THE club from Spain’s fifth-largest city have been playing at LaLiga SmartBank level for almost a decade, yet boasts a glorious past. Here come five things you may not know about the club.
Real Zaragoza may not have played at LaLiga Santander level since 2013, but the team from the city of the same name boast a glorious past and is one of the most successful clubs in the history of Spanish football. Los Blanquillos – a nickname which refers to their white shirts – was founded in 1932 and have achieved a lot in its 91 years of history. Some of their most interesting stories are outlined in the five facts you’ll find below.
Many football legends have called Zaragoza home, from Rijkaard to Cafu to Piqué
Some of the very best footballers in history have spent time playing in the white shirt and blue shorts of Real Zaragoza. Among these superstars who spent time at the Estadio La Romareda during their careers are: Jorge Valdano (1979 to 1984), Frank Rijkaard (1987 to 1988), José Luis Chilavert (1988 to 1991), Andreas Brehme (1992 to 1993), Cafu (1995), Fernando Morientes (1995 to 1997), David Villa (2003 to 2005) and Gerard Piqué (2006 to 2007).
Real Zaragoza has won many trophies
Given that Los Blanquillos haven’t won any silverware since 2004, many may have forgotten that they used to win trophies quite regularly. Real Zaragoza have six Copa del Rey titles to their name, which they won in 1963/64, 1965/66, 1985/86, 1993/94, 2000/01 and 2003/04. That makes them the sixth most successful club in that tournament’s history. While they have never won LaLiga Santander, they did win the second division, currently known as LaLiga SmartBank, in 1977/78. And, they’ve also won the 2004 Spanish Super Cup and even two continental trophies, the 1963/64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and the 1994/95 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Real Zaragoza’s fixed colours for their alternative shirts
Real Zaragoza’s home kit is a white shirt with blue shorts and that is the same every season. Yet, the club also have fixed away colours that they try to factor into their alternative kits every year to pay tribute to the clubs that merged together in 1932 to form the Real Zaragoza that we know today. One of their alternative kits is known as the ‘wasp’ kit and this is yellow and black, which were the colours of Iberia SC. The other is the ‘tomato’ kit, which is red like the colours of Zaragoza CD. In the 2022/23 season, for example, the ‘wasp’ kit is the second uniform and the ‘tomato’ one is the third kit.
Real Zaragoza has the most fans of all LaLiga SmartBank clubs
During the 2022/23 season, Real Zaragoza surpassed the 25,000 season ticket holders mark, an impressive achievement considering they’re playing in Spanish football’s second tier. No other club in LaLiga SmartBank has that many season ticket holders, making Los Blanquillos the best-supported team in the division. When you consider that Zaragoza is Spain’s fifth-largest city in terms of population, the scale of this club and its potential becomes even clearer.
The tradition of deep goal nets
If you watch a match at the Estadio La Romareda, you’ll quickly realise that the goal nets are very deep. They go several metres back, creating a very unique and aesthetically pleasing experience when the ball crosses the line and smashes into the net. Deep goal nets were common several decades ago before most clubs opted for designs with less material, but Real Zaragoza kept their deep goal nets and it has become something of a tradition.
