The Best of the Rest
THE CLUB
Address P Isabel La Catolica s/n, 50009 Zaragoza
Telephone (0034) 976 567 777
Website www.realzaragoza.com
Real Zaragoza have never won the league, and their fans never expect
to, but over the years they have become known as a good cup side, a
reputation which was enhanced in 2004 when they beat Real Madrid 3-2 in
the Copa del Rey final in a game that signalled the beginning of the
end of Madrid's season.
Los Maños enjoyed a swinging '60s, picking up the Fairs Cup in 1964,
and then memorably lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1995 thanks
to Nayim from the halfway line past Arsenal's David Seaman. But
Zaragoza fans expect their team to play with flair and passion - they
often claim they would rather lose 5-4 than win 1-0 - and are prepared
to turn up in their thousands to the atmospheric Romareda Stadium,
metaphorical rain or meteorological shine.
Their most vociferous set of supporters, El Ligallo, gather in the
Fondo Norte, but on a good day the whole stadium can be expected to
join in with the most popular chants.
This is a city with a real passion for the game and where better to
chew the football fat than the Fuji-Rama bar on Avenida San Jose.
Before the match there's also plenty of space in the Foro next to the
multiplex cinema, from where the local radio station broadcast their
matchday previews.
As for the city itself, Zaragoza is big but enjoyable with around
750,000 inhabitants, and a lively zone of bars and restaurants tucked
in among remarkable monuments. Among these is an awesome basilica and
the spectacular Moorish Aljaferia.
THE STADIUM
La Romareda is a low-slung affair on the high-rise outskirts of
town, notable for its floodlights and for having been built on blue
concrete pillars rising from the pavements outside the ground. Bus
numbers 30, 35 and 40 will take you there from Plaza de España in the
centre of town.
Home to los Maños since 1957, its 34,000 capacity means that tickets
are relatively easy to come by, though it's advisable to get them a few
days early for the really big games.