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| Full name | Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicknames |
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| Founded | 23 February 1913; 112 years ago (1913-02-23) asSantander Racing Club | |||
| Ground | Stadium El Sardinero | |||
| Capacity | 22,222[1] | |||
| Owner | Sebman Sports International (74%) | |||
| President | Manuel Higuera Sancho | |||
| Head coach | José Alberto López | |||
| League | Segunda División | |||
| 2024–25 | Segunda División, 5th of 22 | |||
| Website | realracingclub.es | |||
 Current season | ||||
Real Racing Club de Santander, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation:[reˈalˈraθiŋkluβðesantanˈdeɾ]), also known asRacing de Santander (pronounced[ˈraθindesantanˈdeɾ]) or simplyRacing, is a football club based inSantander,Cantabria, Spain, that currently competes inSegunda División, the second tier of theSpanish league system. It was founded in 1913 and it holds home games atEl Sardinero, with a capacity for 22,222 spectators.[2] It is one of the ten founding clubs ofLa Liga.
Real Racing Club played their first football match on 23 February 1913, losing 1–2 to neighbouringStrong. It was officially founded on 14 June, asSantander Racing Club, appearing in its first tournament during that summer (Luis Redonet Trophy) and being admitted to theNorthern Federation on 14 November, eventuallymerging with Santander Football Club.
In the1928–29 season, theSpanish League competition began. After a complicated elimination process to determine the tenth and final team for the new First Division, Racing successively beatValencia,Betis andSevilla. The club was part of the first goalless game in the league, againstAthletic Bilbao.[citation needed]
During theSecond Republic, the classifications of Santander varied. In1930–31, It achieved the runner-up position in the Spanish League, tied at 22 points with champion Athletic Bilbao, and third-placeReal Sociedad. This is the highest finish achieved by the club in all its history, trained by the EnglishRobert Firth and chaired by Fernando Pombo.[citation needed]
They also participated in the International Tournament of Paris, falling in the semifinal toSlavia 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 theCommonwealth Championship of Castilla-Aragón, in which it finished second in the first season. Meanwhile, in Cantabria a lesser championship was disputed, not qualifying for theSpanish Cup;Santoña won it. During the1935–36 season, Racing was the first club in the Spanish league to beatBarcelona andReal Madrid 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 theCampos 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.[citation needed]
In1950, theCantabrians returned to the top flight after a ten-year absence, scoring 99 goals in only 30 games.[3][4]
During the period ofFrancoist Spain, the club was renamedReal Santander in 1941, because of the prohibition on non-Spanish names. The name was restored in 1973 as the teamreturned to the first division one year afternearly relegating, under young managerJosé María Maguregui. Racing wasimmediately relegated, And spent the ensuing seasons bouncing between divisions one and two, alsobeing crowned champions inSegunda División B (the new third level, created in 1977) in 1991. VeteranQuique Setién returned to his main club the following year, helping itreturn to the top flight and scoring in the1994–95 campaign againstFC Barcelona, in a historic 5–0 home win.[5]
Racing was the first Spanish team to wear a sponsor's name on their shirt: German electronics companyTeka on 27 December 1981 away toReal Madrid (the corporation then sponsored the opponents early in the following decade).[6]
On 25 March 2000, Racing played its 1,000th game in La Liga.
In the 2000s, Racing only playedone 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.[7] The next season was much better, as the club finished 10th, easily retaining its place in the top flight.[8] In2007–08, underMarcelino García Toral, it finished in sixth position, thusqualifying to theUEFA Cup for the first time ever; additionally the club reached the semifinals of theCopa del Rey twice during this decade, being ousted by eventual runners-upGetafe CF andAtlético Madrid in 2008 and 2010, respectively.[9]
On 22 January 2011, Indian business tycoonAhsan Ali Syed, founder and chairman of investment companyWestern Gulf Advisory, completed his takeover of Racing de Santander. Following his takeover, he immediately sackedMiguel Ángel Portugal.[10] A turbulent2011–12 season saw the club go through three different managers, all of which were unable to prevent Racing from being relegated to theSegunda División, bringing an end to their decade stay in the top flight of Spanish football.[11]
At the end ofthe following campaign, Racing again finished at the bottom of the table, sealing their fate of a consecutive relegation.[12] During the season, Racing had also been immersed in a severe institutional and financial crisis.[13][14] The club's relegation brought an end to 22 years of playing in Spain's professional divisions. In spite of that plight, the team was able to reach the quarterfinals in the2013–14 edition of the domestic cup after ousting top-divisionersSevilla FC[15] andUD Almería;[16] in the first leg against the latter, club fans stormed the presidential tribune atEstadio El Sardinero and assaulted chairman Ángel Lavín.[17]
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, in the club's second-leg fixture againstReal Sociedad, the players gathered at the centre circle following kick-off, refusing to play. RefereeJesús Gil Manzano suspended the game after one minute, with Racing being given a loss due to forfeit.[18][19][20] As a result of the protest the club was fined and banned from competing inthe following edition of the competition.[21] On 31 January Lavín was sacked, with former playerJuan Antonio Sañudo being appointed his successor by practically all the shareholders.[22]
Racing wontheir group in the2013–14 Segunda División B, and won theplayoff againstLlagostera to be promoted back to the second tier, but they were immediately relegated in the2014–15 season. They again took first place in the Segunda B section in2015–16, but were eliminated inthe promotion playoffs, failing to score a goal across four matches in the ties lost toReus andCádiz.[23]
Racing was promoted back to the second division after four years in the third tier in2018–19, by winning their regional group and defeatingAtlético Baleares in thepromotion playoff on theaway goals rule, but they were immediately relegated in the2019–20 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 during2020–21 Segunda División B to find themselves remaining at the third level, in the newly formedPrimera División RFEF, for the 2021–22 season. Racing confirmed their finish the season in first place and promoted toSegunda División, after two years in third division and fighting withDeportivo La Coruña for the top spot. On 3 June 2022, Racing took the inaugural Primera División RFEF title with a 3–0 win overAndorra.
Racing Santander is one of few Spanish teams that have played the majority of their history in La Liga, but do not have amajor 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 theregionalised fourth level; onlyGimnástica de Torrelavega have ever reached the second tier. However, Racing fans generally consider their biggest rival to be the major team from theBasque Country,Athletic Bilbao, due to geographic proximity and the long history between these clubs.[24][25][26][27]Bilbao is the closest city to Santander (approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi)), and the relationship between Racing and Athletic has been described in the past as 'the duel of the North',[28][29] 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 a club from neighboringAsturias:Real Oviedo and a hostility withGetafe.
Racing Santander supporters maintain friendly relations with fans ofSporting de Gijón.
| Season | Pos. | Pl. | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts | Copa del Rey | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 1D | 13 | 42 | 11 | 17 | 14 | 52 | 54 | 50 | Quarter-finals | |
| 1997–98 | 1D | 14 | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 46 | 55 | 45 | 3rd round | |
| 1998–99 | 1D | 15 | 38 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 41 | 53 | 42 | Quarter-finals | |
| 1999–2000 | 1D | 15 | 38 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 52 | 50 | 46 | 2nd round | |
| 2000–01 | 1D | 19 | 38 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 48 | 62 | 39 | Quarterfinals | Relegated |
| 2001–02 | 2D | 2 | 42 | 19 | 14 | 9 | 58 | 37 | 71 | Round of 64 | Promoted |
| 2002–03 | 1D | 16 | 38 | 13 | 5 | 20 | 54 | 64 | 44 | 1st round | |
| 2003–04 | 1D | 17 | 38 | 11 | 10 | 17 | 48 | 63 | 42 | 3rd round | |
| 2004–05 | 1D | 16 | 38 | 12 | 8 | 18 | 41 | 58 | 44 | 3rd round | |
| 2005–06 | 1D | 17 | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 36 | 49 | 40 | 3rd round | |
| 2006–07 | 1D | 10 | 38 | 12 | 14 | 12 | 42 | 48 | 50 | 2nd round | |
| 2007–08 | 1D | 6 | 38 | 17 | 9 | 12 | 42 | 41 | 60 | Semi-finals | |
| 2008–09 | 1D | 12 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 49 | 48 | 46 | Round of 16 | |
| 2009–10 | 1D | 16 | 38 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 59 | 39 | Semi-finals | |
| 2010–11 | 1D | 12 | 38 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 41 | 56 | 46 | Round of 32 | |
| 2011–12 | 1D | 20 | 38 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 28 | 63 | 27 | Round of 16 | Relegated |
| 2012–13 | 2D | 20 | 42 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 38 | 51 | 46 | 3rd round | Relegated |
| 2013–14 | 3D | 1 | 36 | 17 | 15 | 4 | 55 | 27 | 66 | Quarterfinals | Promoted |
| 2014–15 | 2D | 19 | 42 | 12 | 8 | 22 | 42 | 53 | 44 | DNP | Relegated |
| 2015–16 | 3D | 1 | 38 | 21 | 11 | 6 | 58 | 28 | 74 | 1st round | |
| 2016–17 | 3D | 2 | 38 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 86 | 28 | 86 | Round of 32 | |
| 2017–18 | 3D | 5 | 38 | 20 | 8 | 10 | 44 | 33 | 68 | 1st round | |
| 2018–19 | 3D | 1 | 38 | 22 | 12 | 4 | 66 | 25 | 78 | Round of 32 | Promoted |
| 2019–20 | 2D | 22 | 42 | 5 | 18 | 19 | 39 | 56 | 33 | 1st round | Relegated |
| 2020–21 | 3D | 4 2 | 26 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 40 | 28 | 42 | 1st round | [a] |
| 2021–22 | 3D | 1 | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 61 | 31 | 82 | DNQ | Promoted[b] |
| 2022–23 | 2D | 12 | 42 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 39 | 40 | 54 | 2nd round | |
| 2023–24 | 2D | 7 | 42 | 18 | 10 | 14 | 63 | 55 | 64 | 1st round | |
| 2024–25 | 2D | 5 | 42 | 20 | 11 | 11 | 65 | 51 | 71 | Round of 32 |
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| Season | Round | Club | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | First round |  Honka | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 |
| Group stage |  Twente | 0–1 | |||
 Schalke 04 | 1–1 | ||||
 Paris Saint-Germain | 2–2 | ||||
 Manchester City | 3–1 |
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  José Alberto López |
| Assistant coach | Pablo Álvarez |
| Fitness coach | Albert Tataret Dani Salvador |
| Goalkeeping coach | Pedro Dorronsoro |
| Analyst | Enric Soriano |
| Delegate | Delfín Calzada |
| Equipment manager | Sergio San Juan José Ruiz Manolo San Juan |
| Doctor | Gonzalo Revuelta |
| Rehab fitness coach | Hugo Camarero |
| Physiotherapist | Diego Ortiz Antonio Malanda Fran Ruiz |
| Nutritionist | Juan Carlos Llamas |
| Podiatrist | José Andreu |
Last updated: 20 November 2024
Source:Real Racing Club(in Spanish)
Note: this list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.
The following players have been selected by their country in theWorld Cup Finals, while playing for Racing Santander.
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