 | ||
| Nickname | A Irmandiña[1][2] (The Fellowship) | |
|---|---|---|
| Association | Real Federación Galega de Fútbol (RFGF) | |
| Head coach | Diego Martínez | |
| Captain | Iago Aspas | |
| Top scorer | Ramón Polo Pardo (8) | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 Galicia 4–1Castile (Vigo, Galicia; 19 November 1922) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
Galicia 8–2 Royal Navy XI(Vigo, Galicia; 21 January 1923) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
Galicia 1–3Asturias  (Vigo, Galicia; 25 February 1923) | ||
TheGalicia national football team is the official football team ofGalicia. It is organised by theGalician Football Federation. The team is not affiliated withFIFA orUEFA and is, therefore, only allowed to play friendly matches.
The first game of the Galician national football team took place on 19 November 1922 inCoia,Vigo, beating theCentro team (which encompassedMadrid and the widerCastile region) 4–1 in the quarter-finals of the1922–23 Copa del Príncipe de Asturias, an official inter-regionaltournament organized byRFEF;– This was at a time when there was no national club championship per se, Galician teams would play each other in theGalician Championship[3] and the winner would then go on to face the other regional champions in theCopa del Rey. Galicia then beat theSouth team in the semi-finals again by a score of 4–1, with the star of the game being local heroRamón González. Their surprising campaign arose a wave of enthusiasm among the Galician fans, which prompted the Galician federation to organize severalfriendlies in January and February 1923, as a warm-up for the final that would be held on the 25th February, and Galicia excelled, winning all 5 games with at least 3 goals scored in each, including an 8-2 win over an English Royal Navy XI and a 7-1 win over aFerrol/A Coruña XI, the latter of which coming just 7 days before the final, with Ramón González showing great goalscoring form with ahat-trick, but unfortunately, he was unable to play in the final due to injury, and without him, they ended up losing toAsturias 1-3, despite scoring first thanks toBalbino.[4] Three months later they lost for a second time, this time to aLisbon XI (1-2). However, later political developments in Spain made it impossible for the Galicia national football team to take part in official competitions. Hence, after the Copa del Príncipe de Asturias was discontinued in 1924, all games were merely friendlies. The Galician national football team as such ceased all activity during the time of the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent dictatorship (1936–1975).
The project was retaken in the early 1980s, and the first match of the Galician national team after the dictatorship was supposed to be played on 24 July 1980 inCompostela against theBasque Country, but the players ended on holiday instead. In 1982, before theWorld Cup in Spain, there was an attempt to organize a match againstCameroon, but they failed in their efforts.[citation needed] Galicia had to wait 20 years to finally play again, facing the powerfulUruguay on 29 December 2005.Fernando Vázquez, a formerMallorca andBetis coach, was chosen as the coach, and he formed a Galicia XI which had the likes ofDiego López,Ricardo Cabanas andJosé Luis Deus. TheSan Lázaro stadium was packed for the occasion and surprisingly, they found themselves 3-0 up with 10 minutes to go with goals from Deus (2) andNano, and even though Uruguay scored two late goals in a 3-2 Galician win, the Galician fans were very pleased with the team's performance.[5] In December 2006, another game was contested againstEcuador, played inRiazor inA Coruña and Galicia held them to a 1–1 draw. The following year, againstCameroon, the result was the same, with Cameroon only equalizing thanks to a last-minute penalty converted byRigobert Song. In 2008, theIrmandiña played another friendly game, this time againstIran and won 3–2 with goals fromNacho Novo (2) andRoberto Losada.
Changes in the composition of theGalician Government after the 2009 elections resulted in a lack of official support for the national team. However, the supporters' groupSiareiros Galegos managed to organise a number of non-official international games involving Galician players from lower categories as a sign of protest, giving continuation to the project. These efforts were supported by a number of local governments, which would allow the use of their facilities. Galicia played teams representingPalestine,Western Sahara,Iraqi Kurdistan andOccitania in 2013.Siareiros Galegos announced at that time that it would be the last match until further notice due to the financial situation.[6] On 26 December 2015, however,Siareiros Galegos did set up yet another game, where Galicia faced players representingSenegal.[7]
The current president of the FGF, Mr Louzán, days after the Senegal game, announced that the Federation would organise a first-level game again in 2016. It was mentioned that players from the top professional Galician teams,Deportivo andCelta, had lobbied in favour.[8][9] A game was eventually held on 20 May inRiazor, where Galicia metVenezuela to a 1–1 draw. After the game, the Galician coaches mentioned the keen interest expressed by players to continue with the project and play more games on a regular basis.[10]
vCentro| 19 November 19221922–23 Prince of Asturias Cup quarter-finals | Galicia | 4–1 | Centro | Vigo, Galicia |
Chiarroni Polo Pinilla pen.'González | Report | Monjardín | Stadium:Coia Referee:  Ivo Lemes |
v Galicia| 14 January 19231922–23 Prince of Asturias Cup semi-finals | South | 1–4 | Galicia | Seville, Spain |
| Kinké | Report | González Polo Chiarroni | Stadium:Reina Victoria Referee:  Montero |
v Asturias| 25 February 19231922–23 Prince of Asturias Cup Final | Galicia | 1–3 | Asturias | Vigo, Galicia |
| Balbino | Report | Meana Zabala | Stadium:Coia Referee:  Leclerc |
v Galicia| 25 November 19231923–24 Prince of Asturias Cup quarter-finals | Central Spain | 1–0 | Galicia | Madrid, Spain |
| De Miguel | Report Report2 | Stadium:Ciudad Lineal Referee:  Agustín Cruella Tena |
v
Lisbon XI| 7 January 1923Friendly | Galicia | 3–1 | Lisbon XI | Vigo, Galicia |
| Polo Reigosa | Stadium:Coia Referee: Ventura Lago |
v Royal Navy XI| 21 January 1923Friendly | Galicia | 8–2 | Royal Navy XI | Vigo, Galicia |
| Pinilla González | Stadium:Coia |
v
Pontevedra XI| 28 January 1923Friendly | Galicia | 4–1 | Pontevedra XI | Vigo, Galicia |
| Correa Polo Chiarroni | Stadium:Campo de Bouzas |
v Galicia| 4 February 1923Friendly | Pontevedra XI | 1–3 | Galicia | Pontevedra, Galicia |
| Pasarín Chiarroni | Stadium:Pasarón |
v
Ferrol/A Coruña XI| 18 February 1923Friendly | Galicia | 7–1 | Ferrol/A Coruña XI | Vigo, Galicia |
| González Polo Chiarroni | Stadium:Coia |
v Galicia| 27 May 1923Friendly | Lisbon XI | 2–1 | Galicia | Lisbon, Portugal |
| João Francisco Gonçalves | Pinilla | Stadium:Campo Grande |
vCentral Spain| 28 July 1929Friendly | Galicia | 0–0 | Central Spain | Madrid, Spain |
| Stadium:Ciudad Lineal |
v
Sporting CP| 1 June 1930Friendly | Galicia | 4–2 | Sporting CP | Vigo, Galicia |
| Losada Polo | Stadium:Balaídos |
v Galicia| 8 June 1930Friendly | Central Spain | 1–4 | Galicia | Madrid, Spain |
| Losada Fariña Hilario | Stadium:Chamartín |
v
Uruguay| 29 December 2005Friendly | Galicia | 3–2 | Uruguay | Santiago de Compostela, Galicia |
| Nano 9' Deus 48',79' | Report | Pereira 83' Albín 90+1' | Stadium:San Lázaro Attendance: 12,000 Referee:Bernardino González Vázquez (Galicia) |
v
Ecuador| 28 December 2006Friendly | Galicia | 1–1 | Ecuador | A Coruña, Galicia |
| Jonathan Pereira 68' | Report | Calle 63' | Stadium:Riazor Attendance: 20,000 Referee:Bernardino González Vázquez (Galicia) |
v
Cameroon| 27 December 2007Friendly | Galicia | 1–1 | Cameroon | Vigo, Galicia |
| Julio Álvarez 73' | Report | Song 90' (pen.) | Stadium:Balaídos Attendance: 28,000 Referee:Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (Galicia) |
v
Iran| 27 December 2008Friendly | Galicia | 3–2 | Iran | A Coruña, Galicia |
| 20:45 | Nacho Novo 23',59' Losada 66' | Report | Borhani 32' Khalatbari 82' | Stadium:Riazor Attendance: 12,000 Referee:Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (Galicia) |
v
Venezuela| 20 May 2016Friendly | Galicia | 1–1 | Venezuela | A Coruña, Galicia |
| 20:00 | Aspas 36' | Report | Martínez 92' | Stadium:Riazor Attendance: 18,000 Referee:Ignacio Iglesias Villanueva (Galicia) |
v
Panama| 31 May 2024Friendly | Galicia | 0–2 | Panama | Vigo, Galicia |
| 20:00 | Report | Davis 24' (pen.) Miller 40' | Stadium:Balaídos Attendance: 16,000 Referee: Alejandro Muñiz Ruiz |
| Rank | Player | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ramón Polo Pardo | 8 |
| 2 | Ramón González | 7 |
| José Chiarroni |
The following players were called up for the friendly againstPanama on 31 May 2024.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1GK | Álvaro Ratón | (1993-01-29)29 January 1993 (age 32) | 1 | 0 |  Wisła Kraków | |
| 1GK | Fran Vieites | (1999-05-07)7 May 1999 (age 26) | 1 | 0 |  Leicester City | |
| 1GK | Iván Villar | (1997-07-09)9 July 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 |  Celta | |
| 2DF | Jonny Otto | (1994-03-03)3 March 1994 (age 31) | 2 | 0 |  PAOK | |
| 2DF | Hugo Bueno | (2002-09-18)18 September 2002 (age 23) | 1 | 0 |  Feyenoord | |
| 2DF | Álvaro Carreras | (2003-03-23)23 March 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Real Madrid | |
| 2DF | Carlos Domínguez | (2001-02-11)11 February 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Celta | |
| 2DF | Quique Fornos | (1997-01-01)1 January 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 | Cultura Leonesa | |
| 2DF | Germán Nóvoa | (1996-08-06)6 August 1996 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | Arenteiro | |
| 2DF | Lucas Taibo | (2006-03-02)2 March 2006 (age 19) | 1 | 0 | Sporting CP | |
| 2DF | Kevin Vázquez | (1993-03-23)23 March 1993 (age 32) | 1 | 0 | Celta | |
| 3MF | Álvaro Lemos | (1993-03-30)30 March 1993 (age 32) | 1 | 0 | Las Palmas | |
| 3MF | Álex López | (1988-01-11)11 January 1988 (age 37) | 1 | 0 | Racing Ferrol | |
| 3MF | Miguel Loureiro | (1996-11-21)21 November 1996 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | Huesca | |
| 3MF | Hugo Sotelo | (2003-12-19)19 December 2003 (age 21) | 1 | 0 | Celta | |
| 3MF | Diego Villares | (1996-06-17)17 June 1996 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | Deportivo La Coruna | |
| 4FW | Lucas Pérez | (1988-09-10)10 September 1988 (age 37) | 2 | 0 | PSV Eindhoven | |
| 4FW | Iago Aspas | (1987-08-01)1 August 1987 (age 38) | 1 | 1 | Celta | |
| 4FW | Luis Rodríguez Chacón | (2000-05-30)30 May 2000 (age 25) | 1 | 0 | Arenteiro | |
| 4FW | Manuel Justo | (1996-02-09)9 February 1996 (age 29) | 1 | 0 | Racing Ferrol | |
| 4FW | Iker Losada | (2001-08-01)1 August 2001 (age 24) | 1 | 0 | Betis | |
| 4FW | Héber Pena | (1990-01-16)16 January 1990 (age 35) | 1 | 0 | Racing Ferrol | |
| 4FW | Miguel Rodríguez | (2003-04-29)29 April 2003 (age 22) | 1 | 0 | Utrecht | |
The following players have been called up for recent fixtures and are still available for selection.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Diego Mariño | (1990-05-09)9 May 1990 (age 35) | 1 | 0 | Almería | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| DF | Diego Alende | (1997-08-25)25 August 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 |  Andorra | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| DF | Angeliño | (1997-01-04)4 January 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 |  Roma | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| DF | Hugo Mallo | (1991-06-22)22 June 1991 (age 34) | 1 | 0 |  Internacional | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| MF | Pedro Mosquera | (1988-04-21)21 April 1988 (age 37) | 1 | 0 | Alcorcón | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| MF | Pape Cheikh | (1997-08-08)8 August 1997 (age 28) | 1 | 0 |  DAC Dunajská Streda | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| MF | Denis Suárez | (1994-01-06)6 January 1994 (age 31) | 1 | 0 | Villarreal | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
| FW | Joselu | (1990-03-27)27 March 1990 (age 35) | 1 | 0 |  Al-Gharafa | v. Venezuela; 20 May 2016 |
Internationalassociation football | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World |
|  | |||||||||||||||||
| Africa |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Asia |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Europe |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| North, Central America & the Caribbean |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Oceania |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| South America |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Intercontinental |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Non-FIFA |
| ||||||||||||||||||
