History of Real Sociedad in Timeline
Real Sociedad is a Spanish professional sports club founded in 1909 and based in San Sebastián, Basque Country. Known as Erreala or Reala in Basque, the club plays its home matches at the Anoeta Stadium. It is a well-known soccer team with a rich history in Spanish football.
1904: Formation of San Sebastián Recreation Club
In 1904, the San Sebastián Recreation Club, the first football club in the city, was formed by students and workers returning from Britain.
1905: Copa del Rey Competition
In 1905, the San Sebastián Recreation Club competed in the Copa del Rey.
1907: Club Split
In 1907, a conflict caused the team split with several players leaving to create a new team.
1908: Formation of San Sebastian Football Club
In 1908, several players left to create a new team, the San Sebastian Football Club.
September 1909: Foundation of Sociedad de Futbol
A few months after winning the Copa del Rey, on September 7, 1909, the players founded the Sociedad de Futbol.
September 1909: Real Sociedad Founded
On September 7, 1909, Real Sociedad de Fútbol was founded in Donostia / San Sebastián, Basque Country.
1909: Copa del Rey win as Club Ciclista de San Sebastián
In 1909, the San Sebastian Football Club competed as Club Ciclista de San Sebastián and defeated Athletic Club 4–2 in the quarter-finals and then beat Club Español de Madrid 3–1 in the final of Copa del Rey.
1910: Copa del Rey Final as Vasconia de San Sebastián
In 1910, Sociedad competed as Vasconia de San Sebastián and reached the Copa del Rey final, where they were beaten by Athletic (0–1).
1913: Copa del Rey Final as Real Sociedad
In 1913, the first final the club played as Real Sociedad was in the Copa del Rey, where FC Barcelona needed three games to beat them.
1928: Copa del Rey Final
In 1928, Sociedad reached the Copa del Rey final, which was remarkably similar to their previous one since Barcelona again needed three games to beat them at El Sardinero.
1929: Founding Member of La Liga
In 1929, Real Sociedad was a founding member of La Liga, finishing fourth with Francisco "Paco" Bienzobas as the top scorer.
1931: Name change to Donostia Club de Futbol
In 1931, the club's name was changed to Donostia Club de Futbol with the advent of the Second Spanish Republic.
1939: Name changed back to Real Sociedad
In 1939, after the Spanish Civil War, the club's name was changed back to Real Sociedad.
1967: Start of 40-Season Top Flight Spell
In 1967, Real Sociedad began a 40-season spell in the top flight of La Liga.
1979: Liga Runner-Up
In 1979, Real Sociedad finished as runner-up in La Liga.
1980: Jesús María Satrústegui Top Scorer
For the 1980–81 season, Jesús María Satrústegui was the club's top scorer with 16 goals.
1980: Liga Runner-Up
In 1979-80, Real Sociedad finished as Liga runner-up.
1981: Primera Division Title
At the end of the 1980-81 season, Real Sociedad won its first ever Primera División title, denying Real Madrid a fourth-consecutive title. This qualified La Real for the 1981–82 European Cup.
1981: First UEFA Champions League Appearance
In the 1981-82 edition, Real Sociedad made their first appearance in the UEFA Champions League, losing in the first round against CSKA Sofia.
1982: Liga Title and Supercopa de España Win
In 1982, the club retained the Liga title and won the Supercopa de España.
March 1987: Record for Most Goals in Copa del Rey Quarter-Final
On March 11, 1987, Real Sociedad set a record for most goals in a quarter-final of the Copa del Rey after defeating Mallorca 10–1.
June 1987: First Copa del Rey Title
On June 27, 1987, Real Sociedad won its first Copa del Rey title, defeating Atlético Madrid 4–2 on penalties after drawing 2–2.
1987: Liga Runner-Up and Copa del Rey Win
In 1987, Real Sociedad finished as Liga runner-up, and also won the Copa del Rey.
March 1988: Copa del Rey Final Loss
On March 30, 1988, Real Sociedad lost the Copa del Rey final to Barcelona 1-0 at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
1988: Third Place Finish
In 1997–98, Real Sociedad finished third, its best finish since being runners-up for the first time since 1988.
1988: La Liga Runner-Up
In 2002–03, Real Sociedad were runners-up in the La Liga, its best finish since 1988.
1989: Signed John Aldridge
In 1989, Real Sociedad abandoned its policy of only signing Basque players by signing Irish international John Aldridge from Liverpool.
1990: Signed Dalian Atkinson
In 1990, La Real signed an English striker, Dalian Atkinson of Sheffield Wednesday, who therefore became the club's first black player.
1997: Third Place Finish
In 1997–98, Real Sociedad finished third, its best finish since being runners-up for the first time since 1988.
1998: Third Place Finish and UEFA Cup Qualification
In 1998, Real Sociedad finished third, its best finish since 1988. It qualified La Real for the 1998–99 UEFA Cup.
2001: Extended Doping Accusations
In 2013, Iñaki Badiola accused José Luis Astiazarán's presidency of paying up to €300,000 to Eufemiano Fuentes to dope players between 2001 and 2007.
2003: UEFA Champions League and La Liga Performance
In 2003, Real Sociedad were placed in Group D of the 2003–04 Champions League and finished second to advance to the last 16. The 2003–04 La Liga saw a dramatic decline in the club's performance, slipping to 15th out of 20.
2003: La Liga Runner-Up
In 2003, Real Sociedad were runners-up in the La Liga, its best finish since 1988. Xabi Alonso won the 2003 Don Balón award for the best Spanish player in the league, while Kahveci was voted the best foreign player and Denoueix the best manager.
2003: UEFA Champions League Round of 16
In the 2003-04 season, Real Sociedad progressed to the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League before losing to Lyon.
2003: Champions League Qualification
In the 2012–13 season, Real Sociedad finished in fourth place and qualified for the 2013–14 Champions League for the first time since the 2003–04 season.
2003: Key Moments in La Liga Season
Key moments from the 2003 season came when Real Sociedad beat Real Madrid in April 4–2. It kept first place in La Liga until the penultimate game of 38, when it lost 3–2 away to Celta de Vigo. The team qualified directly for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League after finishing second.
2005: Extended Doping Accusations
In 2013, Iñaki Badiola accused José Luis Astiazarán's presidency of paying up to €300,000 to Eufemiano Fuentes to dope players between 2001 and 2007.
September 2006: 2,000th La Liga Match
On September 9, 2006, Real Sociedad played its 2,000th La Liga match.
July 2007: Chris Coleman Appointed Coach
On July 9, 2007, Chris Coleman was appointed as the new Real Sociedad coach.
2007: End of 40-Season Top Flight Spell
In 2007, Real Sociedad's 40-season spell in the top flight of La Liga came to an end.
2007: Sociological Investigation Results
In 2007, a Spanish Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas study found that 1.3% of the Spanish population have more feelings for Real Sociedad than any other club, and 1.5% have more feelings for La Real than any other club apart from their favourite.
2007: Extended Doping Accusations
In 2013, Iñaki Badiola accused José Luis Astiazarán's presidency of paying up to €300,000 to Eufemiano Fuentes to dope players between 2001 and 2007.
January 2008: Chris Coleman Resigned
On January 16, 2008, Chris Coleman resigned as Real Sociedad coach.
2008: Doping Accusations
In 2008, Iñaki Badiola, Real Sociedad's president, accused the preceding club management of buying doping substances.
December 2012: Supporter Appreciation Gesture
In December 2012, to show appreciation for the supporters, the Real Sociedad players each wore the name of a randomly selected club member on their shirt for the match against Sevilla.
2012: Fourth Place Finish
In the 2012–13 season, Real Sociedad finished in fourth place and qualified for the 2013–14 Champions League.
2013: Extended Doping Accusations
In 2013, Iñaki Badiola accused José Luis Astiazarán's presidency of paying up to €300,000 to Eufemiano Fuentes to dope players between 2001 and 2007.
2013: Champions League Qualification
In 2013, Real Sociedad defeated Lyon 2-0 in both legs to qualify for the Champions League group stage.
2013: 4th Place in UEFA Champions League Group Stage
In the 2013-14 season, Real Sociedad finished 4th place in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
November 2014: David Moyes Appointed Manager
On November 10, 2014, Real Sociedad announced David Moyes as the manager to replace Jagoba Arrasate.
November 2015: David Moyes Sacked
On November 9, 2015, David Moyes was sacked as Real Sociedad manager and was replaced by Eusebio Sacristán.
June 2017: Eusebio Sacristán's Contract Renewed
In June 2017, Eusebio Sacristán's contract with Real Sociedad was renewed.
December 2018: Imanol Alguacil Appointed Manager
On December 26, 2018, Imanol Alguacil succeeded Aiser Garitano as Real Sociedad's manager.
April 2021: Copa del Rey win
On 3 April 2021, Real Sociedad won its third Copa del Rey in a Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao. This was the 2020 Copa del Rey Final, delayed due to COVID-19.
2022: Champions League qualification
In the 2022–23 season, Real Sociedad finished fourth in La Liga, qualifying for the next season's Champions League for the first time in ten years.
2023: UEFA Champions League Round of 16
In the 2023-24 season, Real Sociedad progressed to the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, losing 4–1 over two legs to PSG.
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