, which seats 56,000 spectators, is also known as Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc. They won the Copa del Rey in 1929, 1940, 2000 and 2006. Despite being overshadowed by FC Barcelona, they are the sixth most successful football team in Spain.

History

Foundation

The team was founded on 28 October, 1900 by Angel Rodriguez, an engineering student at Universitat de Barcelona. Its original home was in the district of Sarrià, the same as their local rivals, FC Barcelona. The club was initially known as the Sociedad Española de Football. It was the first in Spain to be formed by Spanish fans of the game as opposed to foreigners who formed other clubs such as FC Barcelona.

The club originally played in bright yellow shirts, the colour of the shorts been 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. By 1901, however they were playing in white shirts and blue shorts and were known as Club Español de Futbol. The club did well from the start, winning the Campionat de Catalunya in 1903 and subsequently playing in the Copa del Rey.

Development of the Club 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 naval hero for Catalonia.

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 King 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 a republic, clubs dropped the Real from their name. During the time of the Second Spanish Republic 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 finally adopted its current Catalan language name in February 1995, although the word "Deportiu" in Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona does not actually exist in Catalan and was invented in order to maintain the acronym RCD. The correct word would have been "Esportiu".

Other Information

In 1928 the club 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.

Espanyol has never qualified for the Champions League or the now-defunct Cup Winners Cup in its history. It has qualified nine times for the UEFA Cup (including the 2006-07 qualification following the 2006 Copa del Rey 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).

Trophies

Football

* Copa del Rey
** 1928/29, 1939/40, 1999/00, 2005/06: 4
* Campionats de Catalunya
** 1903 , 1903-04, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1911-12, 1914-15, 1917-18, 1928-29, 1932-33, 1936-37, 1939-40: 12
*Copa Catalunya
**1994-95, 1995-96, 1998-99: 3

Women's Football

*Liga España
** 2005/06
*Copa de la Reina
** 2005/06

Men's Basketball

*Copa de España
** 1941: 1

Women's Basketball

*Copa De España
** 1943: 1
*Lliga Catalana EBA
** 1981: 1

Hockey

* Copas de España
**1944, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1961, 1962: 11

Women's Volleyball

*Liga España
** 1985, 1988, 1991: 3
*Copas de España
** 1985, 1986, 1990, 1992: 4

*7 Participations on UEFA Cup
*2 Participations on Intertoto Cup
*70 seasons on La Liga
*4 seasons on Segunda División

Current squad 2006/07

The numbers are established according to the official website: www.rcdespanyol.com and www.lfp.es

As of February 1 2006''

Squad changes during 2006/07 season

In:
* Riera - Return From Manchester City F.C.
* Moha Signed From CA Osasuna
* Jonathan Soriano - Return From UD Almería
* Lacruz - Signed From Athletic de Bilbao
* Francisco Rufete - Signed From Valencia CF
* Jônatas - Signed From Clube de Regatas do Flamengo

Out:
* Lopo - Transferred To Deportivo de La Coruña
* Pochettino - Retired
* Juanfran - Return To Real Madrid Castilla
* Domi - Transferred To Olympiacos
* Jordi Cruyff - Transferred To Metalurh Donetsk
* Jofre - Transferred To Real Murcia

Statistics 2005/06

La Liga	Position	Pts	P	W	D	L	F	A
RCD Espanyol	15	41	38	10	11	17	36	56

*Top Scorers:
**Luis Garcia - 10 goals
**Tamudo - 10 goals
**Fredson - 4 goals
*Top Goalkeepers
**Iraizoz - 34 goals In 21 Matchs
**Kameni - 22 goals In 17 Matchs

RCD Espanyol: Encyclopedia BETA

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