Deportivo Alavés, S.A.D. (; ''Sporting Alavés''), usually known as Alavés, is a
Spanish football club based in
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...
,
Álava
Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...
, in the
autonomous community
The autonomous communities () are the first-level administrative divisions of Spain, created in accordance with the Spanish Constitution of 1978, with the aim of guaranteeing limited autonomy to the nationalities and regions that make up Sp ...
of the
Basque Country. Founded on 23 January 1921 as Sport Friend's Club, The club competes in
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
, the top tier of
Spanish football.
It is recognized as the third most successful team in the Basque Country following
Athletic Club of
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
and
Real Sociedad
Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as Real Sociedad ( ; ''Royal Society'') in English, and Erreala or Reala in Basque language, Basque, is a Spanish professional sports club in the city of San Sebastián, Donostia / San Sebastián, ...
of
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
. 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
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
. It was defeated 5–4 by
golden goal
The golden goal is a sports rule used in association football, Australian rules football, bandy, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, and rugby league to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the ...
. In 2017, the club reached the final of the
Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
, losing out 3–1 to
Barcelona
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
.
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 and uses other facilities located in
Ibaia dedicated to training.
History
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.
Alavés was the first club to win promotion from the
Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
to
La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
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.
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.
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. 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
Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
– created as the new third level in 1977 – but failing in the promotion play-offs.
After winning the Segunda División in
1997–98, 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
Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
in
the following campaign and would qualify for the
UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
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
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
after beating
Internazionale,
Rayo Vallecano and
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern e. V., also known as 1. FCK, FCK (), FC Kaiserslautern (), K'lautern or colloquially Lautern (), is a German sports club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. In addition to Association football, football ...
, the latter in a crushing 9–2 aggregate victory.
The final ended in a
4–5 loss against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, Alavés losing to an "own-
golden goal
The golden goal is a sports rule used in association football, Australian rules football, bandy, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, and rugby league to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the ...
" 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.
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
The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...
side,
Beşiktaş
Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 18 km2 and its population is 175,190 (2022). It is located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and ...
. On 26 January 2003, the club celebrated their 100th win in La Liga after defeating
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D., or simply Real Valladolid (), is a Spanish professional List of football clubs in Spain, football club based in Valladolid, Castile and León that will compete from the 2025–26 season in the .
The club ...
3–1.
Although Alavés were
relegated
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
after
2002–03, they regained top flight status two years later.
[ In this time, Alavés was bought by Ukrainian–American businessman Dmitry Pietrman, and several clashes followed with the club's coaches, players and fans alike. 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 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
Camp Nou (), meaning ''New Field'' and often referred to in English as the Nou Camp, is a stadium in Barcelona and the home of La Liga club FC Barcelona since its opening in 1957. It is currently undergoing renovation, and with a planned increa ...
. On 7 February 2017, Alavés qualified for the 2017 Copa del Rey Final after eliminating Celta de Vigo
Real Club Celta de Vigo (; ), commonly known as Celta Vigo, is a Spanish professional football club based in Vigo, Galicia, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of Spanish football. Nicknamed ''Os Celestes'' (The Sky Blues), the club was fou ...
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
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
and 2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
. 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
Catalans ( Catalan, French and Occitan: ''catalans''; ; ; or ) are a Romance ethnic group native to Catalonia, who speak Catalan. The current official category of "Catalans" is that of the citizens of Catalonia, a nationality and autono ...
inflicted a 6–0 defeat on Alavés in their own Mendizorrotza Stadium, exacting revenge for the result earlier in the season. Barcelona also won the final, held at the Estadio Vicente Calderón with a 3–1 scoreline, 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. 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.
Seasons
Season to season
----
*20 seasons in La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
*38 seasons in Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
*12 seasons in Segunda División B
Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
*22 seasons in Tercera División
Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...
*1 season in Categorías Regionales
Recent seasons
:
Seasons in Europe
Players
Current squad
Reserve team
Out on loan
Kits
The team wore kits from the Danish brand Hummel for several seasons. In the 2017-2018 season, they started wearing new kits from Kelme. They had an agreement with Kelme until 2022. That same year, the team signed a new agreement with the German company Puma for four seasons.
For the launch of the new brand, they choose to bring back the traditional vertical stripes and keep the original black pants.
Symbols
Deportivo Alavés has changed its crest several times since it was founded in 1921. 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.
Honours
Domestic competitions
*Copa del Rey
The , commonly known as , or (in English) the Spanish Cup or King's Cup, and formerly known as Copa del Presidente de la República (1932–1936) and Copa del Generalísimo (1939–1976), is an annual knockout football competition in Spanis ...
**''Runners-up'': 2016–17
* Segunda División
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Segunda División, commonly known as Segunda División or La Liga 2, and officially known as LaLiga HyperMotion for sponsorship reasons, is the men's second professional association football division of the Spa ...
**Winners (4): 1929–30, 1953–54, 1997–98, 2015–16
*Segunda División play-offs
**Winners (1): 2023
Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
*Segunda División B
Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
**Winners (4): 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 2012–13
* Copa Federación de España
**Winners: 1945–46
*Tercera División
Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...
**Winners (5): 1940–41, 1960–61, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1973–74
**Winners: 1989–90
*Regional Championship
** Biscay Championship: 1929–30
** Gipuzkoa Championship: 1938–39
European competitions
*UEFA Cup
The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star.
Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
**''Runners-up:'' 2000–01
Notes
Stadium information
*Name – Mendizorrotza
*City – Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...
*Capacity – 19,840
*Inauguration – 1924
*Pitch size – 105 m x 67 m
*Other facilities – '' El Glorioso'' and '' José Luis Compañón''
Famous players
World Cup players
The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup
A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the name is ...
, while playing for Alavés.
* John Aloisi (2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
)
* John Guidetti (2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
)
Management staff
Coaches
* Amadeo García (1926–27)
* Walter Harris (1928)
* Ramón Encinas (1931–32)
* Amadeo García (1932–39)
* Baltasar Albéniz (1939)
* Francisco Gamborena (1940–41)
* Baltasar Albéniz (1947–48)
* Manuel Echezarreta (1954–56)
* Rafael Iriondo (1958–59)
* Manuel Echezarreta (1959–60)
* Ignacio Izagirre (1968–69)
* Ferenc Puskás
Ferenc Puskás (, ; né Purczeld; 1 April 1927 – 17 November 2006) was a Hungarian footballer and manager, widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time and the sport's first international superstar. A forward and an attacking ...
(1968–70)
* García de Andoin (1971-1972)
* Koldo Aguirre (1972–73)
* Ignacio Eizaguirre (1975)
* Joseíto (1976–78)
* Jesús Aranguren (1978–80)
* García de Andoin (1980–82)
* Mané (1984–85)
* Nando Yosu
Fernando Trío Zabala (8 July 1939 – 20 February 2016), known as Nando Yosu, was a Spanish football player and manager.
His extensive career, as both a player and coach, was mainly associated with Racing de Santander.
Playing career
Born in ...
(1985–86)
* Luis Costa (1992–93)
* José Antonio Irulegui (1993–94)
* Jesús Aranguren (1994–97)
* Mané (1997–03)
* Jesús Aranguren (2003)
* Pepe Mel
José "Pepe" Mel Pérez (born 28 February 1963) is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as a striker, currently a manager.
He amassed Segunda División totals of 215 matches and 78 goals over eight seasons, for Real Madrid Cast ...
(2003–04)
* Chuchi Cos (2004–06)
* Juan Carlos Oliva (2006)
* Mario Luna (2006)
* Julio Bañuelos (2006)
* Chuchi Cos (2006–07)
* Fabri (2007)
* Mario Luna (2007)
* Josu Uribe (2007–08)
* Julio Bañuelos (2008)
* José María Salmerón (2008)
* Manix Mandiola (2008–09)
* Javi López (2009)
* Luis de la Fuente (2011)
* José Carlos Granero (2011–12)
* Natxo González (2012–13)
* Juan Carlos Mandiá (2013–14)
* Alberto López (2014–15)
* José Bordalás (2015–16)
* Mauricio Pellegrino (2016–17)
* Luis Zubeldía (2017)
* Gianni De Biasi (2017)
* Abelardo (2017–19)
* Asier Garitano (2019–20)
* Pablo Machín (2020–2021)
* Abelardo (2021)
* Javier Calleja (2021)
* José Luis Mendilibar (2021–2022)
* Julio Velázquez (2022)
* Luis García Plaza (2022–present)
Affiliated clubs
Alavés B/C
The club's primary reserve team is Deportivo Alavés B, founded in 1960 and currently playing at the amateur Tercera División
Tercera División () was the fourth tier of the Spanish football league system. Until 1977, it was the third tier of the Spanish football league system. Founded in 1929, it was below the ''Primera División'' (also known as La Liga), the ''Segund ...
level of the senior Spanish system. When that team gained promotion to Segunda División B
Segunda División B (English: second division B) was the third tier of the Spanish football league system containing 102 teams divided into five groups, until it was replaced by the new structure in 2021. It was administered by the Royal Spanish ...
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.
California Victory
In 2007, Alavés operated a team in the USL First Division
The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...
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.
NK Rudeš
In May 2017, Alavés signed a ten-year partnership deal with NK Rudeš, freshly promoted Croatian First Football League
The Hrvatska nogometna liga (; ), abbreviated as HNL and also known for sponsorship reasons as the SuperSport HNL, is a professional association football league in Croatia and the highest level of the Croatian football league system. Establishe ...
club, with Rudeš acting as a feeder club to Alavés.
In June 2018, Deportivo Alavés and NK Rudeš ended its partnership agreement.
Sochaux
In April 2018, Alavés signed an agreement with French club FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
Football Club Sochaux-Montbéliard (; commonly referred to as FCSM or simply Sochaux) is a Football in France, French association football club based in the city of Montbéliard. The club was founded in 1928 and currently plays in Championnat N ...
; however the partnership lasted only a few months, ending abruptly in December of the same year.
NK Istra 1961
In June 2018 Alavés took a controlling interest in another Croatian top-tier club, NK Istra 1961
Nogometni klub Istra 1961 (), commonly referred to as Istra 1961, is a Croatian professional football club based in Pula, that competes in the Croatian First League.
It is a common opinion amongst many people that ''Istra 1961'' was founded i ...
, a few weeks after ending their agreement with Rudeš.
References
External links
*
Alavés
at La Liga
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...
Alavés
at UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; ; ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach soccer, beach football in Europe and the List of transcontinental countries#A ...
Deportivo Alavés
at UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...
List of coaches
List of players
Club history at ''El Correo''
''Glorioso'', unofficial website
.
en FIFA.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alaves
Association football clubs established in 1921
Football clubs in the Basque Country (autonomous community)
La Liga clubs
1921 establishments in Spain