RCD
Espanyol de Barcelona (Catalan: Reial Club Esportiu Espanyol,
Spanish: Real Club Deportivo Espanyol, English: Royal Spanish
Sports Club) is a football club based in Barcelona, Spain.
Founded by university students in 1900 in response to the
foreigners that founded FC Barcelona, Espanyol has long been
overshadowed by its more famous local rival. The name Espanyol
("Spanish" in Catalan) was chosen to emphasize the club's
Spanish origins.
Espanyol are one of several Spanish football clubs granted
patronage by the Spanish crown and thus entitled to use "Real"
(Royal) in their names and the royal crown in their logo. This
privilege was granted to Espanyol in 1912 by King Alfonso XIII.
Espanyol play in the Estadi Lluís Companys, site of the 1992
Barcelona Olympic Games. The stadium which seats 56,000
spectators is also known as Olímpico de Montjuïc. They won the
Copa del Rey in 1929, 1940, and 2000. From the start of the
2005/06 they will return to Sarrià, their traditional area of
the city, where a new stadium is being built specifically for
the team.
|
