Sevilla FC
Ground: Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán
Capacity: 42,714
Club Founded: 1890
League: La Liga (current level)
Sevilla FC continues to be one of Spain's leading domestic clubs, while also collecting regular UEFA trophies to the delight of their passionate Andalusian support.
Club History
The Early Years
Football in the Andalusian city of Seville was first played by British expats towards the back end of the 1800s. Sevilla Fútbol Club was founded on Burns Night, January 25th 1890, by a predominantly Scottish group. The first president of the club was Mr Edward Farquharson Johnston, and Hugh Maccoll was the first captain.
Sevilla’s first match was also the first official game in Spain, a 2-0 victory over Huelva Recreation. In 1907, Real Betis Balompíe began life after internal fall-outs at Sevilla FC and mergers with other clubs. Early years were spent playing matches between members at La Trinidad Field and Mercantile Field.
The First Trophies Are Won
Sevilla dominated both the Copa de Sevilla and the Copa Andalucía, using Estadio La Victoria and then moving across the city to the new Estadio de Nervión in 1928. Sevilla lost a play-off game to Racing de Santander to see who would compete in the initial Primera División the following season. The team won Segunda División in their debut campaign.
A second Segunda División title was won, and Sevilla were promoted to Primera División, the previous title of La Liga. Sevilla lifted the Copa del Presidente de la República, the forerunner of the Copa Del Rey, in 1934-35 with a 3-0 win against Sabadell FC at Madrid’s Estadio Chamartín.
First Spanish League Title
Sevilla regained the trophy in 1939 with a 6-2 win against Racing Club de Ferrol at Montjuïc in Barcelona, with Guillermo Campanal scoring a hat-trick. ‘Sevillistas’ finished as league runners-up twice. A couple of years earlier, President Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, who did much to shape the club, left to manage the Spanish Football Federation.
The team was crowned Spanish league champions in 1945-46 under coach Ramón Encinas. Patricio Caicedo took over the side in 1947-48 as a third national cup, which was now called the Copa del Generalísimo, was lifted. The final at Estadio Chamartín ended in a 4-1 win against RC Celta de Vigo thanks to a Mariano hat-trick and a goal from Arza.
Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán
In 1955, Sevilla lost in the Copa Del Rey final to Atlético de Bilbao with Argentinian Helenio Herrera leading ‘Los Nervionenses’. The season was marked by sorrow as Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán died suddenly. A new stadium was being constructed at the time. Fans decided it should be named in honour of the man who was at the helm when three cups were won.
The 1957-58 campaign saw Sevilla compete in the European Cup for the first time, before Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán was opened next to the old Estadio de Nervión. Sevilla reached the Copa Del Rey final, losing to Real Madrid at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu with Antonio Barrios as head coach.
Financial Concerns
Sevilla were relegated in 1967-68. Former fans' hero Arza was in charge as his side won the Segunda División title a year later, regaining Primera División football. The side was relegated once more in the early 70s. The financial costs of building Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán required the sale of star players.
After a three-season Segunda División spell, Roque Olsen took the team back up to the top level, where finances were tight throughout the decade. Argentinian stars Héctor Scotta and Daniel Bertoni arrived to help the team qualify for a couple of UEFA Cup campaigns in the early 80s.
The Eventful 90s
Toni Polster became a fan's favourite with his goals as head coaches came and went. The club hit the headlines under Carlos Bilardo. Diego Maradona was signed from Napoli. The move wasn’t a great success owing to Maradona’s outside demons and inconsistent performances.
In 1995, the Spanish FA announced that both Sevilla and Celta Vigo were to be relegated over administrative and financial issues. Fans and the club directors protested long and hard before they were readmitted, with the league running with two extra clubs. More head coaches were hired and fired before Sevilla went back down to Segunda División in 1996-97.
The Beginning of European Glory
Fernando Castro Santos led the team to promotion in 1998-99, but Sevilla went back down twelve months later. Joaquín Caparrós coached the side back to La Liga. José María del Nido's appointment as President would herald Sevilla's new era of unprecedented success after the club began to qualify for UEFA competitions.
Juande Ramos took over as head coach in the summer of 2005 with a fine young side at his disposal, taking them to the UEFA Cup final. Middlesbrough were beaten 4-0 in the final at Eindhoven’s Philips Stadion. Enzo Maresca netted twice, with Luís Fabiano and club legend Frédéric Kanouté also scoring.
Domestic and UEFA Cup Success Tempered by Sadness
Sevilla retained the trophy at Hampden Park as RCD Espanyol were defeated 3-1 on penalties after the game ended 2-2 after extra time. Adriano and Kanouté scored goals before Puerta put away the decisive penalty. The Copa Del Rey was also lifted in 2006-07 following a 1-0 victory over Getafe at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, with Kanouté scoring the only goal.
Disaster would mar the start of the following season. Team captain, Antonio Puerta, who had progressed right through the youth ranks at the club, suffered a series of cardiac arrests during a La Liga game against Getafe on the 25th August before passing away two days later. The whole city and Spanish football mourned his loss.
The Unai Emery Era
Manolo Jiménez replaced Ramos before being succeeded by Antonio Álvarez. The club won a fifth Copa Del Rey. Atlético Madrid were defeated 2-0 at Camp Nou thanks to goals from Diego Capel and new fans' favourite Jesús Navas. The appointment of Unai Emery in January 2013 saw the head coach create a new side.
Emery took the team to a third Europa League success in 2013-14, defeating SL Benfica 4–2 on penalties after a 0-0 draw at Juventus Stadium. Sevilla were successful and financially sound, going on to retain the Europa League in 2014-15. Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk were defeated 3-2 at Warsaw’s Stadion Narodowy.
A Fifth European Title
Liverpool faced Sevilla in the 2015-16 Europa League final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. The Spaniards were 1-0 down at half-time but recovered to win 3-1 and lift the UEFA Cup/Europa League for a fifth time, thanks to two goals from skipper Coke and one from Gameiro. The side were beaten by FC Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey final.
President Castro decided to look for La Liga success as well as in the cup competition. Jorge Sampaoli replaced Emery, who headed for Paris Saint-Germain. Barca handed out a hiding in the Copa Del Rey final a couple of seasons later as coaches came and went.
Recent Seasons
Julen Lopetegui was in charge of the team that reached the 2019-20 Europa League final at Cologne's RheinEnergieStadion, where Internazionale were beaten 3-2, with two goals from Luuk De Jong and one from Romelu Lukaku. José Luis Mendilibar became head coach of the side in another inspired appointment.
Sevilla won the 2022-23 Europa League final, the seventh time the club lifted the trophy, beating AS Roma on penalties at the Puskás Aréna in Budapest. Despite the success, the club's board demanded more as their short-term head coach appointments continued.
My visit
Thursday 10th January 2019
It was the final full day of my Andalusian trip, on a fantastic adventure. I dedicated it to having some good walks, a tour of Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán and the match that evening between Real Betis Balompié and Real Sociedad.
I’d been struggling with a bad chest, and the cool temperatures by night had caught me out. It had been beautiful by day, but I hadn’t accounted for the drop in temperatures when I’d be at football. Something needed to be done.
Biting the bullet, I entered a local pharmacy on my walk. I tried to show the señor behind the counter my symptoms by mime. It seemed to work as he gave me a box of powders. This would be ideal back home, but not ideal in a foreign land without a kettle. Fortunately, I had a Plan B.
My walk to the stadium tour took me past Sevilla Santa Justa railway station. I figured a café might give me a cup of hot water to mix my medicine. Even better, it had a McDonald’s. I was home and hosed!
Previous experience told me that if I ordered a tea, the bag would come separately. I’d use the water for my medicine and keep the tea bag. Job done! Feeling chipper with myself and my mind telling me that I was already feeling better, I headed on.
Calle Luis de Morales ran from the station around to the Nervión Plaza shopping mall, where I believe Estadio de Nervión once stood. I almost walked past the stadium as it was hidden behind the mall until I caught sight of a mural on the wall.
I’d booked the tour online for €11, including a booking fee for 11am. I soon spotted signs leading to the assembly point, where I was greeted in perfect English by a member of staff who explained how it would work.
I was shown how to download an App on my iPhone, giving me a step-by-step guide in English so the tour could be carried out at my own pace, unattended. I was also given a pair of earphones and directed to the starting point.
The following ninety minutes were excellent. The listening guide was top class, as were the exhibits on show in two halls, with trophies, videos, images, kit, equipment and busts of former presidents to look at. I took my time to take as much in as possible.
The App directed me to the director’s box where I sat in the beautiful sun and relaxed while listening. I continued downstairs to the home changing room, then down the corridor, some stairs and back up a couple of steps to the edge of the pitch for even better views.
Others on the tour also seemed to enjoy it, having photos taken in the home dugout. The continuous two-tier bowl was virtually all red, with boxes and a roof only along the main side. It wasn’t as big as I imagined, but probably a perfect size for a club of Sevilla’s standing.
Saying gracias, I headed to have a look inside El Corte Inglés and one or two other stores, as I intended to buy some extra clothing for the match. I took the Metro from Nervión to Prado de San Sebastián to continue my walking and sightseeing in a stunning city.
Plaza de España and the walk between there and Catedral de Sevilla in the sunshine were just what the doctor ordered, with its amazing architecture along the way. I wended my way through the old town and eventually bought some socks and long johns before a well-earned siesta. I certainly fancied another visit to the city for an FC Sevilla home match.