El Gran derbi: Sevilla vs Real Betis

Both among LaLiga’s most historic clubs, and both previous LaLiga Santander title winners, the Seville derby rivalry is one which has divided allegiances and even families within the city for over a century.

Sevilla, the Andalusian capital, is home to one of Spanish football’s most colourful derby meetings, between the city’s two LaLiga sides, Sevilla FC and Real Betis. It’s such a big game that it’s become known as ‘El Gran Derbi’… “The Big Derby”.

A strong British influence existed when organised football was first played in Seville back in the last decade of the 19th century. The first club in Seville was created in 1890, while today’s Sevilla FC were founded in 1905. Real Betis Balompie came into being just two years later.

After many official and unofficial early meetings in competitions as diverse as the Copa de Sevilla, Copa del Duque de Santo Mauro, Andalusian Championship, and Southern Regional Championship, the two clubs were founder members of LaLiga’s second tier, with Betis winning both 1928/29 meetings, 3-0 away and 2-1 at home.

Betis were the first to be promoted to the top flight and won what is to date their only LaLiga title in 1934/35, a title run which included a key 3-0 victory at their neighbour’s Nervion stadium late in the season. Sevilla followed up with a title of their own in 1945-46, albeit with no derby win as Betis were by then back in the second tier.

In total, the teams have met 48 times in LaLiga between the top two divisions, and one thing that stands out is how often players and fans on both sides have enjoyed victories on their neighbours’ patch. Betis spoiled the opening party with a 4-2 victory when the rivals’ current Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan opened in 1958. Sevilla got revenge with a 4-1 away derby victory just the following year. More recently, Betis’ 5-3 win at the Sanchez-Pizjuan in January 2018 is the derby with the most goals in LaLiga history.

Another historic derby was in the 2013/14 Europa League Round of 16 with Sevilla coming back to draw level at 2-2 on aggregate at the Benito Villamarin – then go through 4-3 on penalties – on the way to winning the first of three consecutive trophies.

Only nine players have worn both the verdiblanco and rojiblanco in Seville derbies over the years, dating back to defender Joaquin Jimenez Postigo, who won a LaLiga winners’ medal with both clubs. Tough defender Diego Rodriguez famously moved across the divide in 1988 while Spain’s Euro 2008 winning coach Luis Aragones spent three seasons at Betis as a player, while also sitting on both benches in LaLiga derbies.

Locally-born players have been a prominent feature of this fixture over the years. The LaLiga clash in September 2018 saw Sevilla captain Jesus Navas equal the club’s single-player derby appearance record (17) – a number he has now surpassed – while Betis skipper Joaquin Sanchez’s winning goal that night was the 38-year-old’s second strike across his 17 LaLiga derbies.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.