Granada
Full nameGranada Club de Fútbol
Nickname(s)Nazaríes (Nasrids)
Short nameGCF
Founded6 April 1931 (1931-04-06)
as Club Recreativo Granada
GroundNuevo Los Cármenes
Capacity19,336[1]
OwnerDaxian 2009 SL
PresidentSophia Yang
ManagerAlexander Medina
LeagueLa Liga
2022–23Segunda División, 1st of 22 (promoted)
WebsiteClub website

Granada Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [gɾaˈnaða ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol]), known simply as Granada or "Graná", is a professional Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in La Liga, having being promoted from the Segunda División in the 2022–23 season. Its main shareholder is the Chinese company Desport, and its president Jiang Lizhang. The club was founded in 1931 with the name of Club Recreativo Granada, and plays its home matches at the Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes.

Since 17 July 2020, the club is located at position 22 of the historical points classification of the First Division, and 20 of the historical First Division number of seasons classification, where it has participated in 25 seasons and finished in sixth place twice. Granada was the Copa del Rey runner-up in 1959 (the competition was then known as the Copa del Generalísimo). The club finished the 2019–20 season in 7th, qualifiying for their first-ever European appearance, in the UEFA Europa League,[2] where they were quarter-finalists.

History

Foundation

Granada Club de Fútbol was founded on 6 April 1931,[3] originally as Recreativo de Granada; the first president was Julio López Fernández. It was him who registered the club in the Registry of Associations in the Civil Government and presented the first Board of Directors.[4]

The first football match was played against the Deportivo Jaén on 6 December 1931, which resulted in a 2–1 victory.[5] The first goal in the match, and in the club's history, was scored by Antonio Bombillar. The first home match was played against U.D. Andújar two weeks later. Granada won it 1–0. It took place at Campo de Las Tablas stadium.[5] In the 1931–32 season, the club finished 2nd in the Tercera Regional – Región Sur championship.[5] 4 wins in 6 matches helped Granada achieve promotion to the Segunda Regional. The club started the season in a new division with a new president, Gabriel Morcillo Raya.[6] During the 1932–33 season the club had the biggest win in its history, 11–0 against Xerez on 23 April 1933.[7]

La Liga entry and peak

After several promotions, in 1941–42 the club made its La Liga debut. It was the match against the Celta on 28 September 1941. The game ended up in 1–1 draw.[8] The first Granada goal in the highest Spanish division was scored by César Rodríguez Álvarez.[9] During that season the Granada had some historical home wins, among them 8–0 against Real Oviedo and 6–0 against Barcelona.[5] Granada finished the season in the 10th position among 14 teams.[10]

From 1942 until the 1980s, it alternated between the top flight and the Segunda División, with its golden age coming during the late 1960s and mid 70s, as the Andalusian club had eight consecutive top flight seasons between 1968–69 and 1975–76 and made the Copa del Rey semi and quarter-finals on 4 occasions. These seasons also included a best-ever sixth league places in the 1971–72 and 1973–74 seasons. Granada finished the 1971–72 season with 9 wins in the last 10 home games, with powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid being among those wins.

In 1959 Granada achieved its greatest landmark, being the runner-up of the Copa del Generalísimo (later Copa del Rey). In the final, played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the team lost to Barcelona 4–1. The only goal for Granada was scored by the Argentinian forward Ramón Carranza.[11]

Chart of Granada CF league performance 1929–2023

In the 1980s, Granada had some brief appearances in the second division. In 1983–84, they finished 8th among 20 teams in the Segunda División, just 10 points away from the champion the Real Madrid Castilla and the runner-up the Bilbao Athletic.[12] In 1984–85, Granada finished 18th and were relegated to the Segunda División B;[13] in the same season, the club was eliminated by fourth-tier club Estepona in the second round of the Copa del Rey.[14] Although the club returned to the Segunda División after two years for the 1987–88 season, it was relegated again that same season after finishing 19th.

Decline and revival

Granada spent most of the following seasons in the Segunda División B, and were relegated to the fourth tier in 2002–03, due to failing to pay its players under the presidency of Francisco Jimena.[15] After four seasons in the fourth division, former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, along with his son Paco, arrived at the club. With their help, the Andalusian side was again promoted to the third category but got itself into serious financial trouble. In the 2005–06 season Granada won Group 9 of the Tercera División and qualified for the promotional play-offs, where the first rival was Linense. After the two games ended up in 1–1 draws, Granada won in the penalty shootout. After that they had to face Guadalajara, winning 3–1 on aggregate, which gave them promotion to the third tier.[16]

In 2006–07, Granada played in Group IV of the third level after four seasons in the Tercera. The president Paco Sanz, with the massive support of the fans, continued to lead the project with the intention of bringing the team to the top division, but the lack of time after the promotion led to hasty actions.[17] In July 2009, the club was in such financial difficulty that it was on the brink of dissolving.[18] The solution to the crisis came with the signing of a partnership agreement between Granada and Udinese Calcio, with the Spaniards incorporating large numbers of players contracted to the Italian club as well as receiving its youth players and reserves as part of the agreement.[18] At the end of the season, Granada won its group and then got promoted by beating Alcorcón in the play-offs, returning to the second division after 22 years.[19][15]

Granada's Youssef El-Arabi and Adalberto Peñaranda during a La Liga fixture versus SD Eibar in 2016

In 2010–11, Granada finished in fifth position, with most of the players loaned by Udinese still on board.[18] On 18 June 2011, the club became the first winner of the promotion play-offs – a different system was used from 1985 to 1999 – after successively defeating Celta de Vigo (1–1, penalty shootout) and Elche (1–1 on aggregate, away goals rule), thus returning to the top division after a 35-year absence.[20][21]

In June 2016, Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang became the new owner of the club, buying the Pozzo family's controlling stake.[22] After surviving in the top flight for six seasons, the team was relegated in 2016–17 after being defeated by Real Sociedad.[23]

Under new manager Diego Martínez, Granada returned to the top flight as runners-up to CA Osasuna in the 2018–19 Segunda División.[24] The following season, the team finished 7th in the top flight, earning qualification for the UEFA Europa League, the first time the club qualified for any European competition. It also reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals for the first time in 50 years, narrowly losing to Athletic Bilbao on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw.[25] They reached the quarter-finals in Europe, being eliminated by Manchester United.[26] On 22 May 2022, the team was relegated after a draw against Espanyol. In the 2022–23 season, Granada returned to La Liga, by sealing a 1st position in the table on the very last match day of the season.

Seasons

Fuente de las Batallas in Granada, meeting point of the fans for the celebrations
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1931–32 6 3ª Reg. 3rd
1932–33 5 2ª Reg. 2nd
1933–34 3 3ª 1st
1934–35 2 2ª 7th First round
1935–36 2 2ª 6th First round
1939–40 2 2ª 2nd
1940–41 2 2ª 1st Round of 16
1941–42 1 1ª 10th Quarter-finals
1942–43 1 1ª 12th First round
1943–44 1 1ª 8th Quarter-finals
1944–45 1 1ª 12th Semi-finals
1945–46 2 2ª 4th Quarter-finals
1946–47 2 2ª 7th First round
1947–48 2 2ª 7th Sixth round
1948–49 2 2ª 3rd Quarter-finals
1949–50 2 2ª 9th Second round
1950–51 2 2ª 7th
1951–52 2 2ª 13th
1952–53 2 2ª 9th Round of 16
1953–54 2 2ª 4th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1954–55 2 2ª 3rd
1955–56 2 2ª 8th
1956–57 2 2ª 1st
1957–58 1 1ª 13th Round of 16
1958–59 1 1ª 13th Runner-up
1959–60 1 1ª 12th Round of 32
1960–61 1 1ª 16th Round of 32
1961–62 2 2ª 3rd Round of 32
1962–63 2 2ª 6th Round of 32
1963–64 2 2ª 6th First round
1964–65 2 2ª 7th Round of 32
1965–66 2 2ª 2nd First round
1966–67 1 1ª 14th Quarter-finals
1967–68 2 2ª 1st First round
1968–69 1 1ª 8th Semi-finals
1969–70 1 1ª 12th Round of 16
1970–71 1 1ª 10th Round of 16
1971–72 1 1ª 6th Round of 16
1972–73 1 1ª 13th Quarter-finals
1973–74 1 1ª 6th Quarter-finals
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1974–75 1 1ª 15th Quarter-finals
1975–76 1 1ª 17th Round of 16
1976–77 2 2ª 10th Fourth round
1977–78 2 2ª 9th Fourth round
1978–79 2 2ª 6th Second round
1979–80 2 2ª 13th First round
1980–81 2 2ª 17th Round of 16
1981–82 3 2ª B 10th Second round
1982–83 3 2ª B 1st Second round
1983–84 2 2ª 8th Third round
1984–85 2 2ª 18th Second round
1985–86 3 2ª B 7th Third round
1986–87 3 2ª B 3rd First round
1987–88 2 2ª 19th First round
1988–89 3 2ª B 16th Second round
1989–90 3 2ª B 4th
1990–91 3 2ª B 5th First round
1991–92 3 2ª B 9th First round
1992–93 3 2ª B 3rd Third round
1993–94 3 2ª B 6th Second round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1994–95 3 2ª B 13th Second round
1995–96 3 2ª B 2nd
1996–97 3 2ª B 6th Third round
1997–98 3 2ª B 4th
1998–99 3 2ª B 6th First round
1999–2000 3 2ª B 1st
2000–01 3 2ª B 5th Quarter-finals
2001–02 3 2ª B 10th Preliminary
2002–03 4 3ª 4th
2003–04 4 3ª 1st
2004–05 4 3ª 5th First round
2005–06 4 3ª 1st
2006–07 3 2ª B 13th First round
2007–08 3 2ª B 5th
2008–09 3 2ª B 10th First round
2009–10 3 2ª B 1st
2010–11 2 2ª 5th Third round
2011–12 1 1ª 17th Round of 32
2012–13 1 1ª 15th Round of 32
2013–14 1 1ª 15th Round of 32
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2014–15 1 1ª 17th Round of 16
2015–16 1 1ª 16th Round of 16
2016–17 1 1ª 20th Round of 32
2017–18 2 2ª 10th Second round
2018–19 2 2ª 2nd Second round
2019–20 1 1ª 7th Semi-finals
2020–21 1 1ª 9th Quarter-finals
2021–22 1 1ª 18th Second round
2022–23 2 2ª 1st Second round
2023–24 1 1ª First round

Players

Current squad

As of 16 January 2024[27]

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 Spain ESP Raúl Fernández
2 DF Uruguay URU Bruno Méndez
4 DF Spain ESP Miguel Rubio
5 DF Spain ESP Jesús Vallejo (on loan from Real Madrid)
6 MF Cameroon CMR Martin Hongla
7 FW Argentina ARG Lucas Boyé
8 FW Uruguay URU Matías Arezo
9 FW Spain ESP José Callejón
10 FW Spain ESP Antonio Puertas
11 FW Albania ALB Myrto Uzuni
12 DF Spain ESP Ricard Sánchez
13 GK Portugal POR André Ferreira
14 DF Spain ESP Ignasi Miquel
15 DF Spain ESP Carlos Neva (vice-captain)
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 DF Spain ESP Víctor Díaz (captain)
17 FW Israel ISR Shon Weissman
19 FW Senegal SEN Famara Diédhiou
20 MF Spain ESP Sergio Ruiz
21 MF Spain ESP Óscar Melendo
22 DF Poland POL Kamil Piątkowski (on loan from Red Bull Salzburg)
23 MF Spain ESP Gerard Gumbau
24 MF Spain ESP Gonzalo Villar
25 GK Argentina ARG Augusto Batalla (on loan from River Plate)
26 FW Spain ESP Bryan Zaragoza
27 MF Spain ESP Mario González
28 DF Spain ESP Raúl Torrente
31 GK Spain ESP Adri López
32 DF Spain ESP Miki Bosch

Reserve team

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
34 GK Spain ESP Pol Tristán
35 GK Spain ESP Fran Árbol

Out on loan

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 Senegal SEN Alpha Diounkou (on loan at AEK Larnaca until 30 June 2024)
— MF Spain ESP Alberto Soro (on loan at Vizela until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Spain ESP Víctor Meseguer (on loan at Valladolid until 30 June 2024)
— MF Serbia SRB Njegoš Petrović (on loan at Vojvodina until 30 June 2024)

Current technical staff

Position Staff
Manager Uruguay Alexander Medina
Assistant Manager Uruguay Luis Machado
Technical Assistant Spain Jorge Molina
Goalkeeper Coach Spain Cristopher Urbano
Spain José Sambade
Fitness coach Uruguay Nicolás Maidana
Spain Alejandro Gutiérrez
Analyst Argentina Mariano Levisman
Spain Álvaro Martínez
Director of Medical Services Spain Dioni González
Doctor Spain Manuel Arroyo
Spain Pablo Puertas
Physiotherapist Spain Alberto Vera
Spain Alberto Cruz
Spain Alberto Lara
Spain Juan Sánchez
Rehab fitness coach Spain Manuel Dimas
Nutritionist Spain José María Giménez
Delegate Spain Manuel Lucena
Kit man Spain Antonio Saúl Hidalgo
Spain Miguel García
Match delegate Spain Pedro Rubio

Last updated: October 2022
Source: Granada CF

Honours

National

Regional tournaments

  • Andalucia Cup (1): 1932–33
  • Andalucia Championship reservations (1): 1971–72

Friendly

Individual

Pichichi Trophy

European record

Season Competition Round Opposition Home Away Aggregate
2020–21 Europa League 2QR Albania Teuta — 4–0 —
3QR Georgia (country) Locomotive Tbilisi 2−0 —
PO Sweden Malmö FF — 3–1
Group E Netherlands PSV Eindhoven 0–1 2–1 2nd out of 4
Greece PAOK 0–0 0–0
Cyprus Omonia 2–1 2–0
R32 Italy Napoli 2–0 1–2 3–2
R16 Norway Molde 2–0 1–2 3–2
QF England Manchester United 0–2 0–2 0–4

Derby of eastern Andalusia

The Eastern Andalusia Derby is played between Granada and Málaga.

Stats are updated to derby #86, played on 17 January 2021 (Copa del Rey, last 16).

Competition Played Granada wins Draws Málaga wins Granada goals Málaga goals
La Liga 24 8 8 8 22 29
La Liga Play-off 2 1 1 0 3 2
Segunda 38 12 10 16 42 58
Segunda Play-off 2 1 0 1 3 3
Segunda B 8 3 5 0 6 3
Tercera 2 2 0 0 5 2
Copa del Rey 10 6 1 3 17 11
Overall 86 32 25 28 98 108

Stadium

Granada playing at Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes against the Gimnàstic in 2010

After its foundation, the team played its home matches at the Campo de Las Tablas, inaugurated on 20 December 1931. On that day Granada CF won the match against the U.D. Andújar 1–0 in the Tercera Regional.[28] Granada's stay at this ground was a short one; on 23 December 1934, a new municipal stadium, Estadio Los Cármenes, was opened. The club played in this stadium until 1995 when they moved to the Nuevo Los Cármenes Stadium (also owned by the Ayuntamiento de Granada).[29] It was inaugurated on 16 May 1995, with a friendly fixture between Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, whereas Granada CF played for the first time in the Summer of 1995, playing a friendly fixture against Real Betis.[29] The stadium featured an original capacity of 16,212 seats. This was expanded to 22,524 after Granada CF's promotion to La Liga in the summer of 2011.

After achieving promotion to the First Division in 2019, the stadium has been renovated,[30] such as the replacement of the playing surface, the repairing and painting of seats plus the addition of white seats to form the words "Granada CF" across from the main stand and "1931" on the South Stand, the expansion of the official club store (now located on the corner where the old tickets office was located), and finally, the replacement of the illumination system in line with the lighting requirements of LaLiga. In addition, the club is working with Granada's council to get a deal for a long-lasting tenancy with the aim of performing a series of investments[31] like a re-build of the stadium corners (which had been previously dismantled), establish shopping and entertainment zones or the expansion and refurbishment of sponsor and advertising areas.

Kit and colours

Upon its foundation, the club's kits were a shirt with blue and white vertical stripes and white shorts. After the Spanish Civil War the club owners went to Madrid to buy new ones, but they couldn't find other than red and white striped shirts. That became the official colour scheme from then on.

In the 1970s, the club changed the vertical stripes to horizontal. The kit alternated horizontal and vertical strip patterns until 2004–05, when a member assembly decided to settle for the horizontal pattern.

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1984–87 Ressy La General
1987–90 Umbro Puleva
1990–92 Joma Citroën
1992–93 Lotto CC Neptuno
1993–94 None
1994–95 Sierra Nevada 95
1995–96 Cervezas Alhambra
1996–98 Kelme
1998–00 Joma Jimesa
2000–03 La General
2003–04 Bemiser Caja Rural
2004–05 Elements Agua Sierra Cazorla
2005–06 Umbro Puertas Castalla
2006–07 CajaSur
2007–09 Patrick
2009–10 Macron Covirán
2010–12 Legea[32] Caja Granada
2012–14 Luanvi[33]
2014–16 Joma[34] Solver
2016–18 Energy King
2018–19 Erreà[35] None
2019–22 Nike[36][37] Platzi
2022– Adidas[38]

Coaches

References

  1. ↑ "Los Cármenes no lucirá esquinas provisionales esta campaña". Ideal (in Spanish). 10 June 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "Atlético finish third, Real Sociedad and Granada qualify for the Europa League". AS.com. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Datos del club (Club data); Granada official website (in Spanish)
  4. ↑ "Historia del Granada CF en ideal.es". Granada CF – Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Temporada 1931-32 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "Temporada 1932-33 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  7. ↑ "Temporada 1932-33 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Se cumplen 75 años del primer partido y el primer gol del Granada CF en Primera División". GranadaDigital (in Spanish). 28 September 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  9. ↑ "César, un nueve revolucionario". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  10. ↑ "Temporada 1941-42 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  11. ↑ "Copa del Rey / Spanish Cup 1958-59". linguasport.com. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  12. ↑ "Temporada 1983-84 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  13. ↑ "Temporada 1984-85 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  14. ↑ "Temporada 1984-85 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  15. 1 2 "22 años en el infierno" [Granada, 22 years in hell] (in Spanish). Granada Hoy. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  16. ↑ "Temporada 2005-06 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  17. ↑ "Temporada 2006-07 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  18. 1 2 3 "How Udinese beat the system and stands at the gates of La Liga". A Football Report. 14 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  19. ↑ "Ya somos de Segunda (1-0)". Granada Hoy (in European Spanish). 23 May 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "Granada promoted to La Liga". Sky Sports. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
  21. ↑ "Granada, en Primera 35 años después" [Granada, to Primera after 35 years] (in Spanish). Marca. 18 June 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
  22. ↑ "Jiang Lizhang, nuevo propietario del Granada" [Jiang Lizhang, new owner of Granada]. ABC (in Spanish). Spain. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  23. ↑ "Real Sociedad condemn Granada to Segunda División". Diario AS. 29 April 2017. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  24. ↑ "Granada back in Spanish top flight after draw with Mallorca". Reuters. 4 June 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  25. ↑ Lowe, Sid (20 July 2020). "Silence, solitude and sadness for Leganés after desperate La Liga finale". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  26. ↑ Grounds, Ben (15 April 2021). "Man Utd 2-0 Granada (agg: 4-0) Edinson Cavani on target as hosts book Europa League semi-final spot". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  27. ↑ "Plantilla Granada Club de Fútbol".
  28. ↑ "Temporada 1931-32 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  29. 1 2 "El Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes cumple un cuarto de siglo". La Vanguardia. 16 May 2020.
  30. ↑ "Comienzan las obras de mejora en el Nuevo Los Cármenes, incluido el pintado de los asientos". ideal.es. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  31. ↑ "'Granada Sport Park', el macro proyecto que reformará por completo los alrededores de los Cármenes". ideal.es. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  32. ↑ "Sólo falta el patrocinador principal". granadaenjuego.com. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  33. ↑ "Nuevas equipaciones LUANVI 2013-2014 | Granada – Web Oficial". Nuevas equipaciones LUANVI 2013-2014 | Granada – Web Oficial (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  34. ↑ "Joma se convierte en patrocinador técnico oficial del Granada CF | Granada – Web Oficial". Joma se convierte en patrocinador técnico oficial del Granada CF | Granada – Web Oficial (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  35. ↑ "Errea Sport is the new official technical sponsor for Granada CF!". Arunava about Football. 14 July 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  36. ↑ "El Granada CF celebra el ascenso a Primera con el fichaje de Nike como patrocinador". palco23.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  37. ↑ "Nike nabs Granada deal, Erreá contract terminated". SportBusiness Sponsorship. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  38. ↑ "El Granada 'cambia de piel': Nike por Adidas". marca.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2022.
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