Real Unión

"Real Union" redirects here. For the political concept, see Real union.
Real Unión
logo
Full nameReal Unión Club, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)Txuri-beltz (White-black)
Founded15 May 1915; 109 years ago (1915-05-15)
GroundGal, Irun,
Basque Country, Spain
Capacity5,000[1]
OwnerUnai Emery
PresidentIgor Emery
Head coachMikel Llorente
LeaguePrimera Federación – Group 1
2023–24Primera Federación – Group 1, 15th of 20

Real Unión Club, 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 Primera División RFEF – Group 2, holding home matches at the 5,000-seater Stadium Gal.[2] Real Unión 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.

History

Real Unión squad of 1916.

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. The club was briefly known as Unión Club Irún before Alfonso XIII gave the club royal approval, but during the Second Spanish Republic the club reverted to this name.

Real Unión then won the Copa del Rey a further three times, beating Real Madrid in 1918[3] 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 first all-Basque final. The latter two finals both ended in 1–0 victories, with José Echeveste netting the winner on both occasions. In 1922 they were runners-up, losing 5–1 to FC Barcelona. In 1930 they participated in the Coupe des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, a predecessor of the UEFA Champions League since the champions of all major European football nations were invited, although it has never been entirely clear why Unión was invited as they had finished sixth in the 1929–30 La Liga. Nonetheless, they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Slavia Prague.[4] The club was relegated from La Liga in 1932.

In 1920, when Spain made their international debut at the Olympic Games, the club provided the squad with two players—Eguiazábal and Patricio, the latter scoring Spain's first-ever goal in international football in a 1–0 victory over Denmark on 28 August 1920.[5] 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.[6]

The club finally returned to the Segunda División in 2009 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.

After a season in the Spanish second division, the team was relegated to the third division. In the 2010/11 season, they finished fourth in their group and entered the promotion playoffs. They lost the playoff tiebreaker to Sevilla Atlético after winning the first match 2–1 but losing the second 3–0. The 2011/12 season was inconsistent for Real Unión, and they finished 14th in the league. They finished eighth in 2012/13, and despite financial struggles in 2013/14, they managed to avoid relegation to the fourth division by finishing 15th.

In the 2014/15 season, the team was back fighting for promotion in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they were knocked out in the first round by UCAM Murcia. Murcia scored the winning goal in extra time of the second match – the first game at Stadium Gal had been a 0–0 draw. Despite this disappointment, the team bounced back strong and won the Copa Federación on April 16, 2015, after beating Castellón in a two-game final.[7]

Season to season

Copa de España 1924 final, Real Unión 1–0 Real Madrid.
Real Unión squad of 1931
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1929 1 1ª 9th
1929–30 1 1ª 6th
1930–31 1 1ª 7th
1931–32 1 1ª 10th
1932–33 2 2ª 10th
1933–34 2 2ª 8th
1934–35 2 2ª 5th
1935–36 2 2ª 8th
1939–40 2 2ª 3rd
1940–41 2 2ª 9th
1941–42 2 2ª 8th
1942–43 3 1ª Reg. 7th
1943–44 3 3ª 10th
1944–45 3 3ª 9th
1945–46 3 3ª 10th
1946–47 3 3ª 5th
1947–48 3 3ª 5th
1948–49 3 3ª 10th
1949–50 3 3ª 17th
1950–51 3 3ª 17th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1951–52 4 1ª Reg. 12th
1952–53 4 1ª Reg. 3rd
1953–54 4 1ª Reg. 6th
1954–55 4 1ª Reg. 5th
1955–56 4 1ª Reg. 4th
1956–57 3 3ª 12th
1957–58 3 3ª 1st
1958–59 2 2ª 16th
1959–60 3 3ª 2nd
1960–61 3 3ª 5th
1961–62 3 3ª 4th
1962–63 3 3ª 2nd
1963–64 3 3ª 1st
1964–65 2 2ª 16th
1965–66 3 3ª 7th
1966–67 3 3ª 2nd
1967–68 3 3ª 4th
1968–69 3 3ª 2nd
1969–70 3 3ª 6th
1970–71 3 3ª 14th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1971–72 3 3ª 19th
1972–73 4 1ª Reg. 2nd
1973–74 4 1ª Reg. 3rd
1974–75 3 3ª 12th
1975–76 3 3ª 4th
1976–77 3 3ª 7th
1977–78 3 2ª B 10th
1978–79 3 2ª B 17th
1979–80 4 3ª 14th
1980–81 4 3ª 9th
1981–82 4 3ª 6th
1982–83 4 3ª 8th
1983–84 4 3ª 4th
1984–85 4 3ª 8th
1985–86 4 3ª 12th
1986–87 4 3ª 8th
1987–88 4 3ª 5th
1988–89 4 3ª 6th
1989–90 4 3ª 5th
1990–91 4 3ª 16th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1991–92 4 3ª 1st
1992–93 4 3ª 1st
1993–94 3 2ª B 14th
1994–95 3 2ª B 5th
1995–96 3 2ª B 5th
1996–97 3 2ª B 11th
1997–98 3 2ª B 18th
1998–99 4 3ª 3rd
1999–2000 3 2ª B 16th
2000–01 3 2ª B 9th
2001–02 3 2ª B 6th
2002–03 3 2ª B 1st
2003–04 3 2ª B 12th Second round
2004–05 3 2ª B 2nd
2005–06 3 2ª B 5th Third round
2006–07 3 2ª B 4th Second round
2007–08 3 2ª B 5th Round of 32
2008–09 3 2ª B 1st Round of 16
2009–10 2 2ª 21st
2010–11 3 2ª B 4th Round of 32
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2011–12 3 2ª B 14th First round
2012–13 3 2ª B 8th
2013–14 3 2ª B 15th
2014–15 3 2ª B 4th
2015–16 3 2ª B 5th First round
2016–17 3 2ª B 7th First round
2017–18 3 2ª B 13th First round
2018–19 3 2ª B 16th
2019–20 3 2ª B 17th
2020–21 3 2ª B 5th / 1st
2021–22 3 1ª RFEF 8th
2022–23 3 1ª Fed. 13th Second round
2023–24 3 1ª Fed. 15th
2024–25 3 1ª Fed.

Current squad

As of 29 August 2024.[8]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Spain ESP Txusta (captain)
2 DF Spain ESP Sergio Santos
3 DF Spain ESP José Carlos Márquez
4 DF Spain ESP Iñaki Olaortua
5 DF Spain ESP Javi Domínguez
6 DF Spain ESP Alberto Quintana
7 MF Spain ESP Aitor Aranzabe
8 MF Spain ESP Iker Bilbao
9 FW Spain ESP Asier Benito
10 MF Spain ESP Quique Rivero
11 FW Spain ESP Koldo Obieta
13 GK England ENG James Wright (on loan from Aston Villa)
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF Colombia COL Yeimar Mosquera (on loan from Aston Villa)
16 MF Spain ESP Ander Vidorreta
17 FW Spain ESP Alberto Cayarga
18 FW Spain ESP Alejandro Lozano (on loan from Sporting Gijón)
19 DF Spain ESP Victor Eimil
20 FW Spain ESP Sergio Benito
21 MF Spain ESP Víctor San Bartolomé
22 MF Spain ESP Daniel Garrido
24 DF England ENG Finley Munroe (on loan from Aston Villa)
25 FW Spain ESP Charlie Pérez
— FW Spain ESP Iván Ayllón

Reserve team

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 MF Spain ESP Ander Herrero
27 MF Spain ESP Erik Arregi
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 FW Spain ESP Aimar Blanco

Out of loan

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

No. Pos. Nation Player

Honours

International

  • Tournoi de Pâques de l'Olympique de Pantin
Winners: 1922[13]
  • Tournoi de Pentecôte de Paris Football Latin
Winners: 1923[13]
  • Tournoi "Stade Buffalo" de Paris
Runners-up: 1930[14]

Notes

  1. ^ Four titles counting the trophy won by Racing Club de Irún in 1913
  2. ^ Third tier
  3. ^ Not promoted in play-offs
  4. ^ Promoted in play-offs
  5. ^ a b Third tier
  6. ^ Promoted in play-offs
  7. ^ Promoted in play-offs
  8. ^ a b Fourth tier
  9. ^ Not promoted in play-offs
  10. ^ Promoted in play-offs

Notable former players

Category:Real Unión footballers

Former coaches

References

  1. ^ "Stadium Gal – Real Unión – Irun – The Stadium Guide". Retrieved 2020-01-19.
  2. ^ "Stadium Gal". Real Unión Club (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  3. ^ a b Diego García (6 November 2017). "El Real Unión campeón de 1918: histórico por una renuncia" [Real Unión champion of 1918: historic for a resignation] (in Spanish). Marca. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. ^ "1930 Coupe des Nations". RSSSF. 20 February 2009. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  5. ^ "Denmark 0 Spain 1". eu-football.info. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
  6. ^ "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. Archived from the original on 17 December 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2013.
  7. ^ Vasco, El Diario (2015-04-16). "El Real Unión engrandece su historia". El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2017-12-31. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  8. ^ "Primer equipo". Real Unión Club (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  9. ^ "TRACK RECORD - The team in white win their 20th Copa trophy. - LIST OF WINNERS OF THE SPANISH CHAMPIONSHIP - COPA DE SM EL REY". RFEF.es (RFEF official website). 7 May 2023. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  10. ^ Real Federación Española de Fútbol (March 2011). "Historial" (PDF). Revista Oficial de la R.F.E.F. p. 70. Archived from the original (pdf) on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  11. ^ Félix Martialay (2000). ¡¡¡Amberes!!! Allí nació la furia española [Antwerp!!! There the Spanish fury was born] (in Spanish). CIHEFE [es]. p. 168. ISBN 9788492109777. Archived from the original on 11 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Spain – List of Champions of Norte". RSSSF. 21 January 2000. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2018.
  13. ^ a b "International Tournaments (Paris) 1904-1935". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 2020-02-20. Retrieved 2023-02-02.
  14. ^ "Tournoi "Stade Buffalo" de Paris 1931". RSSSF.
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