Real Valladolid

Football club infobox
clubname = Real Valladolid


fullname = Real Valladolid
Club de Fútbol
nickname = "Pucela"
founded = 1928
ground = Estadio José Zorrilla,
Valladolid, Castilla-León,
Spain
capacity = 26,512
chairman = flagicon|Spain Carlos Suárez Sureda
manager = flagicon|Spain José Luis Mendilibar
league = La Liga
season = 2007-08
position = La Liga, 15^th
pattern_la1=_shouldersonwhite|pattern_b1=_whitevertical|pattern_ra1=_shouldersonwhite
leftarm1=800080|body1=800080|rightarm1=800080|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=FFFFFF
pattern_la2=|pattern_b2=|pattern_ra2=
leftarm2=800080|body2=800080|rightarm2=800080|shorts2=800080|socks2=800080

Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club. Formed on June 20, 1928, from the amalgamation of Real Unión Deportiva de Valladolid and Club Deportivo Español, it is currently playing in La Liga, after gaining promotion in season 2006-07.

The team plays in Valladolid from which it derives the nickname "Pucela". Their Home stadium is the Nuevo Estadio José Zorrilla, which seats 26,512 spectators.

History

Early history

The team first reached the "Primera División" in the 1947-48 season, as champions of the "Segunda". In the following year, the team pushed on from this success and reached the finals of the Copa del Rey in the Chamartín stadium against Athletic Bilbao, eventually losing 4-1.

The next ten years until 1957-58 were spent in the first division. Relegation was short-lived and Valladolid gained promotion in 1958-59 with 5-0 win over Terrasa under the trainer José Luis Saso, a legendary figure in the history of the team. He had originally been a goalkeeper for Valladolid, and he subsequently went on to perform many roles, ending up as president of the club.

Valladolid vacillated between the first and second divisions in the subsequent years, descending as low as third in 1970-71. Promoted La Liga for the 1992-1993 season, the team was again sent down after the 2003-2004 season.

Their highest position during their past stint in La Liga was 7th in 1996-97. Real Valladolid has also won the Spanish League Cup (a competition only played in the early 80s) once, in 1983.

The 2006/07 boom

In 2006-07, after signing Basque coach José Luis Mendilibar, the team performed one of their best years in history while playing in Liga BBVA. They took the lead in the 15th game and went on to finish with a Liga BBVA all-time high 88 points, and so win the championship by a total margin of 8 points, holding an advantage of 26 points over the non-promotion zone (fourth and worse), both being all-time records in the league. They also achieved the honour of staying unbeaten 27 games in a row, from October 10 2006 to May 6 2007. Real Valladolid got matematically promoted after outscoring Tenerife 0-2 on April 22 2007 (just the 34th day of the season), the earliest any club has achieved promotion in Spanish history.

It is remarkable too the role of Real Valladolid that same year in Copa del Rey, getting as far as quarter-finals after beating two top division teams: Nàstic (agg. 4-1) and 2006 Champions League contender Villarreal (agg. 3-1), while playing the whole competition with the reserve players.

Last 20 seasons

"see also cl|Real Valladolid footballers"

Famous coaches

* Esteban Platko, 1928-31, 1934-40
* Carlos Platko, 1941-43
* flagicon|France Helenio Herrera, 1948-49
* Heriberto Herrera, 1962
* Antoni Ramallets, 1962-63, 1965-66
* Emilio Aldecoa, 1966-67
* Enrique Orizaola, 1967-68, 1968-69
* Fernando Redondo, 1973-74, 1984-85, 1990, 1995
* Rafael Benítez, 1995-96
* flagicon|Chile Vicente Cantatore, 1985-86 to 1989-90, 1996-97
* José Luis Mendilibar, 2006-

External links

* [http://www.realvalladolid.es Real Valladolid Official Website]
* [http://www.blanquivioletas.com Real Valladolid Fans Website]
* [http://www.realvalladolid.tk Real Valladolid Fans Website]
* [http://www.pucelanos.com Real Valladolid Fans Website]