Five things you may not know about Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad have been one of the best teams in Spain over the past few seasons and here come some other interesting details you might not know about the Basque side.

As one of the founding members of LaLiga, Real Sociedad are one of the most historic teams in Spanish football and always boast a competitive side that is tough to beat at home in the northern city of San Sebastián, one of Spain’s most iconic destinations. One of just nine clubs to ever win the LaLiga EA Sports title (1980/81, 1981/82), the team are known as the Txuri-Urdin in the local Basque language – the White and Blues, in English.

Full steam ahead under Imanol Alguacil

After coming in midway through the 2018/19 campaign, Imanol Alguacil was given the head coaching job at Real Sociedad on a permanent basis for the 2019/20 campaign. He has done incredibly well and Real Sociedad have finished inside the top six in all five of his full seasons as coach, entering European competition in each of these seasons. In 2022/23, they even finished fourth to return to the Champions League for the first time in a decade, where they topped a group which also contained Italian side Inter.

Winners of the longest Copa del Rey in history

Imanol Alguacil's Real Sociedad won the 2019/20 Copa del Rey, although they actually played the final against local rivals Athletic Club in 2021. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the competition took three calendar years to complete, making it the longest ever edition of the cup. La Real won the final thanks to a penalty by Mikel Oyarzabal, ending a 34-year title drought.

They were LaLiga champions too

Back in the 1980s, La Real won two consecutive LaLiga titles in dramatic fashion. Led by the likes of club icon and Spain international goalkeeper Luis Arconada – known as The Octopus for his seemingly impossible shot-stopping ability – they claimed the 1980/81 and 1981/82 titles on the final day of the season. When they won the 1981/82 edition, La Real actually clinched the championship by defeating Basque rivals Athletic Club 2-1, with that final day result enough for the Txuri-Urdin to pip FC Barcelona to the title,

A new-look stadium for a new-look team

Real Sociedad have played at the Reale Arena, previously known as Anoeta, since 1993. The ground developed a reputation over the years for its running track and cold atmosphere, but two years of redevelopment, the removal of the track and a fresh new stadium wrap have turned those misconceptions on their head. Since the redevelopment work in 2020, La Real’s home stadium has been one of the best looking and most exciting places to watch football in LaLiga.

It’s a Welshman who has coached the most games

Welshman John Toshack holds the record for both LaLiga matches overseen and won as coach of the club. He won 126 of the 322 matches he took charge of across his three stints in the Real Sociedad dugout (1985-89, 1991-94 and 2001-02). Current coach Imanol Alguacil is closing in, with 110 wins from 245 top-flight fixtures, but Toshack still holds the record for now.