Traditionally the club followed a policy (similar to that of its rival Athletic) of signing only Basque players, before signingRepublic of Ireland forwardJohn Aldridge in 1989. While a strong Basque contingent has been retained among its players, nowadays both non-Basque Spaniards and foreign players are represented at the club. Itsyouth academy subsequent to the all-Basque era has still been very successful in developing internationally renowned players, such as World Cup winnersXabi Alonso andAntoine Griezmann.[4]
The club has competed in theUEFA Champions League five times. Their first appearance was in the1981–82 edition, where the club lost in the first round againstCSKA Sofia. In the following season, the team reached the semifinals, only to lose narrowly against eventual winnersHamburger SV. In the2003–04 season, the club progressed to the round of 16 before losing toLyon. In the2013–14 season, the team finished 4th place in the group stage. Their most recent appearance was in the2023-24 season, where they progressed to the round of 16, losing 4–1 over two legs toPSG.
Real Sociedad in 1912Real Sociedad squad in the 1930–31 league season
Football was introduced toSan Sebastián in the early 1900s by students and workers returning fromBritain. In 1904, they formedSan Sebastián Recreation Club, the first football club in the city, and in 1905 the club competed in theCopa del Rey.[5] In 1907, a conflict between the club's members caused the team to split with several players (such asAlfonso andMiguel Sena and Domingo Arrillaga) leaving to create a new team in 1908, theSan Sebastian Football Club. This team applied to enter the1909 Copa del Rey, but complications over registration permits saw them compete as Club Ciclista de San Sebastián.[5] This team convincingly defeated the powerfulAthletic Club 4–2 in the quarter-finals and then beatClub Español de Madrid 3–1 in thefinal.[6] A notable figure of this team wasGeorge McGuinness, who netted 6 goals in the tournament including the opener in the final.
A few months after this victory, the players who had won the tournament founded the Sociedad de Futbol on 7 September 1909. Sociedad applied to enter the1910 Copa del Rey, but once again had to compete under a different name, Vasconia de San Sebastián, and once again they reached thefinal (UECF), where they were beaten by Athletic (0–1).[7] In the same year, KingAlfonso XIII – who used San Sebastián as hissummer capital – gave the club his patronage, where it subsequently became known as Real Sociedad de Fútbol. The first final the club played asReal Sociedad was in1913, whereFC Barcelona needed three games to beat them.[8] After a 15-year hiatus, Sociedad reached the1928 final, which was remarkably similar to their previous one since Barcelona again needed three games to beat them atEl Sardinero.[9]
Real Sociedad in 1952
Real Sociedad was a founding member ofLa Liga in 1929. The team came fourth with Francisco "Paco" Bienzobas finishing as the top scorer. The team's name was changed toDonostia Club de Futbol in 1931 with the advent of theSecond Spanish Republic, but changed back to Real Sociedad after theSpanish Civil War in 1939. The team has generally fluctuated between thePrimera andSegunda divisions, in one period (during the 1940s) managing to be relegated and promoted seven times. Around that time, the sculptorEduardo Chillida was the team's goalkeeper until injury put a stop to his football career.
The team finished as runners-up in La Liga for the first time in1979–80, gaining 52 points compared toReal Madrid's 53, and 13 points clear of third-placedSporting de Gijón. Real Sociedad won its first ever Primera División title at the end of the1980–81 season, denying Real Madrid a fourth-consecutive title because although both clubs earned 45 points and Madrid had the superior goal difference Sociedad were better in the head-to-heads.[10] This qualified La Real for the1981–82 European Cup, where they were eliminated in the first round byCSKA Sofia of Bulgaria, who hosted and won the first leg 1–0. The second leg in Spain was a 0–0 draw.[11]
Real Sociedad supporters at the streets ofSan Sebastián
On 11 March 1987, Real Sociedad set a record for most goals in a quarter-final of the Copa del Rey after defeatingMallorca 10–1. In the semi-finals of thesame tournament, it beat itsBasque rivalsAthletic Bilbao 1–0 over two legs. On 27 June 1987, Real Sociedad won its first Copa del Rey title, defeatingAtlético Madrid 4–2 on penalties after drawing 2–2. The match was held atLa Romareda inZaragoza,Aragon.[16] In the following season's Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad defeated Atlético Madrid again after defeating them in the quarter-finals. It then beat Real Madrid 5–0 on aggregate in the semi-finals, but lost 1–0 in the final toBarcelona at Real Madrid'sSantiago Bernabéu Stadium on 30 March 1988.[17] In the1987–88 La Liga, Real Sociedad were runners-up for the first time since its lost its title – with 51 points to Real Madrid's 62 – and three points clear of third-placed Atlético Madrid.[10]
The Republic of Ireland internationalJohn Aldridge was Real Sociedad's first non-Basque player, and was the club's top scorer during both of his seasons from 1989 to 1991
For many years, Real Sociedad followed the practice of its Basque rivals Athletic Bilbao ofsigning only Basque players. It abandoned the policy in 1989 when it signedIrish internationalJohn Aldridge fromLiverpool.[18] Aldridge scored 16 goals in his first season to be the club's top scorer,[19] and fourth-highest scorer of the entire league as La Real finished fifth.[20] In 1990, La Real signed an English striker,Dalian Atkinson ofSheffield Wednesday,[21] who therefore became the club's first black player.[22] He scored 12 goals in his first season, second at the club only to Aldridge's 17.[23] That was Aldridge's final season at La Real, and he left to play in the English 2nd tier atTranmere Rovers, while Atkinson left to join top-flightAston Villa.
In1997–98, Real Sociedad finished third, its best finish since being runners-up for the first time since 1988. Its total of 63 points was 11 less than champions Barcelona but just two less than runners-up Athletic Bilbao. The club finished higher in the table than Real Madrid due to a superior goal differential.[20] Yugoslav strikerDarko Kovačević scored 17 times that season, making him the fourth-highest scorer in the league.[24] The third-place finish qualified La Real for the1998–99 UEFA Cup, where it beatSparta Prague andDynamo Moscow before being knocked out in the third round by Atlético Madrid.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Real Sociedad player and national Spanish team player.
Xabi Prieto was a key player as the top goalscorer as Real Sociedad finished in the 21st century
After finishing in 13th position for three consecutive seasons, Real Sociedad were runners-up in the2002–03 La Liga, its best finish since 1988.[25] Its tally of 76 points was only beaten by Real Madrid's 78, and La Real had four more points than third-placedDeportivo de La Coruña.[26] The club was managed by FrenchmanRaynald Denoueix. La Real's strikeforce combined the Turkish strikerNihat Kahveci withYugoslav internationalDarko Kovačević. The two were third and fourth top scorer in the league respectively, with 23 and 20 goals.[27] The team also includedDutch international goalkeeperSander Westerveld andXabi Alonso in midfield. Alonso was the winner of the 2003Don Balón award for the best Spanish player in the league, while Kahveci was voted the best foreign player and Denoueix the best manager.[28]
Key moments from that season came when Real Sociedad beat Real Madrid in April 4–2 at theAnoeta Stadium. It kept first place in La Liga until the penultimate game of 38, when it lost 3–2 away toCelta de Vigo, while Real Madrid beat Atlético Madrid 4–0. This meant that Real Madrid secured first place two points clear of Real Sociedad for the last game, where La Real defeated Atlético Madrid 3–0 and Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao to win the title.[29] The team qualified directly for the2003–04 UEFA Champions League after finishing second; it was unbeaten at home, scored 71 goals in total and lost just six times.
Real Sociedad were placed in Group D of the 2003–04 Champions League withJuventus,Galatasaray andOlympiacos. The team won two matches, drew three and lost away to Juventus to finish second and advance[30] to the last 16. It was knocked out after losing 1–0 in both games againstLyon, hosting the first game.[31] The2003–04 La Liga saw a dramatic decline in the club's performance, slipping to 15th out of 20. Their tally of 46 points was only five more than relegatedReal Valladolid.[32]
On 9 September 2006, Real Sociedad played its 2,000th La Liga match. That same season, they were relegated from La Liga, finishing 19th and ended a 40-year streak there, their longest ever stay in the top flight. On 9 July 2007, former Welsh international andFulham managerChris Coleman was appointed as the new club coach, on the recommendation of former Real Sociedad managerJohn Toshack, an important board member at the club.[33] Coleman resigned on 16 January 2008.[34]
In the2012–13 season, Real Sociedad finished in fourth place and qualified for the2013–14 Champions League for the first time since the 2003–04 season, but in the play-offs, this time. In the play-offs, the club defeated Lyon 2–0 in both legs to qualify for the group stage. Real Sociedad, however, did not make it out of the group, earning just one point.[35]
On 10 November 2014, Real Sociedad announcedDavid Moyes as the chosen manager to replaceJagoba Arrasate, who was sacked following a series of poor results.[36] Moyes became the sixth British manager in the club's history, however he was sacked 9 November 2015 after falling to 16th in La Liga.[37] Later that day, he was replaced byEusebio Sacristán.
Sacristán signed an initial contract until 30 June 2017.[38] His contract was renewed in 2017, but Sacristán was ultimately dismissed after a string of poor performances left that 15th in the table and drawn into a relegation battle.[39]Aiser Garitano became the next head coach, having arrived fromLeganés.[40] He lasted only seven months before being dismissed, with the team also in 15th place, with only five wins in his seventeen league matches.[41]
Chart of Real Sociedad league performance 1929-present
Garitano was succeeded by reserve team manager and local boyImanol Alguacil on 26 December 2018.[42] During his tenure, he oversaw an attacking style of play combining pace, precision, power, and exuberance.[43]
In 2008, at Real Sociedad's annual general meeting, Iñaki Badiola, at the time the club's president, accused the preceding club management of buying doping substances. In 2013 Badiola gave an extended interview in which he accusedJosé Luis Astiazarán's presidency of paying up to €300,000 toEufemiano Fuentes to dope players on the team between 2001 and 2007.[44][45][46]José Luis Astiazarán, who was Real Sociedad's president between 2001 and 2005, denied the claims.[47]
Real Sociedad won its third Copa del Rey on 3 April 2021, the nearly year-long delayed2020 Copa del Rey Final due to COVID-19, in aBasque derby against Athletic Bilbao.[48] In the2022–23 season, the club finished fourth in La Liga to qualify to the next season'sChampions League for the first time in ten years.[49]
The club's name means "Royal Society of Football" inSpanish. The club's name was changed toDonostia Club de Futbol in 1931 with the advent of theSecond Spanish Republic, but changed back to Real Sociedad after theSpanish Civil War in 1939.[51] The club is nicknamed inBasque asErreala or thetxuri-urdin ("white-blue" due to the colours of their kit). The colours stem from the flag of San Sebastián: a blue canton on a white field.
The Spanish Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Centre of Sociological Investigations) found out that of 2,473 adults interviewed in 49 provinces in 2007, 1.3% of the Spanish population have more of an affinity for Real Sociedad than any other club, and 1.5% have more of an affinity for La Real than any other club apart from their favourite.[52]
In appreciation of the value of the supporters to the club – in the words of club president Jokin Aperribay, "The fans are the soul, the nourishment and the reason for Real Sociedad" – the players each wore the name of a randomly selected club member on their shirt for the match againstSevilla in December 2012.[53]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^"Anoeta: bienvenido el fútbol en color" [Anoeta: welcome football in color].El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 8 September 2019.Archived from the original on 23 September 2019. Retrieved13 September 2019.
^Real Federación Española de Fútbol (March 2011)."Historial"(PDF).Revista Oficial de la R.F.E.F. p. 70. Archived fromthe original(pdf) on 18 July 2012. Retrieved10 May 2023.
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