Espanyol football club

Despite never winning the La Liga trophy, RCD Espanyol are one of the most respected football clubs in Spain. A lot of that admiration stems from the fact that Espanyol is a very history-rich club, having been founded back in 1900. These days the club is mostly known for its rivalry with the “other” Barcelona club, FC Barcelona.

Espanyol was founded in 1900 by Angel Rodriguez Ruiz, a student at the nearby University of Barcelona. Rodriguez named the new club Sociedad Espanola de Football, in order to differentiate it from other Barcelona teams that were dominated by foreigners. Today, Espanyol is considered to be the first Spanish club formed exclusively by Spanish fans and students.

Espanyol Rivalry

Espanyol’s biggest rivals are fellow catalan club FC Barcelona. These two share a fierce long standing rivalry as both clubs are located in Barcelona, their rivalry began with Espanyol believing they are more catalan. This is mainly because the founder of RCD Espanyol was Angel Rodriguez, a proud Catalan, whereas FC Barcelona was founded by the Swiss, Joan Gamper.

Espanyol Stadium

The Stage Front Stadium is an all-seater football stadium on the outskirts of Cornellà de Llobregat and El Prat de Llobregat, in the wider Barcelona urban area. With a capacity of 40,000 seats, it is the 10th largest stadium in Spain and the 3rd-largest in Catalunya. It became the home of RCD Espanyol in 2009, replacing their previous stadium, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, being the 8th stadium in the club’s history.