RCD Espanyol de
Barcelona (Catalan: Reial Club Esportiu Espanyol, Spanish:
Real Club Deportivo Espanyol, English: Spaniard Sports Royal
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. |