Real Valladolid

Early history

Founded from the amalgamation of Real Unión Deportiva de Valladolid and Club Deportivo Español (eventually Real Unión), Valladolid first reached the top level in the 1947–48 season, as champions of Segunda División. In the following year, the team pushed on from this success and reached the finals of the domestic cup in the Chamartín Stadium against Athletic Bilbao, eventually losing 4–1.

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

Valladolid swung between the first and second divisions in subsequent years, falling as low as to the third division in 1970–71. Promoted in 1992–93, the team was again sent down after the 2003–04 season. In 1984, Valladolid also won the Spanish League Cup (a competition only played in the early 1980s), over Atlético Madrid.

The side's highest position during this 11-year stint was seventh in 1996–97, being coached in the previous seasons by former Real Madrid Castilla coach Rafael Benítez, as various players from that team would also later appear for Valladolid.

The 2006–07 record-breaking season

In the 2006–07, after signing Basque José Luis Mendilibar as coach, Valladolid had one of its best years in history while playing in the second level. The team took the lead in the 15th game and went on to finish with a competition all-time high 88 points, winning the championship by a total margin of eight points, and 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 honor of staying unbeaten 29 games in a row, from 10 October 2006 to 6 May 2007, being mathematically promoted after a 2–0 away win against CD Tenerife on 22 April 2007 (just the 34th day of the season), the earliest any club has achieved promotion in Spanish history.

Also remarkable was the side's role in the season's King's Cup, reaching the quarter-finals after beating two top division teams, Gimnàstic de Tarragona (4–1 aggregate) and the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League contender Villarreal CF (3–1), while playing the whole competition with the reserve players.

Two relatively successful seasons in the top division followed, finishing in 15th place while avoiding relegation after a 1–1 draw on the last day of both seasons (against Recreativo de Huelva in 2007–08 and Real Betis in the following campaign).

End of the Mendilibar era

After a slow start to 2009–10 (three wins in the first 20 games), Mendilibar was sacked on 1 February 2010, following a draw at home against UD Almería. The week following his sacking, Valladolid dropped for the first time to the relegation zone (something that never happened during his 138-game stint), with former player Onésimo Sánchez now in charge.

After only one win in 10 games, Sánchez was fired, with former Spain national football team manager Javier Clemente replacing him, in a desperate move to avoid relegation with only eight games remaining. After a brief breather (16th position), Valladolid again returned to the last three, then faced a must-win last game at the Camp Nou, against an FC Barcelona squad that needed a win to secure the title. Level in the standings with Racing de Santander, Málaga CF and CD Tenerife for the two final safe positions, Valladolid lost 0–4, and consequently dropped down a level, after a three-year stay in the top flight.

The 2011-12 season saw them return to La Liga under the management of Miroslav Đukić, promoted through the play-offs after finishing third in the division.

Valladolid were relegated back to the Segunda on the last day of the 2013–14 season.

Stadium

Real Valladolid play at the 26,512-capacity Estadio Nuevo José Zorrilla, finished in 1982 to replace the previous stadium of the same name which had stood since 1940. Both grounds are named after José Zorrilla y Moral, a 19th-century poet from the city. After opening for the club on 20 February 1982, it hosted the Copa del Rey Final on 13 April of that year, and then three Group D matches at the 1982 FIFA World Cup.

There are plans to expand the stadium to 40,000 spectators. This project is known as Valladolid Arena [baʎaˈðolið aˈɾena].

Season to season

The following list shows Valladolid's record as well as all the presidents and coaches for every season since its foundation in 1929. All presidents and coaches are Spanish unless otherwise noted.

Current squad

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

Out on loan

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

Honours

Best finishes

Records