(Football news) The Galician city of Vigo is home to RC Celta, one of the oldest football clubs in Spain. The Galician club will commemorate its centennial in the 2023–24 season. Here are five interesting facts about the squad, from the stadium move to the legends who have worn the emblem throughout its long history.
The move that took the team to Balaídos:
Real Fortuna and Vigo Sporting, two significant local clubs, merged to form RC Celta in 1923. From 1923 to 1928, RC Celta held its home games at Coia. However, the club was compelled to relocate to a new stadium as a result of the construction of a new tramway.
At that time, a group of supporters decided to buy the land on which Balados would eventually be built with the intention of giving the team a home that reflected the significance of the club’s aspirations. One of the first LALIGA EA SPORTS stadiums, it is now called as Abanca-Balados due to sponsorship.
The reason for the sky blue kits:
The sky blue that has come to represent the Vigo team was not always worn by RC Celta. The club’s first uniform, worn following the merging of Real Fortuna and Vigo Sporting, was red. Although director Juan Balio Ledo, one of the most significant figures in the club’s history, said the team could reflect the colors of the Galician flag, they ultimately chose to wear the same colors as the Spanish national team. Due to this, the team changed its look and began donning the distinctive light blue that has come to represent RC Celta.
The club legends:
Numerous significant individuals have appeared throughout the history of RC Celta, including Hugo Mallo, Aleksandr Mostovoi, Valeri Karpin, Gustavo López, and Javier Maté Berzal. Manolo, a defender from Pontevedra, played for the club from 1966–1967 to 1981–1982, staying with them long enough to play for them in the first division, second division, and Segunda B, playing 533 games in total.
However, there can only be one player with a record number of games played in the sky blue shirt. With 457 games played, Iago Aspas, the club’s all-time leading scorer, is in second position. The Bosnian Vladimir Gudelj is behind the Moaa player, who has 195 goals, in the scoring lists.
One Pichichi and three Zamora trophies:
RC Celta has never won the Spanish title, but their players have frequently appeared on the season’s honor roll. The club has won one Pichichi Trophy and three Zamora Trophies. Paho led the league in scoring during the 1947–48 season with 23 goals in 22 games, helping his team to an unprecedented fourth place finish in the rankings.
Three RC Celta goalkeepers have won the Zamora Trophy as the season’s top shot-stopper, which is relevant to goalkeeping. It was attained by Santi Caizares in 1992–1993, Pablo Cavallero in 2002–2003, and José Manuel Pinto in 2005–2006.
RC Celta were champions in Europe:
While the club’s trophy collection is primarily composed of regional awards because they have never taken home a Copa del Rey or LALIGA EA SPORTS trophy, RC Celta has won a European trophy. The Vigo team won the Intertoto Cup in 2000, earning a spot in the UEFA Cup as a result. The Galicians defeated the Macedonian team Pelister before defeating Aston Villa of England in the semifinals and Zenit St. Petersburg of Russia in the championship, with South African Benni McCarthy scoring the game’s winning goal.
Also read: Mohun Bagan rope in Sahal in exchange of defender Kotal
