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La Liga feature: Five things to know about Sevilla FC

Despite a rather unconvincing 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, Barcelona are still on top of the La Liga table, a clear seven points ahead of nearest rivals Atletico Madrid.

Sevilla

Bengaluru, February 22: After being held goalless by Lyon in the UEFA Champions League, a sterner test awaits Barcelona who travel to Sevilla on Saturday in what could be desciribed as the mega fixture of the La Liga weekend.

The kicks off at 8.45pm IST at Sevilla's Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium.

Despite a rather unconvincing 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, Barcelona are still on top of the La Liga table, a clear seven points ahead of nearest rivals Atletico Madrid.

Archrivals are a further two behinds behind Atletico as the battle for supremacy in La Liga continues.

La Liga Fixtures | Results | Points table

Ahead of the blockbuster fixture, myKhel.com gives a breakdown of five things to know about Sevilla FC

First win

First win

For many years it was believed that the club was formed in 1905 but the discovery of a copy of the Dundee Courier in the British Library in 2012 traced the club back to 1890.

The newspaper revealed that the club's first president was in fact Edward Farquharson Johnston, then the British vice-consul in the city and owner of a shipping company which sold Andalusian oranges in the UK.

In that same year, the club challenged neighbours Huelva Recreation Club (now known as Recreativo Huelva) to a match at a horse-racing track near the city limits on March 8.

Amid driving rain more typical of northern Europe, Sevilla won 2-0 with goals from Ritson and Yugles in front of a crowd of 150 spectators and Spanish football was born.

Iconic stadium

Iconic stadium

Since 1958, Sevilla have played at their now much revered Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium, a ground named for their long-time president.

Born in 1900, Sanchez-Pizjuan was a locally-born lawyer who ran the club for 17 years over two terms between 1932 and 1956, during which time Sevilla won their only LaLiga title (1946) and three Copa del Rey trophies (1935, 1939, 1948).

Later the president of the Spanish Football Federation, Sanchez-Pizjuan passed away in 1956 just as his former club were completing a new ground in the city's Nervion district, which was then dedicated to his memory.

The club legend wouldn't have enjoyed his team's first LaLiga game at their new home though a 2-4 derby defeat to city rivals Real Betis!

Regular visitor

Regular visitor

Alhaji Momodo Nije, widely known as Biri Biri, became the first African to play for the club in 1973, going on to score 32 goals in 99 La Liga games before leaving in 1978.

Regarded as the greatest player in Gambian history, Biri Biri is well known around La Liga for his five-year stint in Seville.

The club's ‘Biris Norte' fans take their name from the much-loved figure, who in recent years has become a regular visitor to games at the Sanchez-Pizjuan.

Global reach

Global reach

Sevilla's global reach was also shown during the 2016-17 La Liga campaign when they became the first club in Spanish football history to field a full starting XI born outside the country.

The team picked for the away trip to Eibar in September 2016, contained players from six countries on three different continents: Salvatore Sirigu (Italy); Gabriel Mercado (Argentina), Adil Rami (France), Daniel Carrico (Portugal), Timothee Kolodziejczak (France); Hiroshi Kiyotake (Japan), Matias Kranevitter (Argentina), Paulo Henrique ‘Ganso' (Brazil); Raphael Correa (Argentina), Samuel Vietto (Argentina) and Wissam Ben Yedder (France).

World Cup winners

World Cup winners

Summer 2018 saw Sevilla celebrate a World Cup victory, with rojiblanco midfielder Steven Nzonzi playing a key role as France beat Croatia 4-2 in the World Cup final in Moscow. But Nzonzi is not the only WC winner in Sevilla's history.

Current team-mate Jesus Navas lifted the Jules Rimet trophy with Spain in 2010 while Argentina's hero in 1986 Diego Maradona spent a season at the Sanchez-Pizjuan in the mid-90s.

(Source: MSL Media)

Story first published: Friday, February 22, 2019, 10:41 [IST]
Other articles published on Feb 22, 2019