Top Facts about Real Betis, The Beticos

Real Betis Balompie, also known as Real Betis or just Betis, is a professional Spanish football club headquartered in Seville, Andalusia.

It was founded in 1907 and currently competes in La Liga, having won the Segunda Division in 2014–15. It plays its home games at Estadio Benito Villamarin, a 60,720-seat stadium in the city's south.

In 1935, Real Betis won the league, and in 1977 and 2005, they won the Copa del Rey.

Given the club's turbulent past and numerous relegations, the club's motto is Viva el Betis! ("Long live Betis even when they lose!")

The name "Betis" comes from Baetis, the Roman name for the Guadalquivir River, which runs through Seville and is also the name of the Roman province there. After King Alfonso XIII granted the club patronage, the name Real ('Royal') was added in 1914.

Top Facts about Real Betis We Think You Should Know

You can see several pieces of information about the club to give a general idea of what it is and where it stands in today’s competitions.

Quick Facts

• Full Name:

   Real Betis Balompie, S.A.D.

• Nicknames:

   Los Verdiblancos (The Green-and-Whites), Verdes (The Greens), Beticos, Heliopolitanos (Heliopolitans), El Glorioso (The Glorious)

• Date of Formation:

   12 September 1907

• Location:

   Seville, Spain

• Age:

   114 years

• Nationality:

   Spanish

• Home Stadium:

   Estadio Benito Villamarin

• Home Colors: 

  Green and White

• President:

   Angel Haro

• Head Coach:

   Manuel Pellegrini

• Market Value: 

  €230.10m

• League:

   La Liga

• Current Table Position:

   5

Real Betis Colors & Home Stadium

Sevilla Balompie used blue shirts with white shorts in its early years, which represented the infantry at the time, one of the Top Facts about Real Betis.

The team began using Celtic shirts in late 1911, which had vertical green and white stripes and were brought over from Glasgow by Manuel Asensio Ramos, who had studied in Scotland as a youth.

Real Betis wore Celtic-inspired hoops versus

on February 28, 2017, the 37th Andalusia Day.

When Real Betis Balompie was formed in 1914, the team wore a variety of uniforms, including yellow and black stripes, green T-shirts, and a return to the blue top and white shorts combination.

By the end of the 1920s, Betis was back in green and white stripes, and it was around this time that the Andalusian region formally adopted these colors in the Assembly of Ronda (1918), but it is unclear how closely the two are linked.

Despite various iterations, this has been Betis' jersey since then (including wider stripes). Betis has worn black and green shorts in addition to white shorts, in addition to the classic green and white shirt.

Real Betis began their career at the Campo del Huerto de Mariana stadium. Betis moved to the Campo del Prado de Santa Justa in 1909, then to the Campo del Prado de San Sebastian two years later, sharing the ground with rivals Sevilla.

Real Betis moved to the Campo del Patronato Obrero in 1918, with the first game taking place on November 1, 1918, against rivals

, with Real Betis losing 5–1.

Club president Ignacio Sanchez Mejias rebuilt the stadium several times during the 1920s.

Real Betis formally moved into their current home, the Estadio de la Exposicion (nowadays known as Estadio Benito Villamarin), in 1936, having played a number of games there since its completion in 1929, another one of the Top Facts about Real Betis.

Real Betis' home pitch, the Estadio Benito Villamarin, has a capacity of 60,720 spectators.

During the 2000s, it was renamed Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera after the club's owner, who decided to replace the old stadium with a new one.

The stadium's reconstruction plans were repeatedly postponed despite extensive planning, and half of it remained untouched.

After a decision by the club's associates on October 27, 2010, it returned to its original denomination.

Real Betis, When It All Started

Sevilla FC, Betis' city rivals, were the first club in Sevilla, formed in October 1905, and Espana Balompie, founded in September 1907. "Balompie" means "football" in the literal sense, as opposed to the more often used anglicized variant, "futbol".

Balompie was created by students from the local Polytechnic Academy and ran for a year before being formally recognized (in 1909) as Sevilla Balompie; despite this, 1907 is the club's official founding year.

Betis Football Club was created as a result of an internal split from Sevilla FC, one of the

Top Facts about Real Betis

. They merged with Sevilla Balompie in 1914. In the same year, the club was granted royal patronage and given the name Real Betis Balompie.

Until the 1930s, when Betis and the word Beticos became conventional terminology when describing the club and its supporters, fans continued to refer to the club as Balompie and themselves as Los Balompedistas.

Real Betis traditionally wore all blue jerseys and white shorts due to the ease with which such simple colors could be obtained, another one of the Top Facts about Real Betis.

However, Manuel Ramos Asensio, one of the club's founders and captain, was eager to capitalize on the connections he made while studying in Scotland and approached Celtic (whose green and white colors matched the Andalusian regional flag) to purchase the same fabric for his own club's kits.

To make the shirts, Ramos had the lines re-oriented from horizontal 'hoops' to vertical stripes (no other Spanish club used the combination at the time). 

On the club's official website, there is no mention of Celtic or Scotland in the club's history, but in 2017, the club acknowledged the link by releasing a unique hooped kit to coincide with Andalusia Day. The color blue is still popular in away kit designs.

Royal support of all organizations was abolished under the Spanish Second Republic (1931–1939), therefore the club was known as Betis Balompie until after the Spanish Civil War when it reverted to its full name.

On June 21, 1931, the team made its first appearance in the Copa del Presidente de la Republica final, losing 3–1 against

in Madrid.

In 1932, Betis celebrated its 25th anniversary by winning their first Segunda Division title, finishing two points ahead of Oviedo FC and becoming the first Andalusia club to play in La Liga.

On April 28, 1935, Betis won the La Liga, their sole top-flight title to date, under the guidance of Irish coach Patrick O'Connell, one of the Top Facts about Real Betis.

They were one point ahead of Madrid FC at the top of the table. Betis was relegated to seventh place a year later. This was owing to the dismantling of the championship-winning team as a result of the club's terrible financial status and the onset of the Civil War, resulting in just Peral and Saro remaining 15 months after winning the league title in 1935.

Between 1936 and 1939, there was no official league until it was reestablished for the 1939–40 season, and the first year back emphasized Betis' decline as the team was demoted exactly five years after winning the title.

Real Betis, The Bad & The Good

Despite a one-season comeback to the top flight, the club continued to decline, and their worst fears were realized in 1947 when they were demoted to the Tercera Division.

Many fans regard their ten years in the category as crucial to the club's "identity" and "soul" During this time, Betis developed a reputation for regularly filling its stadium and attracting large crowds to away matches, dubbed the "Green March"

When the team returned to the second division in 1954, it became the first and only club in Spain to win trophies in all three major divisions, one of the

Top Facts about Real Betis.

Chairman Manuel Ruiz Rodriguez deserves a lot of credit for guiding Betis through this difficult era and back into the Segunda.

Manuel Ruiz Rodriguez stepped down as president of Betis in 1955, believing he could not provide the club with additional economic progress and was replaced by Benito Villamarin, the club's most famous former president.

Betis returned to the top level in 1958–59 and finished third in 1964 during his tenure. His purchase of the Estadio Heliopolis in 1961 is regarded as a watershed moment in the club's history; until 1997, the stadium was known as the Estadio Benito Villamarin. Villamarin stepped down from his post as president of the club in 1965, following ten years at the leadership.

The club was relegated to division two just one year following Villamarin's departure, then rose and fell almost continuously until regaining their spot in the top tier in 1974–75, one of the Top Facts about Real Betis.

In the Copa del Rey final on June 25, 1977, Betis faced Athletic Bilbao at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.

After a staggering 21 penalties, the game ended 2–2, with Betis winning 8–7. This capped off a strong season for the team, which saw them finish fifth in the league.

After that victory, Betis entered the European Cup Winners' Cup, where they defeated

3–2 on aggregate in the first round and advanced to the quarter-finals, where they were defeated by Dynamo Moscow.

Despite their excellent performance in Europe, the team was relegated from the league.

Betis returned to the top division the next year, bringing in a period of "good times" for the club, with three top-six finishes in the following three seasons, as well as UEFA Cup qualification in 1982 and 1984.

During the summer of 1982, Benito Villamarin hosted two matches as part of the FIFA World Cup, as well as the memorable 12–1 thrashing of Malta by the

to qualify for UEFA Euro 1984.

Real Betis, The Late 20th Century

Despite being in level two at the time, Betis was subject to new league rules and regulations as a result of its restructuring as an autonomous sporting group (SAD), which required the club to come up with 1,200 million pesetas, approximately double that of all first and second division teams.

One of the Top Facts about Real Betis is that the fans donated 400 million pesetas in just three months, prompting then-vice-president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera to step in and provide an economic guarantee while also becoming the team's majority shareholder as the team narrowly avoided relegation.

Real Betis played its 1,000th game in La Liga on September 11, 1994. After three more seasons in the second division, with Lorenzo Serra Ferrer as manager, Betis returned to the top flight for the 1994–95 season, finishing in third place and qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Betis overcame Fenerbahce (4–1 on aggregate) and 1. FC Kaiserslautern (4–1) in the European campaign before losing to beaten finalists Bordeaux (3–2).

The club returned to the Copa del Rey final in 1997, 20 years after winning the title for the first time, losing 2–3 against

in extra time at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.

Serra Ferrer would depart Betis that summer for Barca, where he would be replaced by former player Luis Aragones.

Aragones would only stay with the club for one season, taking them to eighth place and the Cup Winners' Cup quarter-finals, where they would lose 2–5 on aggregate to eventual winners

.

The infamous reign of Javier Clemente, who spat on a fan and claimed Andalusia was "another country!" followed Aragones.

The squad dropped to 11th place in the table and was knocked out of the UEFA Cup in the third round by Bologna. Betis went through several managers, a relegation, and promotion over the next few seasons before finishing sixth in the league with Juande Ramos at the helm.

Ramos was replaced by Victor Fernandez, a former Cup Winners' Cup-winning manager, after only one season.

During his two-year reign, he led the team to eighth and ninth place in the league, as well as the third round of the 2002–03 UEFA Cup, where they were eliminated by

(1–2 on aggregate).

For the 2004 season, Fernandez was substituted by Serra Ferrer, who led the team to fourth place in the top flight.

They again returned to the Vicente Calderon for the Copa del Rey final on June 11, 2005, collecting the cup for only the second time after a 2–1 win over Osasuna, thanks to an extra-time winner by youth graduate Dani.

After defeating

in the last qualifying round (3–2 on aggregate), Betis became the first Andalucian team to compete in the UEFA Champions League, entering the group stage.

Despite a 1–0 home win over Chelsea, the club finished third in Group G and was "demoted" to the UEFA Cup, where it was eliminated in the round of 16 by defeated Steaua Bucuresti (0–0 away draw, 0–3 home loss).

Real Betis, The Modern Era

In 2007, Betis celebrated their centenary year. On August 9, the celebrations included a special match versus reigning European Champions Milan, which the hosts won 1–0 thanks to a Mark Gonzalez penalty early in the second half.

The club won the Ramon de Carranza Trophy seven days later, defeating Real Zaragoza on penalties in the final after defeating

in the semi-finals.

Around the time of the celebration, the playing and technical teams had undergone significant turnover, with eight new additions replacing 14 departures.

Betis had four different managers throughout the two seasons that encompassed the centenary year (2006–07 and 2007–08).

In terms of average attendance, the club was the 37th most-watched team in Europe during the latter campaign.

Betis' 2008–09 season ended with a 1–1 draw at home against Real Valladolid after many years of avoiding relegation.

As a result of this, the team finished 18th in the table and was relegated to the second level.

On June 15, 2009, over 65,000 Beticos, including legends such as Rafael Gordillo, Del Sol, Hipolito Rincon, Julio Cardenosa, and others, marched in Sevilla under the banner "15-J Yo Voy Betis" to inform majority owner Ruiz de Lopera that it was time to sell his 54 percent stake in the club and remove Lopera from day-to-day operations.

Despite the protests, no changes in higher management were made throughout the season, resulting in Betis' failure to return to the top division, one of the

Top Facts about Real Betis.

Betis began the 2011–12 season with four wins in a row, with Ruben Castro continuing his goal-scoring form from the previous season when he scored 27 goals. In their first season back in La Liga, Betis finished 13th.

Betis finished seventh in La Liga in 2012–13, qualifying for the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League, the club's first European qualification since the Champions League in 2005–06.

This European campaign came to an end in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout loss to Sevilla, a local rival. In the 2013–14 season, Betis was demoted from La Liga with three games remaining but returned as champions with two games to spare.

Real Betis Rivalry

Betis has a long-standing rivalry with Sevilla FC, which is located in the same city.

In official competition, the two have met 114 times, with Sevilla boasting a 45 percent win ratio over Betis (31 percent ).

On February 8, 1915, the two clubs faced for the first time, with Sevilla winning 4–3.

The contest was not completed because of rising emotions, which led to an angry crowd invading the pitch, causing the referee to call the game off, one of the Top Facts about Real Betis.

The first Copa Andalucia, the first formal derby in the Sevilla area, was staged in 1916.

Sevilla won 14 of the cup's 17 editions, compared to Betis' only triumph in 1918, which included a 22–0 thrashing after the latter sent their youth squad.

The first league encounter between the teams occurred in Segunda in 1928–29, with both teams winning their home matches (3–0 and 2–1). 

They played for the first time in the Spanish top division during the 1934–35 season, with a 0–3 home defeat for Sevilla and a 2–2 draw at Betis, with the latter winning the national championship.

Betis was relegated after losing 5–0 to Sevilla on January 17, 1943. On September 21, 1958, the Verdiblancos won the first game at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, 4–2.

A security guard was attacked by a Sevilla fan with a crutch (that he did not require to walk), Betis goalkeeper Toni Prats was attacked, and Sevilla manager Juande Ramos was struck by a bottle of water; the latter incident led to the 2007 Copa del Rey match being suspended, and it was played three weeks later in Getafe with no spectators.

Betis won 2–1 in the Pizjuan on February 7, 2009, but was subsequently relegated from the first division, while Sevilla finished third. On November 9, 2019, more than 10,000 Betis fans attended the team's training session ahead of the final derby of the season.

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