Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (), also known as Racing de Santander () or simply Racing, is a football club based in
Santander,
Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes in
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
, the second tier of the
Spanish league system. It was founded in 1913. It holds home games at
Campos de Sport de El Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,222 spectators. It is one of the ten founding clubs of
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
.
History
Racing de Santander played its first match on 23 February 1913, losing 1–2 to neighbouring ''Strong''. It was officially founded on 14 June, as ''Santander Racing Club'', appearing in its first tournament during that summer (Luis Redonet Trophy) and being admitted to the
Northern Federation on 14 November, eventually
merging
Merge, merging, or merger may refer to:
Concepts
* Merge (traffic), the reduction of the number of lanes on a road
* Merge (linguistics), a basic syntactic operation in generative syntax in the Minimalist Program
* Merger (politics), the com ...
with Santander Football Club.
In the
1928–29 season, the
Spanish League competition began. After a complicated elimination process to determine the tenth and final team for the new First Division, Racing successively beat
Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area also ...
,
Betis and
Sevilla
Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsu ...
. The club was part of the first goalless game in the league, against
Athletic Bilbao.
During the
Second Republic, the classifications of Santander varied. In the
1930–31, It achieved the runner-up position in the Spanish League, tied at 22 points with champion Athletic Bilbao, and third-place
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septemb ...
. This is the highest finish achieved by the club in all its history, trained by the English
Robert Firth and chaired by Fernando Pombo.
They also participated in the International Tournament of Paris, falling in the semifinal to
Slavia of Prague (2–1). In the 1930s, under the presidency of the academic José María de Cossío, it had varied positions, from third place in
(1933–34) to low table rankings. In seasons 1934–35 and 1935–36, Racing played in the
Commonwealth Championship of Castilla-Aragón, in which it finished second in the first season. Meanwhile, in Cantabria a lesser championship was disputed, not qualifying for the
Spanish Cup;
Santoña won it. During the
1935–36 season, Racing was the first club in the Spanish league to beat
Barcelona and
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn ...
in the four league matches (both home and two as a visitor) in the same season: on 8 December 1935 they won 4–0 against Barcelona in the
Campos de Sport de El Sardinero, on 15 December they won in Madrid 2–4, on 8 March 1936 they beat Barcelona 2-3 and on 15 March they defeated Madrid 4–3 at El Sardinero. The only player to score in all matches (one goal in each match, and two in Madrid) was Milucho.
In
1950
Events January
* January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed.
* January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...
, the
Cantabrians returned to the top flight after a ten-year absence, scoring 99 goals in only 30 games.
During the period of
Francoist Spain
Francoist Spain ( es, España franquista), or the Francoist dictatorship (), was the period of Spanish history between 1939 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death in 1975, Spa ...
, the club was renamed ''Real Santander'' in 1941, because of the prohibition on non-Spanish names. The name was restored in 1973 as the team
returned to the first division one year after
nearly relegating, under young manager
José María Maguregui
José María Maguregui Ibarguchi (16 March 1934 – 30 December 2013) was a Spanish football midfielder and coach.
Playing career
Born in Ugao-Miraballes, Biscay, Maguregui made his professional debuts in 1952 at the age of 18, with Basque C ...
. Racing was
immediately relegated, And spent the ensuing seasons bouncing between divisions one and two, also
being crowned champions in
Segunda División B
Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foo ...
(the new third level, created in 1977) in 1991. Veteran
Quique Setién
Enrique "Quique" Setién Solar (; born 27 September 1958) is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as a central midfielder. He is the current manager of La Liga club Villarreal.
As a player, he was nicknamed ''El Maestro'', a ...
returned to his main club the following year, helping it
return to the top flight and scoring in the
1994–95 campaign against
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Founded ...
, in a historic 5–0 home win.
Racing was the first Spanish team to wear a sponsor's name on their shirt: German electronics company
Teka on 27 December 1981 away to
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally worn ...
(the corporation then sponsored the opponents early in the following decade).
On 25 March 2000, Racing played its 1,000th game in La Liga.
In the 2000s, Racing only played
one season in the second division, winning promotion with Setién as manager. Racing finished the 2005–06 season in the 16th position, just 1 point away from relegation back to Segunda división. The next season was much better, as the club finished 10th, easily retaining its place in the top flight. In
2007–08, under
Marcelino García Toral
Marcelino García Toral (; born 14 August 1965), known simply as Marcelino in his playing days, is a Spanish football manager and former player who played as an attacking midfielder.
During a ten-year senior career, he amassed La Liga totals of ...
, it finished in sixth position, thus
qualifying to the
UEFA Cup
A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, china, clay, w ...
for the first time ever; additionally the club reached the semifinals of the
Copa del Rey twice during this decade, being ousted by eventual runners-up
Getafe CF
Getafe Club de Fútbol (), or simply Getafe, is a professional football club based in Getafe, a city in the Community of Madrid. The team competes in La Liga, the highest tier of the Spanish football system. The club's home stadium (owned and ope ...
and
Atlético Madrid
Club Atlético de Madrid, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based i ...
in 2008 and 2010, respectively.
On 22 January 2011, Indian business tycoon
Ahsan Ali Syed, founder and chairman of
Western Gulf Advisory, an investment company, purchased Racing de Santander, immediately firing coach
Miguel Ángel Portugal. The
2011–12 season brought with it three different managers, and the side returned to the second level after one full decade in the top division.
At the end of
the following campaign, Racing again finished in 20th position and suffered relegation, also being immersed in a severe institutional and economic crisis. Ending their 22 years in professional league. In spite of that plight, the team was able to reach the quarterfinals in the
2013–14 edition of the domestic cup after ousting top-divisioners
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club () is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It plays in Spanish football's top flight, La Liga. Sevilla have won the UEFA Eur ...
and
UD Almería
Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as ''Almería Club de Fútbol'' until 2001, when it was renamed ''Unión D ...
; in the first leg against the latter, club fans stormed the presidential tribune at ''
Estadio El Sardinero'' and assaulted chairman Ángel Lavín.
On 27 January 2014, Racing's players, citing several months of unpaid wages, announced they would not play their upcoming Cup match unless the club's president and board resigned. Three days later, prior to the second leg against
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septemb ...
and after a 1–3 loss in the first match, Racing players gathered at the centre circle immediately after kick-off and refused to play. Referee
Jesús Gil Manzano
Jesús Gil Manzano (; born 4 February 1984) is a Spanish football referee. He officiates in the Spanish Primera División. He made his La Liga debut on 25 August 2012 in a game between Málaga and Mallorca. Gil Manzano also appeared in the 2013 ...
suspended the game after one minute, and the home team was given a loss due to forfeit; as a result of the protest the club was fined and banned from
the following edition of the tournament, and on 31 January Lavín was sacked, with former player
Juan Antonio Sañudo being appointed his successor by practically all the shareholders.
Racing won
their group in the
2013–14 Segunda División B, and won the
playoff
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...
against
Llagostera
Llagostera is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Gironès in Catalonia, Spain. During the 20th century, it was known for the production of cork and derived articles. It is located 20 km south of Girona and 15 km west from the Medi ...
to be promoted back to the second tier, but they were immediately relegated in the
2014–15 season. They again took first place in the Segunda B section in
2015–16, but were eliminated in
the promotion playoffs, failing to score a goal across four matches in the ties lost to
Reus
Reus () is the capital of Baix Camp, in the province of Tarragona, in Catalonia, Spain. The area has always been an important producer of wines and spirits, and gained continental importance at the time of the Phylloxera plague. Nowadays it is kn ...
and
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
.
Racing was promoted back to the second division after four years in the third tier in
2018–19, by winning their regional group and defeating
Atlético Baleares in the
promotion playoff on the
away goals rule, but they were immediately relegated in the
2019–20 season after only winning five games out of 42 and finished in last place. They were unable to bounce back to the second tier immediately, finishing fourth then second in the unique small two-phase group setup during
2020–21 Segunda División B to find themselves remaining at the third level, in the newly formed
Primera División RFEF
Primera may refer to
* Nissan Primera, a car
* Primera Air, a former airline
* Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues
* Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas
* Alí Primera
Alí Rafael Primera Rosel ...
, for the 2021–22 season. Racing confirmed their finish the season in first place and promoted to
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
, after two years in third division and fighting with
Deportivo La Coruña
''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to:
* Deportivo de La Coruña
Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña (), commonly known as Deportivo La Coruña (), Deportivo or simply Dépor, is a professional football club based in the city of A C ...
for the top spot. On 3 June 2022, Racing took the inaugural Primera División RFEF title with a 3-0 win over
Andorra
, image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg
, symbol_type = Coat of arms
, national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
.
Rivalries
Racing Santander is one of few Spanish teams that have played the majority of their history in La Liga, but do not have a
major rival, mostly because Racing are the only fully professional team from Cantabria, so there isn't much competition between Racing and any other club from that area, with most others playing at the
regionalised fourth level; only
Gimnástica de Torrelavega have ever reached the second tier. However, Racing fans generally consider their biggest rivals to be the two major teams from the
Basque Country,
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad (; ''Royal Society''), La Real in Spanish, Erreala in Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Basque Country, founded on 7 Septemb ...
and
Athletic Bilbao, due to geographic proximity and the long history between these clubs.
Bilbao
)
, motto =
, image_map =
, mapsize = 275 px
, map_caption = Interactive map outlining Bilbao
, pushpin_map = Spain Basque Country#Spain#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption ...
is the closest city to Santander (approximately ), and the relationship between Racing and Athletic has been described in the past as 'the duel of the North',
although the rivalry is dormant as Racing have not played in the top division since 2012.
There is also a minor rivalry between Racing and the two biggest clubs from neighboring
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensive ...
:
Real Oviedo
Real Oviedo is a Spanish football club based in Oviedo, Asturias. Founded on 26 March 1926 as a result of the merger of two clubs who had maintained a large sporting rivalry for years in the city: ''Real Stadium Club Ovetense'' and ''Real Club De ...
and
Sporting de Gijón
Real Sporting de Gijón, S.A.D. (), commonly known as Real Sporting, Sporting Gijón, or simply Sporting (although in an international context this can lead to confusion with Sporting Clube de Portugal) is a Spanish football club from Gijón, P ...
.
Seasons
Recent seasons
:
Season to season
----
*44 seasons in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
*36 seasons in
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
*1 season in
Primera División RFEF
Primera may refer to
* Nissan Primera, a car
* Primera Air, a former airline
* Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues
* Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas
* Alí Primera
Alí Rafael Primera Rosel ...
*7 seasons in
Segunda División B
Segunda División B ( en, Second Division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish Foo ...
*4 seasons in
Tercera División
Tercera División ( en, Third Division) was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segunda División'', and the semi-professional ''Segunda Di ...
Honours
*
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men' ...
** Runners-up:
1930–31
*
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commercially known as LaLiga SmartBank for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spanish football league system. Administrated by the L ...
**Winners (2):
1949–50,
1959–60
** Promoted (6):
1972–73,
1974–75,
1980–81,
1983–84,
1992–93,
2001–02
*
Tercera División/Segunda División B/
Primera División RFEF
Primera may refer to
* Nissan Primera, a car
* Primera Air, a former airline
* Primera división (disambiguation), multiple top division football leagues
* Primera, Texas, a town in Cameron County, Texas
* Alí Primera
Alí Rafael Primera Rosel ...
** Winners (3):
1943–44,
1947–48,
1969–70,
2021–22
** Group Winners (4):
1990–91,
2013–14,
2015–16,
2018–19
** Promoted (6): 1943–44, 1947–48, 1969–70, 1990–91, 2013–14, 2018–19
*
Cantabrian Championship
** Winners (13): 1922–23, 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1938–39, 1939–40
European history
UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. I ...
:
Current squad
.
Reserve team
Out on loan
Current technical staff
Notable former players
Note: this list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.
World Cup players
The following players have been selected by their country in the
World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...
Finals, while playing for Racing Santander.
*
Mutiu Adepoju (
1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...
)
*
Mario Regueiro (
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
)
*
Mehdi Lacen (
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A ...
)
Former coaches
See also
*
Rayo Cantabria – Racing's reserve team
*
CDE Racing Féminas – affiliated women's team
References
External links
Official websiteFutbolme team profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Racing Santander
Sport in Santander, Spain
Football clubs in Cantabria
Association football clubs established in 1913
Organisations based in Spain with royal patronage
1913 establishments in Spain
Segunda División clubs
La Liga clubs
Primera Federación clubs