UD Almería

Unión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation: [uˈnjon depoɾˈtiβ(a) almeˈɾi.a]) is a Spanish professional football club based in Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. Founded on 26 July 1989 and known as Almería Club de Fútbol until 2001, when it was renamed Unión Deportiva Almería.[2] The club currently plays in the Spanish Primera División after winning the Segunda División title in 2022, and plays their home games at the 15,274-seat capacity Power Horse Stadium.[3][4]

Almería
Full nameUnión Deportiva Almería, S.A.D.
Nickname(s)Rojiblancos
La Unión
Almeriensistas
UDA
Indálicos
Founded26 July 1989 (1989-07-26) as Almería Club de Fútbol
GroundPower Horse Stadium
Capacity15,294[1]
OwnerTurki Al-Sheikh
PresidentTurki Al-Sheikh
Head coachGaizka Garitano
LeagueLa Liga
2022–23La Liga, 17th of 20
WebsiteClub website

History

The first football club in Almería was founded in 1909: el Almería Foot-Ball Club.[5] Since then, several Almería football clubs appeared and disappeared. One of them was AD Almería, a team that played in La Liga between 1979–81, but disappeared in 1982, and was arguably UD Almería's predecessor.

In 1989, a club named Almería Club de Fútbol was born, but in 2001 was renamed Unión Deportiva Almería. On 19 January 2001 the mayor of Almería Santiago Martínez Cabrejas announced in the city council that the new club UD Almería had been formed after the merger of two city teams - Polideportivo Almería and Almería CF.[6] But UD Almería was not official until 28 June 2001, when Almería CF approved at the General Meeting of Shareholders the renaming.[6] After playing one season in the second division, it was relegated to the third and the fourth divisions.

After spending several seasons in the second level, Almería side was first promoted to the top flight after finishing runner-up in the 2006–07 season. After some outstanding performances, as the away win against Deportivo de La Coruña 3–0 in the first La Liga match, the team achieved a final 8th league place in 2007–08.[6] At the club's helm was coach Unai Emery, as striker Álvaro Negredo finished team topscorer with 13 goals.

UD Almería players facing Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo in 2011

After Emery left for Valencia CF, Gonzalo Arconada stepped in,[7] but was sacked on 21 December 2008, after a string of poor results, albeit without ever reaching the last three.[8] Mexican Hugo Sánchez took the job, and fared slightly better, for a final mid-table position.

In 2010–11, Almería reached the semifinals of the Copa del Rey for the first time ever.[6] In the league, however, the club was finally relegated after a four-year spell in the top flight; in November 2010, coach Juan Manuel Lillo was fired after a 0–8 home loss against FC Barcelona (precisely the team that ousted the Andalusians in the domestic cup's last-four, with the same score, but on aggregate),[9][10] and his successor José Luis Oltra met the same fate,[11] in April 2011.[12] He was replaced by Roberto Olabe.[13]

Chart of UD Almería league performance 1929-2023

After two seasons in the second level, Almería returned to the main category of Spanish football on 22 June 2013, after defeating Girona FC in the play-offs. After the departure of manager Javi Gracia, the club appointed their former player and manager of the reserves at the time Francisco Javier Rodríguez Vílchez;[14] the team eventually managed to survive in 2013–14, finishing 16th.[15][16]

Francisco was sacked in December 2014, after only managing two points out of 24,[17] and was later replaced by Juan Ignacio Martínez.[18] "JIM" also only lasted until April of the following year,[19] and even with new manager Sergi Barjuán,[20] the club was relegated after finishing 19th.[21][22]

In the 2018–19 season, Almería finally escaped the tough fight for the permanence in Segunda División until the last matches as during 3 previous seasons. This time they were closer to the promotion play-offs to La Liga, and finished 10th from 22 teams participated.[23]

Turki Al-Sheikh during a press conference in 2019

On 2 August 2019, Turki Al-Sheikh became the owner of the club, replacing Alfonso García Gabarrón.[24] He appointed Mohamed El Assy as general director,[25] Dario Drudi as sporting director, who replaced Miguel Ángel Corona,[26] and manager Óscar Fernández was replaced by Pedro Emanuel.[27] On 5 November 2019, it was announced Guti replaced Emanuel.[28] On 26 June 2020, he was ceased and replaced by Mario Silva,[29][30] who was himself replaced by José Gomes on 27 July.

In August 2021, UD Almería (Mohamed El Assy) and the Ayuntamiento de Almería (Ramón Fernández-Pacheco Monterreal) agreed to a lease on the operation of the municipally-owned Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos for a 25-year period.[31] In June 2022, the club achieved promotion to the first division by sealing a 1st position in the table, respectively, on the very last match day of the season, after spending seven years in the second tier.

Season to season
See also: List of UD Almería seasons
Season Level Division Place Copa del Rey
1989–90 5 Reg. Pref. 1st
1990–91 5 Reg. Pref. 3rd
1991–92 5 Reg. Pref. 2nd
1992–93 4 3ª 2nd
1993–94 3 2ª B 11th Fourth round
1994–95 3 2ª B 2nd Second round
1995–96 2 2ª 16th Second round
1996–97 2 2ª 17th Second round
1997–98 3 2ª B 7th First round
1998–99 3 2ª B 18th
1999–2000 4 3ª 4th
2000–01 3 2ª B 11th
2001–02 3 2ª B 3rd
2002–03 2 2ª 18th Round of 32
2003–04 2 2ª 13th Round of 32
2004–05 2 2ª 14th Second round
2005–06 2 2ª 6th First round
2006–07 2 2ª 2nd Third round
2007–08 1 1ª 8th Round of 32
2008–09 1 1ª 11th Round of 16
Season Level Division Place Copa del Rey
2009–10 1 1ª 13th Round of 32
2010–11 1 1ª 20th Semi-finals
2011–12 2 2ª 7th Round of 32
2012–13 2 2ª 3rd Round of 32
2013–14 1 1ª 17th Round of 16
2014–15 1 1ª 19th Round of 16
2015–16 2 2ª 18th Round of 32
2016–17 2 2ª 15th Second round
2017–18 2 2ª 18th Second round
2018–19 2 2ª 10th Round of 32
2019–20 2 2ª 4th First round
2020–21 2 2ª 4th Quarter-finals
2021–22 2 2ª 1st Round of 32
2022–23 1 1ª 17th First round
2023–24 1 1ª

Current squad
As of 3 September 2023.[32]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Spain ESP Diego Mariño
2 DF Brazil BRA Kaiky
3 DF Spain ESP Edgar González
4 MF Ghana GHA Iddrisu Baba (on loan from Mallorca)
5 MF Argentina ARG Lucas Robertone
6 MF Senegal SEN Dion Lopy
7 MF Belgium BEL Largie Ramazani
8 MF Spain ESP Arnau Puigmal
9 FW Colombia COL Luis Suárez
10 MF Spain ESP Adrián Embarba
11 MF Spain ESP Gonzalo Melero
12 FW Brazil BRA Léo Baptistão
13 GK Spain ESP Fernando Martínez
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 MF Brazil BRA Lázaro
15 DF Spain ESP Sergio Akieme
17 MF Spain ESP Alejandro Pozo
18 DF Spain ESP Marc Pubill
19 MF Spain ESP Sergio Arribas
20 DF Spain ESP Álex Centelles
21 DF Spain ESP Chumi
22 DF Mexico MEX César Montes
23 FW Mali MLI Ibrahima Koné
24 DF Guinea-Bissau GNB Houboulang Mendes
25 GK Portugal POR Luís Maximiano (on loan from Lazio)
29 FW Serbia SRB Marko Milovanović

Reserve team
Main article: UD Almería B

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 MF Spain ESP Marcos Peña
27 DF Spain ESP Paco Sanz
No. Pos. Nation Player
34 FW Guinea-Bissau GNB Marciano Sanca
37 GK Spain ESP Bruno Iribarne

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF Spain ESP Arnau Solà (at Cartagena until 30 June 2024)
— MF Portugal POR Gui Guedes (at Porto B until 30 June 2024)
— FW England ENG Arvin Appiah (at Rotherham United until 30 June 2024)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW Spain ESP Carlos Rojas (at Murcia until 30 June 2024)
— FW Uruguay URU Juan Manuel Gutiérrez (at Boston River until 30 June 2024)

Technical staff
Position Staff
Head coach Spain Gaizka Garitano
Assistant coach Spain Patxi Ferreira
Fitness coach Spain Víctor Fortes
Spain Julio Hernando
Goalkeeping coach Spain Ricardo Molina
Spain José Manuel Santisteban
Analyst Spain Jon Moreno
Doctor Spain Diego Portugal
Spain Jesús Dueñas
Nutritionist Spain José González
Physiotherapist Spain Cid Andrade
Spain Pedro Serrano
Spain Pepe Álvarez
Spain Edu Antequera
Rehab fitness coach Spain Álvaro Cano
Team Manager Egypt Mohamed El Assy
Delegate Spain Jorge Díaz
Kit man Spain Bernardo Hernández
Spain Juan Ventaja
Spain Mateo Ruiz
Kit woman Spain Mari César

Last updated: October 2023
Source: UD Almería

Notable players

Note: this list includes players that have appeared in at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.

World Cup players

The following players have been selected by their country in the World Cup Finals, while playing for Almería.

Uniform
Almería's uniform in the 2020–21 season.
Period Kit Manufacturer Sponsors
2001–07 Cejudo Obrascampo
2007–08 UDA
2008–10 None1
2010–12 Rasán Urcisol
2012–19 Nike
2019–20 Adidas Arabian Centres
2020–22 Puma
2022– Castore Khaled Juffali Co.

1 The shirt contained messages such as Isla del Fraile or Corredor de Vida.

Honours

See also

References
  1. "Estadio Juegos del Mediterráneo" (in Spanish). UD Almería.
  2. "Un club joven con un gran futuro". UD Almeria SAD (in Spanish). 2007. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  3. "Estadio Juegos del Mediterráneo". UDA Almeria SAD (in Spanish). Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  4. "Estadio de los Juegos Mediterráneos". Ideal (in Spanish). Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  5. "1909: el año en el que nace el primer club de fútbol almeriense". Ideal. 28 May 2017.
  6. "La historia del Club | Almería - Web Oficial". La historia del Club | Almería - Web Oficial (in Spanish). Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  7. Europa Press (1 July 2008). "Gonzalo Arconada firma como nuevo entrenador del Almería para las dos próximas temporadas". Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  8. EFE (21 December 2008). "Gonzalo Arconada, destituido como entrenador del Almería". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Grupo Joly. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  9. EFE (20 November 2010). "Juan Manuel Lillo es destituido como entrenador del Almería". 20 Minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  10. Europa Press (23 November 2010). "Lillo se despide, junto a sus ayudantes, de la plantilla del Almería". Marca (in Spanish). Unidad Editorial. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  11. "El Almería se encomienda a Oltra". ABC (in Spanish). Vocento. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  12. EFE (5 April 2011). "La UD Almería destituye a José Luis Oltra para salvarse en ocho jornadas". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  13. EFE (5 April 2011). "Roberto Olabe sustituye a José Luis Oltra como técnico de la UD Almería". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Titania Compañía Editorial, S.L. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  14. "Francisco Javier Rodríguez, nuevo entrenador del Almería". El Economista (in Spanish). Editorial Ecoprensa, S.A. EcoDiario. 29 June 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  15. "2013/14 Spanish Liga BBVA Table / Table". ESPN FC. 2013–2014. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  16. "Clasificación Liga BBVA - Temporada 2013/2014.Jornada 7". Liga de Fútbol Profesional. Liga BBVA. 2013–2014. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  17. Espino, Rafa (9 December 2014). "El Almería destituye a Francisco". AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  18. Europa Press (11 December 2014). "Juan Ignacio Martínez, nuevo entrenador del Almería hasta final de temporada". 20 Minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  19. Europa Press (5 April 2015). "El Almería destituye a Juan Ignacio Martínez". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  20. EFE (6 April 2015). "Sergi Barjuán, nuevo entrenador del Almería". Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). Grupo La Información. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  21. "Clasificación Liga BBVA". Liga BBVA (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 17 January 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  22. "El Almería retira el recurso y acaba la Liga con 29 puntos". Super Deporte (in Spanish). Prensa Ibérica. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  23. "2018-2019 La Liga 2 Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  24. Góngora, Rafa; Miralles, Carlos (2 August 2019). "Turki Al-Sheikh ya es el dueño del Almería". La Voz de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  25. "Su excelencia Turki Al-Sheikh, nuevo propietario de la UD Almería". Unión Deportiva Almería (in Spanish). 2 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  26. "Pedro Emanuel, Darío Drudi, Mohamed El Assy, los hombres fuertes del proyecto de Al-Sheihk". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). Joly Digital. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  27. Góngora, Rafa (2 August 2019). "Pedro Emanuel sería el nuevo entrenador del Almería". La Voz de Almería (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  28. de Rivas, Eduardo (5 November 2019). "Guti, nuevo entrenador del Almería". ABC (in Spanish). Vocento. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  29. "Guti, cesado como entrenador del Almería". Sport.es. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  30. Aguilera, Juanjo (26 June 2020). "Mario Silva dirige la primera sesión de trabajo post-'Guti'". Ideal (in Spanish). Vocento. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  31. "La UD Almería da el primer paso para la construcción de su estadio "Champions"". Cadena COPE. 9 August 2021.
  32. "Plantilla Unión Deportiva Almería SAD". UD Almería (in Spanish). Urcisol. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
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