On September 12th, the Spanish football club Real Betis Balompié will mark 112 years of existence, a period when it managed to win the title once and the Copa del Rey twice, the last one in 2005. The past 10 years had been turbulent for the team, which had to face relegation into Segunda Division several times.
However, during this summer, a lot of things had changed at the team. Rubi had been appointed as the new coach, players like Nabil Fekir and Alfonso Pedraza joined the team, and the club signed a major sponsorship contract with the online trading provider easyMarkets. Given that expectations for the new season are high, we would like to remember some of the best players who had worn the Real Betis shirt.
Alt-text: Real Betis historic players
José Ramón Esnaola Laburu
Currently the player with the most appearances for Real Betis, José Ramón Esnaola is a goalkeeper who played 378 matched between 1973 and 1985. His greatest achievement at the club was winning the Copa del Rey back in 1977, in an epic match against Athletic Bilbao. With 2-2 after the first 90 minutes, the penalty shootout ended 8-7 for Betis, with Esnaola stopping three shots and scoring the winner. He worked at the club for 40 years, working with the club in various capacities.
Rubén Castro Martín
Having played for Betis between 2010 and 2018, Rubén Castro currently holds the title of the most important goalscorer in the club’s history. During his 260 appearances, he managed to score 147 goals. Currently 38 years old, he plays for Las Palmas, the city where he was born. The most important part of his career was spent at Betis and he’s expected to remain the top scorer for a decent amount of time, given that there no player which managed to bank several seasons in a row at the club.
Rafael Gordillo Vázquez
Another important figure during the wining of the Copa del Rey in 1977, Rafael Vázquez is the Betis former player with the second-most appearances for the club, having played 343 official matches. He was a player of Real Betis between 1976-1985 and 1992-1995, scoring 31 goals as a wingback. Having played for Real Madrid as well in 182, he’s also one of the most prolific players in the history of the Spanish national team, for which he played 75 matches.