Foundation (1908–1928) in 1945 RC Celta de Vigo was formed as a result of the ambition of Vigo's teams to achieve more at national level, where the
Basque sides had been their
bête noire in the Spanish Championship. The idea was to merge both Vigo-based teams,
Real Vigo Sporting and
Real Club Fortuna de Vigo, to create a more powerful team at national level. The standard-bearer of this movement was Manuel de Castro, known as "Handicap", a sports writer for the
Faro de Vigo who, from 1915, began to write in his articles about the need for a unitarian movement. The slogan of his movement was
"Todo por y para Vigo" ("All by and for Vigo"), In 1947–48, Celta ranked fourth, the club's joint highest ever finish, and reached the
Copa del Generalísimo final, where they lost 4–1 to
Sevilla FC. Local striker
Pahiño, who took the
Pichichi Trophy for 21 goals in 22 games that season, subsequently moved to
Real Madrid.
EuroCelta and subsequent decline In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Celta were dubbed "EuroCelta" by the Spanish press as a result of their European performance. This included a 4–1 aggregate win against
Liverpool in a run to the quarter-finals of the
1998–99 UEFA Cup. In the
next season's edition they again reached the last eight, with a 4–0 second leg win over
Juventus and a 7–0 home win against
Benfica (8–1 on aggregate). Domestically, the team reached the
2001 Copa del Rey final, losing 3–1 to
Real Zaragoza in
Seville. Key players during the period included
Alexander Mostovoi,
Valery Karpin and
Haim Revivo, though the squad also relied upon other international players as well, such as goalkeeper
Pablo Cavallero; defender and future coach
Eduardo Berizzo, midfielders
Claude Makélélé and
Mazinho; winger
Gustavo López; and strikers
Catanha and
Lyuboslav Penev, amongst others. In 2002–03, under manager
Miguel Ángel Lotina, Celta ranked fourth, their highest finish since 1948, and qualified for the
2003–04 UEFA Champions League. They reached the round of 16, where they were eliminated by
Arsenal 5–2 on aggregate. Domestically that year, the team came 19th and suffered relegation to the
Segunda División. Although the squad was heavily dismantled following the demotion, Celta earned an immediate return to the top flight after finishing second in
2004–05. In
2006–07, Celta finished 18th and were once again relegated to the Segunda División. The team subsequently fought against relegation to the third tier, and the risk of bankruptcy. This trend was bucked in the 2010–11 season, when new striker
David Rodríguez, winger
Enrique de Lucas and manager
Paco Herrera helped them finish sixth. They were eliminated in the first knockout round by
Granada after a
penalty shoot-out, the game having finished 1–1 in 90 minutes.
Return to La Liga and Europe in 2012|192x192px On 3 June 2012, Celta returned to La Liga after a five-year absence. In their first season after returning to the top flight, they avoided relegation to the Segunda División on the final day after beating
RCD Espanyol 1–0 to ensure a 17th-place finish. Under "EuroCelta" veteran
Eduardo Berizzo in
2015–16, Celta finished sixth for their best result in a decade and earned a spot in the
2016–17 UEFA Europa League. In their return to European competitions, Celta reached the semi-finals of the
2016–17 UEFA Europa League, where they were eliminated by eventual champions
Manchester United. Celta avoided relegation on the final day of the season in 2019 and 2020, with the goals of local forward
Iago Aspas being crucial in both seasons. In late 2023, shortly after the club's centenary,
Carlos Mouriño resigned the presidency that he had held since 2006, ceding it to his daughter
Marián as the first woman in the office. In
2024–25, Celta finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League for the first time in nine years. == Identity ==