Early years Real Zaragoza was originally formed from two rival teams:
Iberia SC and
Real Zaragoza CD. In 1939, after three years without football due to the
Spanish Civil War, the team made its first appearance in
La Liga,
ending in 7th position out of 12 teams, but
being relegated in 1941. The club returned to the top division one year later, only to be
immediately relegated back. It remained in
Segunda División until the end of the
1950–51 campaign, when it achieved promotion by finishing second in a play-off league. On 8 September 1957, the team left its original stadium, El Torrero, for its current stadium,
La Romareda.
The golden era Beginning in the
1960–61 season, Zaragoza enjoyed a period of great success, showcasing some of the greatest players playing in Spain during that decade, which earned for themselves the designation of
Los Magníficos. While the team failed to capture the league title, it finished in the top five every year until
1968–69, with two third-place finishes, and also won its first two
Copa del Rey titles and the
1963–64 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Zaragoza's famous attacking line included
Canário,
Carlos Lapetra,
Marcelino,
Eleuterio Santos and
Juan Manuel Villa. The Peruvian
Juan Seminario, who started his career in Spain with
Los Maños before moving to
Barcelona, won the
Pichichi Trophy in the
1961–62 campaign, scoring 25 goals in 30 matches as Zaragoza finished in fourth position.
1970s to the end of the century Zaragoza finished third in
1973–74 and a best-ever second in
the following season, losing the title in the last round to
Real Madrid. The club was also defeated 0–1 in the
1976 domestic cup final against
Atlético Madrid, spending two seasons in the second level during the decade, with promotion at the first attempt on either occasion. In
1986, Zaragoza won its third Copa del Rey, defeating Barcelona 1–0. The club finished the
1990–91 season in 17th position, thus having to appear in the
promotion/relegation play-offs against
Real Murcia; on 19 June 1991, after a 0–0 away draw, a 5–2 home win meant the team managed to maintain its top level status.
Víctor Fernández was appointed manager in 1991. On 10 May 1995,
one year after
winning the Copa del Rey against
Celta, Zaragoza
won the
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup against
Arsenal at the
Parc des Princes, Paris, after having disposed of the likes of
Feyenoord and
Chelsea en route. With the score level at 1–1, the two teams entered
extra time and, in the 120th minute,
Nayim hit a half-volley from just past the halfway line, putting it beyond the reach of goalkeeper
David Seaman for the final
2–1. The club then contested the
1995 UEFA Super Cup against
Ajax, losing 1–5 on aggregate despite a home draw in the first leg. Víctor Fernández was dismissed from his post in early November 1996, after only winning one league match
that season.
The 21st century during the
2012–13 season. The 2000s brought a further two Copa del Rey titles to Zaragoza's trophy cabinet, including the
2003–04 edition against Real Madrid in
Barcelona (3–2 after extra time). However, the club also suffered top flight relegation in
2002 after
narrowly avoiding so the previous season, but
achieved immediate promotion in 2003. In late May 2006, Agapito Iglesias purchased Alfonso Solans' shares and took control of the club, promising to build one of the strongest teams in Spain and Europe. In his first year in charge, he purchased
Pablo Aimar from
Valencia for €11 million, and former manager Víctor Fernández also returned to the club. Mainly due to
Diego Milito's 23 goals in
2006–07 (he finished third to
Roma's
Francesco Totti and Real Madrid's
Ruud van Nistelrooy – 26 and 25 goals, respectively – in the
European Golden Shoe race), Real Zaragoza finished in sixth position, thus
qualifying to the
UEFA Cup. However,
the following season ended in relegation (18th position among 20 teams with only 10 wins in 38 matches, among them only 1 away win in 19 games) – for the second time in the decade – with the side also being eliminated in the first round in
European competition. Legendary club coach Víctor Fernández returned for a second spell, although he was sacked in January 2008, as the club had four managers during the campaign. On the last matchday, a brace from
Ricardo Oliveira proved insufficient in a 2–3 away loss against
Mallorca, with the team totalling 42 points to
Osasuna's 43. Zaragoza achieved promotion from the second division
at the first attempt. On the last matchday, on 20 June 2009, the team drew 2–2 at
Rayo Vallecano with goals from youth graduate
David Generelo and ex-Real Madrid
defender Francisco Pavón, only trailing champions
Xerez in the table. Nevertheless, that season Zaragoza was the best team at home, gained 50 from their 81 points in home games. However, after four seasons mainly spent in the bottom half of the table, Zaragoza was relegated following the
2012–13 Liga season after finishing last. In April 2022, the purchase of 51% of the shares of the SAD by an international investment fund led by
Jorge Mas was disclosed. ==Seasons==