Deportivo Alavés

Deportivo Alavés

Full name	Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)	Babazorros El Glorioso (The glorious one) Los blanquiazules (The Blue and Whites)
Founded	1 July 1920; 104 years ago (1920-07-01) as Sport Friend's Club
Ground	Mendizorroza
Capacity	19,840[1]
Owner	Baskonia-Alavés Group
President	Alfonso Fernández de Trocóniz
Head coach	Luis García Plaza
League	La Liga
2023–24	La Liga, 10th of 20
Website	deportivoalaves.com
Home colours Away colours Third colours
Current season

Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation: [depoɾˈtiβo alaˈβes]; Sporting Alavés), usually known as Alavés, is a Spanish football club based in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Founded on 1 July 1920 as Sport Friend's Club, The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football.

It is recognized as the third most successful team in the Basque Country following Athletic Club of Bilbao and Real Sociedad of San Sebastián. Its biggest success was in 2001 when, in the year of its debut in European competition, it reached the 2001 UEFA Cup Final, where it played against Liverpool. It was defeated 5–4 by golden goal. In 2017, the club reached the final of the Copa del Rey, losing out 3–1 to Barcelona.^[2]

The team's home kit is blue and white-striped shirt, blue shorts and white socks. It holds home matches at the 19,840-seater Mendizorrotza Stadium^[3] and uses other facilities located in Ibaia dedicated to training.

Founded in 1920 the initial name of the club was Sport Friends, but on 23 January 1921 the name was changed to the current one, and this is considered the official foundation date.^[4] Alavés was the first club to win promotion from the Segunda División to La Liga in 1929–30, a stint which would last three years. In its first season in Primera División Alavés finished 8th from 10 teams, just 1 point away from being relegated.^[5]

In 1953–54 the club would reach the top league again for a two-year spell. With Roman Galarraga as a coach, the club reached long-awaited promotion to Segunda División in the 1973–74 season.^[4] In June 1983, after having avoided the relegation in the previous season, Alavés went down to Segunda División B, where remained until the 1985–86 campaign.^[6] After years of seriously facing disappearance which lasted well into the 1990s (playing in the fourth tier during the late 1980s), Alavés finally achieved a promotion back into the Segunda División in 1994–95 after two consecutive years of winning their group in Segunda División B – created as the new third level in 1977 – but failing in the promotion play-offs.

After winning the Segunda División in 1997–98,^[7] Alavés returned to the top level after a 42-year hiatus. Following their return season in which they escaped relegation by a single point, they achieved two wins against Barcelona in the following campaign and would qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time upon finishing sixth (to date, their highest-ever placing, coming just 12 years after their lowest-ever: eighth in their group in the fourth level).

As well as concluding the domestic campaign in tenth position, in 2000–01 the Basque club reached the final of the UEFA Cup after beating Internazionale,^[8] Rayo Vallecano and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, the latter in a crushing 9–2 aggregate victory.^[9] The final ended in a 4–5 loss against Liverpool, Alavés losing to an "own-golden goal" after taking the match to extra time. The match also featured two red cards and two disallowed goals in extra time in addition to the nine goals which did count, and has been described by some observers as one of the greatest showpiece games in the competition's history.^[10]

Alavés ended 2001–02 in seventh position and qualified for the UEFA Cup for a second time, although the European campaign of 2002–03 was far less successful than two years earlier, with an opening win over Ankaragücü followed by a defeat to another Turkish Süper Lig side, Beşiktaş. On 26 January 2003, the club celebrated their 100th win in La Liga after defeating Real Valladolid 3–1.

Although Alavés were relegated after 2002–03, they regained top flight status two years later.^[9] In this time, Alavés was bought by Ukrainian–American businessman Dmitry Pietrman, and several clashes followed with the club's coaches, players^[11] and fans alike.^[12] The top-division return only lasted one season as the club went through three head coaches and finished in 18th position, one point from safety. Piterman departed in 2007, leaving the club deep in debt after his tenure. After two years of battling against relegation to the third level, Alavés eventually succumbed in 2008–09.

A subsequent black period in Segunda B lasted four years until Alavés was bought by José Antonio Querejeta^[13] and were promoted again to the second division in 2013 as overall champions of the third tier, providing an opportunity to sort out its economic difficulties. Three years later, on 29 May 2016, Alavés was promoted to La Liga as second tier champions after beating Numancia 2–0 to overtake Leganés on the final day.

On 10 September 2016, Alavés got their first win of their return season in La Liga by defeating defending La Liga champions Barcelona 2–1 at the Camp Nou.^[14] On 7 February 2017, Alavés qualified for the 2017 Copa del Rey Final after eliminating Celta de Vigo in the semi-finals of the competition. This was the first time in their history that the club had qualified for the final of the national cup, their previous best being the semi-finals in 1998 and 2004. Their opponents in the final would be Barcelona, and coincidentally the two clubs met in the league directly after their cup semi-finals; the Catalans inflicted a 6–0 defeat on Alavés in their own Mendizorrotza Stadium, exacting revenge for the result earlier in the season.^[15] Barcelona also won the final, held at the Estadio Vicente Calderón with a 3–1 scoreline,^[16] meaning there would be no return to European competition for Alavés. In the La Liga that season Alavés finished 9th with 14 wins, 13 draws and 11 losses.^[17] In the 2021–22 season, Alavés were relegated following defeat on the penultimate matchday by Levante (who also went down) to end their six-year stay in La Liga, the longest top-flight run in the club's history. The following season saw the club achieve promotion back to La Liga at the first attempt, winning the play-off final 0–1 against fellow relegated side Levante to ensure their return to the top tier for the 2023–24 season.^[18]

• 19 seasons in La Liga
• 38 seasons in Segunda División
• 12 seasons in Segunda División B
• 22 seasons in Tercera División
• 1 season in Categorías Regionales

Season	Div	Pos.	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pld	Cup	Europe		Notes
2013–14	2A	18th	42	13	12	17	57	57	51	Third round
2014–15	2A	13th	42	14	11	17	49	53	53	Round of 32
2015–16	2A	1st	42	21	12	9	49	35	75	Third round			Promoted
2016–17	1	9th	38	14	13	11	41	43	55	Runners-up
2017–18	1	14th	38	15	2	21	40	50	47	Quarter-finals
2018–19	1	11th	38	13	11	14	39	50	50	Round of 32
2019–20	1	16th	38	10	9	19	34	59	39	First round
2020–21	1	16th	38	9	11	18	36	57	38	Round of 32
2021–22	1	20th	38	8	7	23	31	65	31	Second round			Relegated
2022–23	2A	4th	42	19	14	9	47	33	71	Round of 16			Promoted in Play-off
2023–24	1									Round of 16

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2000-01	UEFA Cup	First round	Gaziantepspor	0–0	3–4	3–4
		Second round	Lillestrøm SK	1–3	2–2	3–5
		Third round	Rosenborg	1–1	1–3	4–2
		Round of 16	Inter Milan	3–3	0–2	5–3
		Quarter-finals	Rayo Vallecano	3–0	2–1	4–2
		Semi-final	Kaiserslautern	5–1	1–4	9–2
		Final	Liverpool	5–4
2002-03	UEFA Cup	First round	Ankaragücü	1–2	3–0	1–5
		Second round	Beşiktaş	1–1	1–0	1–2

As of 2 September 2024^[19]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ESP Antonio Sivera (captain) 3 DF  ESP Manu Sánchez (on loan from Celta Vigo) 4 DF  SRB Aleksandar Sedlar 5 DF  MAR Abdel Abqar 6 MF  ESP Ander Guevara (vice-captain) 7 MF  ESP Carlos Vicente 8 MF  ESP Antonio Blanco 9 FW  ESP Asier Villalibre 10 MF  ARG Tomás Conechny 11 FW  ESP Toni Martínez 12 DF  URU Santiago Mouriño 13 GK  EQG Jesús Owono

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 DF  ARG Nahuel Tenaglia (3rd captain) 15 FW  ESP Carlos Martín (on loan from Atlético Madrid) 16 DF  ESP Hugo Novoa 17 FW  ESP Kike García 18 MF  ESP Jon Guridi 19 MF  ESP Stoichkov 20 MF  ARG Luka Romero (on loan from AC Milan) 21 FW  ALG Abde Rebbach 22 DF  MLI Moussa Diarra 23 MF  URU Carlos Protesoni 24 MF  ESP Joan Jordán (on loan from Sevilla) 31 GK  ARG Adrián Rodríguez

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 27 DF  ESP Egoitz Muñoz 34 DF  ESP Eneko Ortiz 35 DF  ESP Alejandro Jay

No. Pos. Nation Player 36 DF  ESP Adrián Pica 37 MF  ESP Julen Lartitegi

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player — DF  ESP Joseda Álvarez (at Sestao River until 30 June 2025) — DF  SRB Nikola Maraš (at Sporting Gijón until 30 June 2025) — DF  CMR Stephane Keller (at Istra 1961 until 30 June 2025) — DF  ESP Víctor Parada (at Mirandés until 30 June 2025)

No. Pos. Nation Player — MF  GUI Selu Diallo (at Atlético Madrid B until 30 June 2025) — FW  ESP Unai Ropero (at Eldense until 30 June 2025) — FW  ARG Joaquín Panichelli (at Mirandés until 30 June 2025) — FW  ESP Maroan Sannadi (at Barakaldo until 30 June 2025)

The team wore kits from the Danish brand Hummel for several seasons.^[20][21][22] In the 2017-2018 season, they started wearing new kits from Kelme. They had an agreement with Kelme until 2022.^[23] That same year, the team signed a new agreement with the German company Puma for four seasons.^[24]

For the launch of the new brand, they choose to bring back the traditional vertical stripes and keep the original black pants.

Deportivo Alavés has changed its crest several times since it was founded in 1921.^[25][26][27] The first crest looked very similar to the official coat of arms of the Álava province. However, instead of a sword-wielding arm, the team's crest featured a blue and white pennant. At the top of the crest was a medallion with the initials "DA".

In 1922, the crest was simplified to just a pennant. The pennant was white with a blue center stripe and had the team initials "DA" in a square at the top left corner. This design stayed until 1950, but the initials changed when the team was renamed Club Deportivo Alavés. In 1950, the team redesigned its crest to look more like the traditional Álava symbol. They brought back the castle and lion, and also added a sword. The "C.D.A." pennant was moved behind the castle, and the whole design was placed within a circle with a crown on top.^[28][29]

• Copa del Rey
  • Runners-up: 2016–17
• Segunda División
  • Winners (4): 1929–30, 1953–54, 1997–98, 2015–16
• Segunda División play-offs
  • Winners (1): 2023
• Segunda División B^[a]
  • Winners (4): 1992–93,^[b] 1993–94,^[c] 1994–95,^[d] 2012–13^[e]
• Copa Federación de España
  • Winners: 1945–46
• Tercera División
  • Winners (5):^[f] 1940–41,^[g] 1960–61,^[h] 1964–65,^[i] 1967–68,^[j] 1973–74^[k]
  • Winners:^[l] 1989–90^[m]
• Regional Championship^[30]
  • Biscay Championship: 1929–30
  • Gipuzkoa Championship: 1938–39

• UEFA Cup
  • Runners-up: 2000–01

• Name – Mendizorrotza
• City – Vitoria-Gasteiz
• Capacity – 19,840^[31][3]
• Inauguration – 1924
• Pitch size – 105 m x 67 m
• Other facilities – El Glorioso and José Luis Compañón

The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup, while playing for Alavés.

Position	Name
Head coach	Luis García Plaza
Assistant coach	Pedro Rostoll
Goalkeeping coach	Javier Barbero
Technical assistant	Christian Moya
Fitness coach	Félix Vicente Nenad Njaradi
Analyst	Raúl Gallego Jon Zubillaga
Physiotherapist	Javier Pérez Elorrieta Eneko Candal Danel Etxeberria Raul Gutierrez
Rehab fitness coach	Mario Pérez Iñigo Simón
Nutritionist	Álex Garcia
Director of Medical Services	Alberto Fernández
Psychologist	Emilio Ibañez
Delegate	Lluís Codina
Equipment manager	David Yébenes

The club's primary reserve team is Deportivo Alavés B, founded in 1960 and currently playing at the amateur Tercera División level of the senior Spanish system. When that team gained promotion to Segunda División B in 2000, a further reserve side Deportivo Alavés C was formed, later partnering with local team Club San Ignacio, but the C-team was discontinued in 2005 due to the poor financial situation at the club. San Ignacio and most other teams in the vicinity of Vitoria-Gasteiz continue to operate as partner clubs of Alavés.^{[32][33][34][35]}

In 2007, Alavés operated a team in the USL First Division in the United States called the California Victory. The team played at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, California, and wore the Alavés colors. However, Alavés, under new ownership, pulled its support for the club later that year, after which the Victory folded.

In May 2017, Alavés signed a ten-year partnership deal with NK Rudeš, freshly promoted Croatian First Football League club, with Rudeš acting as a feeder club to Alavés.^[36] In June 2018, Deportivo Alavés and NK Rudeš ended its partnership agreement.^[37]

In April 2018, Alavés signed an agreement with French club FC Sochaux-Montbéliard;^[38] however the partnership lasted only a few months, ending abruptly in December of the same year.^[39]

In June 2018 Alavés took a controlling interest in another Croatian top-tier club, NK Istra 1961, a few weeks after ending their agreement with Rudeš.^[40]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Deportivo Alavés.

• Official website (in English and Spanish)
• Alavés at La Liga (in English and Spanish)
• Alavés at UEFA (in English and Spanish)
• Deportivo Alavés at UEFA Europa League
• List of coaches
• List of players
• Futbolme team profile (in English and Spanish)
• Club profile at BDfutbol (match reports in each season)
• Deportivo Alavés at YouTube
• Deportivo Alavés on Instagram
• Deportivo Alavés on Twitter
• Club history at El Correo (in Spanish)
• Glorioso, unofficial website (in Spanish)
• Terra club info. Archived 6 January 2013 at archive.today (in Spanish).
• Deportivo Alavés en FIFA.com