Based in A Coruña, Galicia, Real Club Deportivo de La Coruña currently play their football in the Spanish third tier; poles apart from spells in European football and title challengers in LaLiga which characterised the club during the late 1990’s into the millenia. Here, in the north east quarter of the peninsula, los blanquiazules went full circle from being LaLiga outsiders for almost two decades, to being on the global stage. All before once again fading out into the wilderness once more. From everything to nothing. Like a bolt from the blue, as true as the stripes that adorn their jersey.
Dépor’s first year in LaLiga came in 1942, 17 years after the foundation of the Spanish first division. Unable to establish themselves as one of Spain’s top sides, they yo-yoed in and out of LaLiga for 31 years before being relegated to Segunda. Here, away from the nation’s top 20 sides, they would remain for 18 years. A tough and testing period in the Galician side’s history, punctuated only by further descension into the third tier during the 1974/75 and 1980/81 campaigns.
Here, unable to find the momentum required to push for promotion, the A Coruña club did little more than merely exist when battling away in Seguna. As the years trudged along, they looked all but set to once again slip to Tercera. It would go to the wire and only a win against Racing Santander could keep them afloat.
Dépor 1952-53 season.
Source The early days.
In late May 1988, Coruña fought tooth and nail in this dogid match on the final day of the season clash against Racing. They knew all too well that loss would have spelled a third relegation in little over a decade. However, salvation came in the shape of a stoppage time goal from Vincente Celeiro. 1-0 to Dépor, Segunda survival and a wake-up call that many fans would have seen long overdue.
The only way that the club hierarchy thought that they could get on the right path was through a choice which many clubs in hardship decide to roll the dice one: bring in a familiar face. Arsenio Iglesias was the chosen one to come back and breathe life into this lackluster side. During his playing days, Iglesias racked up 135 appearances playing for Dépor from 1951-57 after rising through their Fabril academy.
Former player Iglesias was no stranger to the task at hand as he already had two spells as manager of ‘Los Herculinos’. His first came in the early 70s, where he oversaw their promotion to LaLiga before they parachuted down to Segunda in a three season long residency. Then, in 1982, nine years after his first term as coach he was back at Riazor. Here, Iglesias remained for a further three years before again leaving, this time for Compostela.
Dépor 1983-84 season.
Source Arsenio at the helm (Middle row, 5th in from the Left).
Now needed again at Dépor, he felt that he had unfinished business, mainly due to the fact that they were far from being established in LaLiga. After just one year away, he was ready to return for a third time to the club in 1988 - 17 years after his first appointment. Now, Iglesias hoped to bring a feel-good factor to a club that meant the world to him - to illustrate the importance of Dépor to his life, Iglesias told ‘La Voz de Galicia’ about what going back to Dépor meant to him during an interview in 2016, saying that it meant “everything”. He added that it was “the beginning of everything that happened right then. I took my first steps at Deportivo and that allowed me to have such a long career in football, going through Alicante, Burgos, Zaragoza... Deportivo has given me many things for nothing in return.”
After his most recent unveiling, the club hero set to work re-building a stable and functioning group. The ultimate aim was to create a team that could enjoy longevity in the Spanish top flight after spending so many years a stranger to the identity established by Iglesias and his former teammates back in the 1950s. It would not be an easy task, nor a quick fix. However, it was soon underway.
There was an immediate feeling of progress in the 1989/90 season as he led the club to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, where they eventually fell short to Real Valladolid. It was a lesson in understanding that they could compete with the bigger clubs in Spain. Consequently, their focus on the league once again waned and they were unable to mount a promotion charge.
The following season Dépor made another positive step as Iglesias’ men reached the promotion play-offs, a statement of intent that had not been there in the years that preceded. It took a more streetwise Tenerife side to ensure that the Galician side remained in Segunda, but a basis had been set; a foundation to build on.
As the 1990/91 campaign came around there was one burning, mocking and blatant fact that overshadowed Dépor going into the new season: this was their 18th year without LaLiga football. Iglesias had to do everything to make it their last. Still scarred from their promotion heartache, they didn’t want to leave anything to chance this time around. A runners-up spot proved to be golden for los blanquiazules as they clinched promotion to LaLiga. A return long overdue.
Dépor 1990-91 season.
Source Arsenio at the heart (Middle row, six in from the Right).
At long last Iglesias had returned the club to the top of the Spanish footballing pyramid and decided to step aside, allowing for Marco Antonio Boronat to be appointed on July 1 1991. An important test awaited their new coach - keep Dépor up first and foremost, before working to establish them in LaLiga.
What followed was a sobering experience that highlighted the gap that still remained between Dépor and the more consistent performers of LaLiga. Come spring of 1992, the club found themselves on the brink of relegation, having to navigate a tricky play-off with Real Betis. Faith in Boronat had all but disappeared in April. The club hierarchy decided to appoint one man who knew the club best: a fourth spell beckoned for Arsenio Iglesias.
In June the relegation play-offs took place. The first leg was won 2-1 by Deportivo La Coruña at home, with goals from Alberto Albístegui and Iliyan Kiryakov. A week later, the Galicians traveled to Andalusia for the return fixture. Here, they held on for a 0-0 draw and they avoided the drop. Recruitment was desperately needed if they were to avoid relegation again in the next season.
Iglesias thought best to bring in a mix of young, exciting footballers combined with LaLiga savvy players who had experience playing in the top flights. After setting out his plan, in came Brazilians Bebeto and Mauro Silva, along with a host of ex-Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atlético Madrid players deemed surplus to requirements at other top teams.
The Boys From Brazil.
Source Bebeto (Left) and Mauro Silva (Right) pre-match for Dépor.
This mix of young and old galvanized Dépor, confirming that all players had the desire to achieve something special at the club. Arriving with a point to prove, rather than on merit alone. It was clear that Iglesias’ strategy had worked. They took LaLiga by the scruff of its neck during their second season. Their new players had gelled immediately and the results mirrored the effort put into the transfers. Coruña ended the 1992/93 season third, behind champions Barcelona and second-placed Real Madrid. It was an outstanding feat for the team that could so easily have gone down a year earlier.
Bebeto won the Pichichi top scoring award in his debut season, finishing on 29 goals. His ability to hit the ground running after making the transfer from Vasco de Gama made it easier for Dépor to climb the table. Similarly, in defence, goalkeeper Paco Liaño made the most of his opportunity to become the team’s first-choice goalkeeper. He finished the season with the Zamora trophy. Together, they embodied the new dreams held by the club. A super second season soon washed away the disappointment of dicing with relegation just 12 months prior.
One iconic and catalyst moment of that season came in a home fixture against Real Madrid. At Riazor, October 3 1992, Real Madrid raced to a 2-0 lead with goals from Fernando Hierro and Iván Zamorano. At this stage of the season it seemed that they would merely brush Dépor to one side. But Bebeto wouldn’t allow it. The Brazilian netted a brace either side of half-time to level the game, before Ricardo Rocha’s own-goal gave Dépor a monumental win. One which many see as the birth of Súper Dépor.
Title translation: The day Bebeto destroyed Real Madrid.
It was yet to be seen whether or not Iglesias’ side would be able to replicate their one season of magic. Before the 1993/94 season kicked-off Dépor knew that they would only compete again if they held onto their newly found talent, something that they were able to achieve. Unified and with realistic expectations ahead of them, they set off with a desire to go further than the season before.
Súper Dépor soon showed worthy of their nickname, making another blistering start to the campaign and proving a tough nut to crack. Riazor became their fortress and their star players maintained the progress of the season before. Now they found themselves leading LaLiga for much of the season, but without the experience to see it through to the finish line.
In the final game of the season they had to beat mid-table Valencia to secure the title. It wasn’t to be. Second place to Barcelona and European qualification showed tangible progress, albeit overshadowed by disappointment. Goalkeeper Liaño won the Zamora trophy for a second season running after conceding only 18 goals in 38 games.
In the UEFA Cup they reached the Last 16 on their debut, falling short to Eintracht Frankfurt. Now, with a taste for top ranking finishes and European escapades, Súper Dépor set out for the new season with now-veteran manager Iglesias declaring that the 1994/95 season would be his last at the club.
Brazilian duo Bebeto and Mauro Silva returned to the squad as World Cup winners during the 1994 tournament held in the USA. Fans of the club were hopeful that the taste of glory for their nation could take shape for their club too. Dépor’s talisman Bebeto had now proven himself on an international level, it was time to return to Spain and perform again.
Dépor's World Champs.
Source Mauro Silva (Left) and Bebeto (Right) celebrate with Leonardo (Middle).
Súper Dépor found their groove in LaLiga and pushed eventual champions Real Madrid all the way, earning consecutive second-place finishes. In Europe they reached the Last 16 once more, losing again to German competition in the shape of Borussia Dortmund. However, their cup journeys were not all fruitless, as they made the Copa del Rey final against Valencia at the Bernabéu.
Here, in June 1995, they battled the wet conditions to make the game 1-1 as it entered the final ten minutes of the game. Yet, the referee deemed the stormy weather too damaging to the pitch for the game to be continued. Instead, the remaining seven minutes would be played out three days later. Here, a headed goal from Alfredo Santaelena gave Súper Dépor their first major title. A glorious end to Iglesias’ time at the club.
After three years and two months into his fourth term, Iglesias was replaced by Welshman John Toshack. The former Real Sociedad and Real Madrid coach got off to a dream start in his new surroundings. One month into his role he oversaw a 5-1 drubbing of Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España. Despite the early silverware, Toshack could not translate this form into LaLiga, leading them to 9th at the end of the 1995/96 season.
Toshack left in February 1997 just before the club reached third place come the end of the campaign. This changing of guard sparked a dip for Súper Dépor, as they followed this up with a disappointing 12th placed finish. Just as the wheels looked to be coming off, a new coach took the reins and sparked them into a new world of success. His name, Javier Irureta.
Source John Toshack during his short tenure at Dépor.
Basque coach, Irureta, started his tenure by getting Los Herculinos to finish 6th in LaLiga as well as make the Copa del Rey semi-final; narrowly missing out on another final with a 1-0 loss against Atlético Madrid. A new foundation was already being laid and Irureta had his eyes set on a higher finish in the table, but no one could guess which Dépor would turn up for the next season: the side that had seemingly lost its ability to compete or the underdog title challengers that gave them their Súper Dépor nickname...
Against the odds, Deportivo La Coruña went onto win their first LaLiga title in the 1999/00 season, beating Barcelona to the title by five points. It certainly wasn’t pretty: 38 games, 21 wins, 6 draws and 11 losses. 69 points enough to earn the title for the A Coruña club hailing from Galicia. Their top scorer was Dutch phenomenon Roy Makaay, whose 22 goals went a long way to earning Dépor this memorable title.
This team had been through constant rebuilds, new managers and faced some of the most brilliant sides in Spain. Yet still, they stood strong to show that they were worthy of achieving the pinnacle of Spanish football. Súper Dépor showed that they were not one-season wonders and finished 2nd or 3rd in each of the 4 seasons which followed their title win.
Source Súper Dépor pose with the 1999-00 LaLiga title.
Adding to their legend, they won the Copa del Rey for a second time against Real Madrid in 2002. The game was to take place at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu on March 6 2002. A significant date for two reasons: it marked 100 years of the Copa and was also Los Blancos’ 100th anniversary. However, in true Dépor fashion, they crashed the party and ran out 1-2 winners against the Galácticos. Goals from Sergio Soriano and Diego Tristán etched Súper Dépor’s name in the history books once again.
This was to be the last triumph of their golden years. The Galician outfit slowly fell off the main stage as their rivals grew larger and more powerful. A lasting memory for the fans came in 2004, when their SúperDépor reached the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League, where they were knocked out by eventual winners Porto, managed by Jose Mourinho. This team was so close to doing the unthinkable on the European stage. It was a feat worthy of Dépor by name and nature.
In the years that followed, the club were relegated from LaLiga in 2010/11 after years of gradual decline. They were able to regain LaLiga status but, as was the case when our story began, they lacked the consistency to remain as one of Spain’s top sides. Currently in Primera RFEF, they have a shot at returning to Segunda in the play-offs. A far cry from their title win 22 years ago and even further from playing in Europe.
Source The last trophy of the Súper Dépor epoch.
Source For Arsenio Iglesias