RC Celta de Vigo

RC Celta de Vigo

Real Club Celta de Vigo (Galician pronunciation: [reˈal ˈkluβ ˈθeltɐ ðɪ ˈβiɣʊ]; lit. 'Royal Celtic Club of Vigo'), commonly known as Celta Vigo or just Celta, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed Os Celestes (The Sky Blues), the club was founded in August 1923 as Club Celta, following the merger of Real Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna. The club's home stadium is Balaídos, which seats 24,870 spectators.

The club's name is derived from the Celtic peoples who once lived in Galicia. Celta have a long-standing rivalry with fellow Galician club Deportivo La Coruña, with whom they contest the Galician derby.

Celta have never won the league title nor Copa del Rey, although they have reached the final three times in the latter. The club finished in their best-ever position of fourth in 2002–03, qualifying for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by Arsenal in the round of 16. In the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, Celta reached the semi-finals for the first time, losing to Manchester United. In (/wiki/2000UEFAIntertotoCup), Celta were one of the co-winners of the UEFA Intertoto Cup.

History

Foundation

Campo de Coia (1908–1928)

Copa del Rey Alfonso XIII' trophy in 1927

Real Club Celta de Vigo vs S.C. Braga in 1945

RC Celta de Vigo was formed as a result of the ambition of Vigo's teams to achieve more at national level, where the Basque sides had been their bête noire in the Spanish Championship. The idea was to merge both Vigo-based teams, Real Vigo Sporting and Real Club Fortuna de Vigo, to create a more powerful team at national level. The standard-bearer of this movement was Manuel de Castro, known as "Handicap", a sports writer for the Faro de Vigo who, from 1915, began to write in his articles about the need for a unitarian movement. The slogan of his movement was "Todo por y para Vigo" ("All by and for Vigo"), which eventually found support among the managers of both clubs. It was backed unanimously when De Castro himself presented the motion at the assembly of the Royal Spanish Football Federation in Madrid on 22 June 1923.

On 12 July 1923, the merger was approved at the annual general meetings of Vigo and Fortuna, held at the Cine Odeón and Hotel Moderno, respectively. At the last general meeting of Fortuna and Vigo, which approved the formation of the new club and was held on 10 August, the members decided on the name and colours of the team. Among the various names proposed were Club Galicia, Real Atlético FC, Real Club Olímpico, Breogán and Real Club Celta. The latter two names were the most liked and in the end they decided on Club Celta, an ethnic race linked to Galicia. The first president of Celta was Manuel Bárcena de Andrés, the Count of Torre Cedeira. This assembly also decided on the squad, which totaled 64 players and included some important players from Fortuna and Vigo, and was managed by Francis Cuggy. Their first match was a friendly against Portuguese side Boavista, which Celta won 8–2.

In January 1927, Celta won the 'Copa del Rey Alfonso XIII' trophy after defeating the English sailors team 4–1.

In 1947–48, Celta ranked fourth, the club's joint highest ever finish, and reached the Copa del Generalísimo final, where they lost 4–1 to Sevilla FC. Local striker Pahiño, who took the Pichichi Trophy for 21 goals in 22 games that season, subsequently moved to Real Madrid.

EuroCelta and subsequent decline

Celta supporters before a match

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Celta were dubbed "EuroCelta" by the Spanish press as a result of their European performance. This included a 4–1 aggregate win against Liverpool in a run to the quarter-finals of the 1998–99 UEFA Cup. In the next season's edition they again reached the last eight, with a 4–0 second leg win over Juventus and a 7–0 home win against Benfica (8–1 on aggregate). Domestically, the team reached the 2001 Copa del Rey final, losing 3–1 to Real Zaragoza in Seville.

Key players during the period included Alexander Mostovoi, Valery Karpin and Haim Revivo, though the squad also relied upon other international players as well, such as goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero; defender and future coach Eduardo Berizzo, midfielders Claude Makélélé and Mazinho; winger Gustavo López; and strikers Catanha and Lyuboslav Penev, amongst others.

In 2002–03, under manager Miguel Ángel Lotina, Celta ranked fourth, their highest finish since 1948, and qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League. They reached the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Arsenal 5–2 on aggregate. Domestically that year, the team came 19th and suffered relegation to the Segunda División. Although the squad was heavily dismantled following the demotion, Celta earned an immediate return to the top flight after finishing second in 2004–05.

In 2006–07, Celta finished 18th and were once again relegated to the Segunda División. The team subsequently fought against relegation to the third tier, and the risk of bankruptcy. This trend was bucked in the 2010–11 season, when new striker David Rodríguez, winger Enrique de Lucas and manager Paco Herrera helped them finish sixth. They were eliminated in the first knockout round by Granada after a penalty shoot-out, the game having finished 1–1 in 90 minutes.

Return to La Liga and Europe

Celta playing regional rivals Deportivo de La Coruña in 2012

On 3 June 2012, Celta returned to La Liga after a five-year absence. In their first season after returning to the top flight, they avoided relegation to the Segunda División on the final day after beating RCD Espanyol 1–0 to ensure a 17th-place finish.

Under "EuroCelta" veteran Eduardo Berizzo in 2015–16, Celta finished sixth for their best result in a decade and earned a spot in the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League. In their return to European competitions, Celta reached the semi-finals of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League, where they were eliminated by eventual champions Manchester United.

Celta avoided relegation on the final day of the season in 2019 and 2020, with the goals of local forward Iago Aspas being crucial in both seasons. In late 2023, shortly after the club's centenary, Carlos Mouriño resigned the presidency that he had held since 2006, ceding it to his daughter Marián as the first woman in the office. In 2024–25, Celta finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in nine years.

Identity

Crest

Celta's original crest was rather simple, featuring a red shield with two stylised letter Cs (Club Celta) and the royal crown of Spain; in the year of its foundation, the club became one of a number of Spanish football clubs to be granted patronage by Alfonso XIII and thus the right to use the honorific real (Royal) in its name and the crown on its badge. The following year the shield's colour was changed to the traditional sky blue colour. Like many other Galician clubs, such as Compostela and Racing Ferrol, the crest also features the red cross of Saint James which was added in 1928. During the Spanish Second Republic (1931–1936), the honorific title and crown were removed from the club's name and crest; however, it was to return under the Spanish State.

Kit

Celta's home colours are sky blue and white. Originally, their home strip consisted of a red shirt, black shorts and blue socks. This was later changed at an unknown date to the current colours, representative of the Galician flag.

Celta had the longest-running sponsorship deal in Spanish football, and one of the longest-running in the world, with the French automobile manufacturer Citroën from 1985 to 2016. The company established its plant within walking distance from Balaídos in 1958, and had first sponsored the club's women's basketball team in 1980. In 2016, the sponsor was changed to that of Galician brewery, Estrella Galicia, which had advertised on the back of the shirts since 2011. Their business deal with kit supplier, Umbro, was also one of the longest-running ones, from 1986 to 2010.

Years	Kit manufacturer	Sponsor
Brand	Company
1980–1982	Meyba	None
1982–1986	Adidas
1986–2010	Umbro	Citroën	Citroën Automóviles España, S.A.
2010–2013	Li-Ning
2013–2016	Adidas
2016–2024	Estrella Galicia 0,0	Hijos de Rivera, S.A.U
2024–present	Hummel

Players

First-team squad

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	ESP	Iván Villar
2	DF	SWE	Carl Starfelt
3	DF	ESP	Óscar Mingueza
4	DF	GHA	Joseph Aidoo
5	DF	ESP	Sergio Carreira
6	MF	GUI	Ilaix Moriba
7	FW	ESP	Borja Iglesias
8	MF	ESP	Fer López (on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers)
9	FW	ESP	Ferran Jutglà
10	FW	ESP	Iago Aspas (captain)
11	FW	ARG	Franco Cervi
12	DF	ESP	Manu Fernández
13	GK	ROU	Ionuț Radu
14	DF	ESP	Álvaro Núñez
No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	MF	URU	Matías Vecino
16	MF	ESP	Miguel Román
17	DF	ESP	Javi Rueda
18	FW	ESP	Pablo Durán
19	FW	SWE	Williot Swedberg
20	DF	ESP	Marcos Alonso
21	DF	SRB	Mihailo Ristić
22	MF	ESP	Hugo Sotelo
23	FW	ESP	Hugo Álvarez
24	DF	ESP	Carlos Domínguez
25	GK	ESP	Marc Vidal
29	MF	ESP	Yoel Lago
32	DF	ESP	Javi Rodríguez
39	FW	MAR	Jones El-Abdellaoui

Reserve team

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
28	FW	ESP	Ángel Arcos
30	FW	ESP	Hugo González
31	DF	ESP	Pablo Meixús
33	FW	ESP	Óscar Marcos
No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
36	MF	ESP	Andrés Antañón
38	MF	ESP	Hugo Burcio
40	GK	ESP	Marcos González

Out on loan

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	DF	ESP	Unai Núñez (at Valencia until 30 June 2026)
—	DF	ESP	Manu Sánchez (at Levante until 30 June 2026)
—	MF	ESP	Carlos Dotor (at Málaga until 30 June 2026)
No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ESP	Damián Rodríguez (at Racing Santander until 30 June 2026)
—	FW	ESP	Carles Pérez (at Aris until 30 June 2026)

Records

Club

• Most league goals: 201, Iago Aspas (2008–2013, 2015–present) • Most La Liga goals: 167, Iago Aspas (2012–2013, 2015–present) • Most goals in a season (top division): 69 (1998–99) • Most league appearances: 462, Manolo (1966–1982) • Biggest win in top division: 10–1 (against Gimnàstic, 23 October 1949) • Biggest away win in top division: 6–1, achieved on two occasions: • Against Las Palmas, 6 October 1957 • Against Athletic Bilbao, 24 March 2002 • Biggest defeat in top division: 0–10 (against Athletic Bilbao, 11 January 1942) • Most home points in a season (top division): 46 (1997–98) • Most away points in a season (top division): 27 (2015–16)

Individual

As of 22 March 2026. All current players are in bold.

Internationals playing at Celta

RC Celta de Vigo

The following past and present Celta players have been capped at full international level while playing for the club.

Management

Ownership

Carlos Mouriño was the club's president between 2006 and 2023

Real Club Celta de Vigo, S.A.D. is a sociedad anónima deportiva, a public limited sports company, owned by the Spanish-Mexican businessman Carlos Mouriño, who has been the majority shareholder since May 2006 when he acquired Horacio Gómez's 39.84% shareholding in the club. He currently owns 67.9% of the club through the holding company Grupo Corporativo Ges, S.L.

In October 2016, the club was the subject of a potential €100 million takeover by the Chinese CITS Group.

Board of directors

<table><thead><tr><th>Position</th><th>Name</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>President</td><td>Marián Mouriño</td></tr><tr><td>Vice presidents</td><td>Ricardo Barros</td></tr><tr><td>Pedro Posada</td></tr><tr><td>Board of directors</td><td>María José Táboas</td></tr><tr><td>Primitivo Ferro</td></tr><tr><td>Carmen Avendaño</td></tr><tr><td>José Fernando Rodilla</td></tr><tr><td>Managing director</td><td>Antonio Chaves</td></tr><tr><td>Financial director</td><td>María José Herbón</td></tr><tr><td>'Fundación Celta' director</td><td>Germán Arteta</td></tr><tr><td>Academy director</td><td>Carlos Hugo García</td></tr><tr><td>Business development director</td><td>Carlos Cao</td></tr><tr><td>Commercial director</td><td>Carlos Salvador</td></tr><tr><td>Marketing director</td><td>Maruxa Magdalena</td></tr><tr><td>Security director</td><td>Julio Vargas</td></tr></tbody></table>

List of presidents

Dates	Name
1923–27	Manuel de Barcena y Andrés
1927–28	Ramón Fernández Mato
1928–29	Manuel Prieto González
1929–32	Alfredo Escobar
1932–33	Luis de Vicente Sasiáin
1933–34	Indalecio Vázquez
1934–35	Cesáreo González
1935–39	Rodrigo de la Rasilla
1939–40	Pedro Braña Merino
Dates	Name
1940–41	Manuel Núñez González
1941–42	Fernando de Miguel Rodríguez
1942–48	Luis Iglesias Fernández
1948–50	Avelino Ponte Caride
1950–52	Faustino Álvarez Álvarez
1952–56	Manuel Prieto Pérez
1956–58	Antonio Herrero Montero
1958–59	Antonio Alfageme
1959–61	Celso Lorenzo Vila
Dates	Name
1961–63	Carlos Barreras Barret
1963–64	Antonio Crusat Pardiñas
1964–65	Manuel Rodríguez Gómez
1965–69	Daniel Alonso González
1969–70	Ramón de Castro
1970–73	Rodrigo Alonso Fariña
1973–77	Antonio Vázquez Gómez
1977–80	Jaime Arbones Alonso
1980	Rodrigo Arbones Alonso
Dates	Name
1980	Elías Posada
1980–82	Elías Alonso Riego
1982–90	José Luis Rivadulla García
1990–91	José Luis Alejo Álvarez
1991	Eloy de Francisco
1991–95	José Luis Núñez Gallego
1995–06	Horacio Gómez Araújo
2006–2023	Carlos Mouriño
2023–	Marián Mouriño

Honours

RC Celta de Vigo

2000 Intertoto Cup

National titles

• Segunda División • Winners: 1935–36, 1981–82, 1991–92 • Segunda División B • Winners: 1980–81 • Tercera División • Winners: 1930–31 • Copa del Rey • Runners-up: 1947–48, 1993–94, 2000–01

European titles

• UEFA Intertoto Cup • Winners: (/wiki/2000UEFAIntertotoCup)

Regional titles

• Galician Championship • Winners (6): 1923–24, 1924–25, 1925–26, 1929–30, 1931–32, 1933–34 • Asturian-Galician Championship (Galician Group) • Winners: 1934–35 • Regional Government of Galicia Cup • Winners: 2006 • Copa Galicia • Winners: 2008

Friendly and unofficial tournaments

• Trofeo Cidade de Vigo • Winners (21): 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012 • Trofeo Memorial Quinocho • Winners (21): 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2022, 2023 • Trofeo Luis Otero • Winners (13): 1965, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2007, 2010, 2014 • Trofeo Emma Cuervo • Winners (9): 1954, 1961, 1968, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1997, 2010 • TIM Trophy • Winners: 2016 • Teresa Herrera Trophy • Winners: 1999 • Trofeo Xacobeo • Winners: 1999 • Trofeo Federación Galega • Winners: 2014 • Copa Comunidad Gallega • Winners: 2016

Seasons

RC Celta de Vigo

Celta Vigo's finishing positions in the Spanish football league system

Season	Tier	Division	Place	Copa del Rey
1923–24	—	1ª Reg.	1st	Quarter-finals
1924–25	1ª Reg.	1st	Semi-finals
1925–26	1ª Reg.	1st	Semi-finals
1926–27	1ª Reg.	2nd	Quarter-finals
1927–28	1ª Reg.	2nd	Quarter-finals
1928–29	2	2ª	9th	Round of 32
1930–31	3	3ª	1st	Round of 32
1931–32	2	2ª	9th	Semi-finals
1932–33	2	2ª	7th	Round of 32
1933–34	2	2ª	4th	Round of 16
1934–35	2	2ª	1st	Round of 16
1935–36	2	2ª	1st	Round of 16
1939–40	1	1ª	10th	Round of 16
1940–41	1	1ª	10th	Semi-finals
1941–42	1	1ª	5th	First round
1942–43	1	1ª	5th	Round of 16
1943–44	1	1ª	14th	Round of 16
1944–45	2	2ª	3rd	First round
1945–46	1	1ª	10th	Round of 16
1946–47	1	1ª	9th	Quarter-finals
Season	Tier	Division	Place	Copa del Rey
1947–48	1	1ª	4th	Runners-up
1948–49	1	1ª	11th	Round of 16
1949–50	1	1ª	7th	Round of 16
1950–51	1	1ª	8th	First round
1951–52	1	1ª	9th	First round
1952–53	1	1ª	13th	DNP
1953–54	1	1ª	10th	Round of 16
1954–55	1	1ª	11th	Round of 16
1955–56	1	1ª	10th	Round of 16
1956–57	1	1ª	13th	Quarter-finals
1957–58	1	1ª	7th	Round of 16
1958–59	1	1ª	16th	Round of 16
1959–60	2	2ª	2nd	First round
1960–61	2	2ª	2nd	Round of 32
1961–62	2	2ª	6th	Round of 32
1962–63	2	2ª	6th	First round
1963–64	2	2ª	9th	Round of 16
1964–65	2	2ª	5th	Round of 32
1965–66	2	2ª	2nd	Round of 32
1966–67	2	2ª	3rd	First round

Season	Tier	Division	Place	Copa del Rey
1967–68	2	2ª	3rd	Semi-finals
1968–69	2	2ª	2nd	DNP
1969–70	1	1ª	10th	Round of 16
1970–71	1	1ª	6th	Round of 16
1971–72	1	1ª	10th	Quarter-finals
1972–73	1	1ª	15th	Round of 16
1973–74	1	1ª	12th	Round of 32
1974–75	1	1ª	17th	Round of 16
1975–76	2	2ª	2nd	Round of 16
1976–77	1	1ª	17th	Quarter-finals
1977–78	2	2ª	3rd	Third round
1978–79	1	1ª	16th	Round of 16
1979–80	2	2ª	17th	Round of 16
1980–81	3	2ª B	1st	Third round
1981–82	2	2ª	1st	Third round
1982–83	1	1ª	17th	Round of 16
1983–84	2	2ª	6th	First round
1984–85	2	2ª	3rd	Third round
1985–86	1	1ª	18th	Quarter-finals
1986–87	2	2ª	1st	Third round
Season	Tier	Division	Place	Copa del Rey
1987–88	1	1ª	7th	Round of 16
1988–89	1	1ª	8th	Quarter-finals
1989–90	1	1ª	19th	Round of 16
1990–91	2	2ª	14th	Fifth round
1991–92	2	2ª	1st	Third round
1992–93	1	1ª	11th	Third round
1993–94	1	1ª	15th	Runners-up
1994–95	1	1ª	13th	Fourth round
1995–96	1	1ª	11th	Round of 16
1996–97	1	1ª	16th	Semi-finals
1997–98	1	1ª	6th	Round of 16
1998–99	1	1ª	5th	Round of 16
1999–00	1	1ª	7th	Round of 16
2000–01	1	1ª	6th	Runners-up
2001–02	1	1ª	5th	Round of 32
2002–03	1	1ª	4th	Round of 32
2003–04	1	1ª	19th	Quarter-finals
2004–05	2	2ª	2nd	Round of 64
2005–06	1	1ª	6th	Round of 16
2006–07	1	1ª	18th	Round of 32

Season	Tier	Division	Place	Copa del Rey
2007–08	2	2ª	16th	Second round
2008–09	2	2ª	17th	Round of 32
2009–10	2	2ª	12th	Quarter-finals
2010–11	2	2ª	6th	Second round
2011–12	2	2ª	2nd	Round of 32
2012–13	1	1ª	17th	Round of 16
2013–14	1	1ª	9th	Round of 32
2014–15	1	1ª	8th	Round of 16
2015–16	1	1ª	6th	Semi-finals
2016–17	1	1ª	13th	Semi-finals
2017–18	1	1ª	13th	Round of 16
2018–19	1	1ª	17th	Round of 32
2019–20	1	1ª	17th	Round of 32
2020–21	1	1ª	8th	Second round
2021–22	1	1ª	11th	Round of 32
2022–23	1	1ª	13th	Round of 32
2023–24	1	1ª	13th	Quarter-finals
2024–25	1	1ª	7th	Round of 16
2025–26	1	1ª		Round of 32

• 60 seasons in La Liga • 32 seasons in Segunda División • 1 season in Segunda División B • 1 season in Tercera División

European competitions

All results (home and away) list Celta's goal tally first.

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
1971–72	UEFA Cup	First round	Aberdeen	0–2	0–1	0–3
1998–99	UEFA Cup	First round	Argeș Pitești	7–0	1–0	8–0
Second round	Aston Villa	0–1	3–1	3–2
Third round	Liverpool	3–1	1–0	4–1
Quarter-finals	Marseille	1–2	0–0	1–2
1999–2000	UEFA Cup	First round	Lausanne	4–0	2–3	6–3
Second round	Aris	2–2	2–0	4–2
Third round	Benfica	7–0	1–1	8–1
Fourth round	Juventus	0–1	4–0	4–1
Quarter-finals	Lens	0–0	1–2	1–2
2000	UEFA Intertoto Cup	Third round	Pelister	3–0	2–1	5–1
Semi–finals	Aston Villa	1–0	2–1	3–1
Finals	Zenit Saint Petersburg	2–1	2–2	4–3
2000–01	UEFA Cup	First round	Rijeka	0–0	1–0	1–0
Second round	Red Star Belgrade	0–1	3–0	3–1
Third round	Shakhtar Donetsk	0–0	1–0	1–0
Fourth round	VfB Stuttgart	0–0	2–1	2–1
Quarter-finals	Barcelona	3–2	1–2	4–4 (a)
2001–02	UEFA Cup	First round	Sigma Olomouc	4–0	3–4	7–4
Second round	Slovan Liberec	3–1	0–3	3–4
2002–03	UEFA Cup	First round	Odense	2–0	0–1	2–1
Second round	Viking	3–0	1–1	4–1
Third round	Celtic	2–1	0–1	2–2 (a)
2003–04	UEFA Champions League	Third qualifying round	Slavia Prague	3–0	0–2	3–2
Group H	Ajax	3–2	0–1	2nd
Club Brugge	1–1	1–1
Milan	0–0	2–1
Round of 16	Arsenal	2–3	0–2	2–5
2006–07	UEFA Cup	First round	Standard Liège	1–0	3–0	4–0
Group H	Eintracht Frankfurt	1–1	—N/a	2nd
Newcastle United	—N/a	1–2
Fenerbahçe	1–0	—N/a
Palermo	—N/a	1–1
Round of 32	Spartak Moscow	1–1	2–1	3–2
Round of 16	Werder Bremen	0–1	0–2	0–3
2016–17	UEFA Europa League	Group G	Ajax	2–2	2–3	2nd
Standard Liège	1–1	1–1
Panathinaikos	2–0	2–0
Round of 32	Shakhtar Donetsk	0–1	2–0 (a.e.t.)	2–1
Round of 16	Krasnodar	2–1	2–0	4–1
Quarter-finals	Genk	3–2	1–1	4–3
Semi-finals	Manchester United	0–1	1–1	1–2
2025–26	UEFA Europa League	League phase	VfB Stuttgart	—N/a	1–2	16th of 36
PAOK	3–1	—N/a
Nice	2–1	—N/a
Dinamo Zagreb	—N/a	3–0
Ludogorets Razgrad	—N/a	2–3
Bologna	1–2	—N/a
Lille	2–1	—N/a
Red Star Belgrade	—N/a	1–1
Knockout phase play-offs	PAOK	1–0	2–1	3–1
Round of 16	Lyon	1–1	2–0	3–1
Quarter-finals	SC Freiburg