RCD Espanyol

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.

External link

• Espanyol's official website