Granada Club de Fútbol (Spanish pronunciation: [gɾaˈnaða ˈkluβ ðe ˈfuðβol]), known simply as Granada or "Graná", is a professional Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda División. Its main shareholder is the Chinese company Desport, and its president Jiang Lizhang. The club was founded in 1931 with the name of Club Recreativo Granada, and plays its home matches at the Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes.
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| Full name | Granada Club de Fútbol | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Nazaríes (Nasrids) | |||
| Short name | GCF | |||
| Founded | 6 April 1931 as Club Recreativo Granada | |||
| Ground | Nuevo Los Cármenes | |||
| Capacity | 21,600[1] | |||
| Owner | Jiang Lizhang (through Daxian 2009 SL) | |||
| President | Sophia Yang | |||
| Head coach | Fran Escribá | |||
| League | Segunda División | |||
| 2023–24 | La Liga, 20th of 20 (relegated) | |||
| Website | granadacf.es | |||
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Since 17 July 2020, the club is located at position 22 of the historical points classification of the First Division, and 20 of the historical First Division number of seasons classification, where it has participated in 25 seasons and finished in sixth place twice. Granada was the Copa del Rey runner-up in 1959 (the competition was then known as the Copa del Generalísimo). The club finished the 2019–20 season in 7th, qualifying for their first-ever European appearance, in the UEFA Europa League,[2] where they were quarter-finalists.
History
editFoundation
editGranada Club de Fútbol was founded on 6 April 1931,[3] originally as Recreativo de Granada; the first president was Julio López Fernández. It was him who registered the club in the Registry of Associations in the Civil Government and presented the first Board of Directors.[4]
The first football match was played against the Deportivo Jaén on 6 December 1931, which resulted in a 2–1 victory.[5] The first goal in the match, and in the club's history, was scored by Antonio Bombillar. The first home match was played against U.D. Andújar two weeks later. Granada won it 1–0. It took place at Campo de Las Tablas stadium.[5] In the 1931–32 season, the club finished 2nd in the Tercera Regional – Región Sur championship.[5] 4 wins in 6 matches helped Granada achieve promotion to the Segunda Regional. The club started the season in a new division with a new president, Gabriel Morcillo Raya.[6] During the 1932–33 season the club had the biggest win in its history, 11–0 against Xerez on 23 April 1933.[7]
La Liga entry and peak
editAfter several promotions, in 1941–42 the club made its La Liga debut. It was the match against the Celta on 28 September 1941. The game ended up in 1–1 draw.[8] The first Granada goal in the highest Spanish division was scored by César Rodríguez Álvarez.[9] During that season the Granada had some historical home wins, among them 8–0 against Real Oviedo and 6–0 against Barcelona.[5] Granada finished the season in the 10th position among 14 teams.[10]
From 1942 until the 1980s, it alternated between the top flight and the Segunda División, with its golden age coming during the late 1960s and mid 70s, as the Andalusian club had eight consecutive top flight seasons between 1968–69 and 1975–76 and made the Copa del Rey semi and quarter-finals on 4 occasions. These seasons also included a best-ever sixth league places in the 1971–72 and 1973–74 seasons. Granada finished the 1971–72 season with 9 wins in the last 10 home games, with powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid being among those wins.
In 1959 Granada achieved its greatest landmark, being the runner-up of the Copa del Generalísimo (later Copa del Rey). In the final, played at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, the team lost to Barcelona 4–1. The only goal for Granada was scored by the Argentinian forward Ramón Carranza.[11]
In the 1980s, Granada had some brief appearances in the second division. In 1983–84, they finished 8th among 20 teams in the Segunda División, just 10 points away from the champion the Real Madrid Castilla and the runner-up the Bilbao Athletic.[12] In 1984–85, Granada finished 18th and were relegated to the Segunda División B;[13] in the same season, the club was eliminated by fourth-tier club Estepona in the second round of the Copa del Rey.[14] Although the club returned to the Segunda División after two years for the 1987–88 season, it was relegated again that same season after finishing 19th.
Decline and revival
editGranada spent most of the following seasons in the Segunda División B, and were relegated to the fourth tier in 2002–03, due to failing to pay its players under the presidency of Francisco Jimena.[15] After four seasons in the fourth division, former Real Madrid president Lorenzo Sanz, along with his son Paco, arrived at the club. With their help, the Andalusian side was again promoted to the third category but got itself into serious financial trouble. In the 2005–06 season Granada won Group 9 of the Tercera División and qualified for the promotional play-offs, where the first rival was Linense. After the two games ended up in 1–1 draws, Granada won in the penalty shootout. After that they had to face Guadalajara, winning 3–1 on aggregate, which gave them promotion to the third tier.[16]
In 2006–07, Granada played in Group IV of the third level after four seasons in the Tercera. The president Paco Sanz, with the massive support of the fans, continued to lead the project with the intention of bringing the team to the top division, but the lack of time after the promotion led to hasty actions.[17] In July 2009, the club was in such financial difficulty that it was on the brink of dissolving.[18] The solution to the crisis came with the signing of a partnership agreement between Granada and Udinese Calcio, with the Spaniards incorporating large numbers of players contracted to the Italian club as well as receiving its youth players and reserves as part of the agreement.[18] At the end of the season, Granada won its group and then got promoted by beating Alcorcón in the play-offs, returning to the second division after 22 years.[19][15]
In 2010–11, Granada finished in fifth position, with most of the players loaned by Udinese still on board.[18] On 18 June 2011, the club became the first winner of the promotion play-offs – a different system was used from 1985 to 1999 – after successively defeating Celta de Vigo (1–1, penalty shootout) and Elche (1–1 on aggregate, away goals rule), thus returning to the top division after a 35-year absence.[20][21]
In June 2016, Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang became the new owner of the club, buying the Pozzo family's controlling stake.[22] After surviving in the top flight for six seasons, the team was relegated in 2016–17 after being defeated by Real Sociedad.[23]
Under new manager Diego Martínez, Granada returned to the top flight as runners-up to CA Osasuna in the 2018–19 Segunda División.[24] The following season, the team finished 7th in the top flight, earning qualification for the UEFA Europa League, the first time the club qualified for any European competition. It also reached the Copa del Rey semi-finals for the first time in 50 years, narrowly losing to Athletic Bilbao on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw.[25] They reached the quarter-finals in Europe, being eliminated by Manchester United.[26] On 22 May 2022, the team was relegated after a draw against Espanyol. In the 2022–23 season, Granada returned to La Liga, by sealing a 1st position in the table on the very last match day of the season. However, in 2023–24 season, Granada immediately relegated back to second division.
Seasons
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- 27 seasons in La Liga
- 35 seasons in the Segunda División
- 22 seasons in the Segunda División B
- 5 seasons in the Tercera División
- 2 seasons in the Categorías Regionales
Players
editCurrent squad
edit- As of 10 September 2024.[27]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Reserve team
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
editNote: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Current technical staff
edit| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Head coach |  Fran Escribá
|
| Assistant coach | David Generelo
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| Goalkeeping coach | Cristopher Urbano Juan Carlos Fernández
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| Fitness coach | Julen Masach Alejandro Gutiérrez
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| Analyst | Álvaro Martínez
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| Delegate | Manuel Lucena
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| Kit man | Antonio Saúl Hidalgo Miguel García
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| Match delegate | Pedro Rubio
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| Director of medical services | Dioni González
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| Doctor | Manuel Arroyo Pablo Puertas
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| Physiotherapist | José Miguel Funes Alberto Lara Alberto Vera Juan Sánchez
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| Rehab fitness coach | Manuel Dimas
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| Nutritionist | José María Giménez
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Last updated: October 2022
Source: Granada CF
Honours
editNational
edit- Segunda División (4): 1940–41, 1956–57, 1967–68, 2022–23
- Segunda División B (3): 1982–83, 1999–00, 2009–10
- Tercera División (3): 1933–34, 2003–04, 2005–06
- Copa del Rey: runners-up (1): 1958–59
Regional tournaments
edit- Andalucia Cup (1): 1932–33
- Andalucia Championship reservations (1): 1971–72
Friendly
edit- Antonio Puerta Trophy (1): 2010
Individual
editPichichi Trophy
edit- La Liga: Enrique Porta (1971–72)
- Segunda División: Miguel (1964–65), Rafa (1955–56), Myrto Uzuni (2022–2023)
European record
edit| Season | Competition | Round | Opposition | Home | Away | Aggregate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Europa League | 2QR |  Teuta
|
— | 4–0 | — |
| 3QR |  Locomotive Tbilisi
|
2−0 | — | |||
| PO |  Malmö FF
|
— | 3–1 | |||
| Group E |  PSV Eindhoven
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0–1 | 2–1 | 2nd out of 4 | ||
 PAOK
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0–0 | 0–0 | ||||
 Omonia
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2–1 | 2–0 | ||||
| R32 |  Napoli
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2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | ||
| R16 |  Molde
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2–0 | 1–2 | 3–2 | ||
| QF |  Manchester United
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0–2 | 0–2 | 0–4 |
Derby of eastern Andalusia
editThe Eastern Andalusia Derby is played between Granada and Málaga.
Updated to derby #90 played on September 20, 2024.
| Competition | Played | Granada wins | Draws | Málaga wins | Granada goals | Málaga goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Liga | 24 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 29 |
| La Liga Play-off | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Segunda | 40 | 13 | 12 | 16 | 46 | 61 |
| Segunda Play-off | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Segunda B | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Tercera | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Copa del Rey | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 11 |
| Overall | 88 | 34 | 27 | 28 | 102 | 111 |
Stadium
edit
After its foundation, the team played its home matches at the Campo de Las Tablas, inaugurated on 20 December 1931. On that day Granada CF won the match against the U.D. Andújar 1–0 in the Tercera Regional.[28] Granada's stay at this ground was a short one; on 23 December 1934, a new municipal stadium, Estadio Los Cármenes, was opened. The club played in this stadium until 1995 when they moved to the Nuevo Los Cármenes Stadium (also owned by the Ayuntamiento de Granada).[29] It was inaugurated on 16 May 1995, with a friendly fixture between Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen, whereas Granada CF played for the first time in the Summer of 1995, playing a friendly fixture against Real Betis.[29] The stadium featured an original capacity of 16,212 seats. This was expanded to 22,524 after Granada CF's promotion to La Liga in the summer of 2011.
After achieving promotion to the First Division in 2019, the stadium has been renovated,[30] such as the replacement of the playing surface, the repairing and painting of seats plus the addition of white seats to form the words "Granada CF" across from the main stand and "1931" on the South Stand, the expansion of the official club store (now located on the corner where the old tickets office was located), and finally, the replacement of the illumination system in line with the lighting requirements of LaLiga. In addition, the club is working with Granada's council to get a deal for a long-lasting tenancy with the aim of performing a series of investments[31] like a re-build of the stadium corners (which had been previously dismantled), establish shopping and entertainment zones or the expansion and refurbishment of sponsor and advertising areas.
- Dimensions: 105 × 68 meters
- Address: C/ Pintor Manuel Maldonado s/n
- Inauguration date: 16 May 1995, Real Madrid–Bayer Leverkusen (1–0)
- First Granada CF match: 22 August 1995, Granada–Real Betis (4–1) XXIII Granada Trophy
Kit and colours
editUpon its foundation, the club's kits were a shirt with blue and white vertical stripes and white shorts. After the Spanish Civil War the club owners went to Madrid to buy new ones, but they couldn't find other than red and white striped shirts. That became the official colour scheme from then on.
In the 1970s, the club changed the vertical stripes to horizontal. The kit alternated horizontal and vertical strip patterns until 2004–05, when a member assembly decided to settle for the horizontal pattern.
Shirt sponsors and manufacturers
edit| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|
| 1984–87 | Ressy | La General |
| 1987–90 | Umbro | Puleva |
| 1990–92 | Joma | Citroën |
| 1992–93 | Lotto | CC Neptuno |
| 1993–94 | None | |
| 1994–95 | Sierra Nevada 95 | |
| 1995–96 | Cervezas Alhambra | |
| 1996–98 | Kelme | |
| 1998–00 | Joma | Jimesa |
| 2000–03 | La General | |
| 2003–04 | Bemiser | Caja Rural |
| 2004–05 | Elements | Agua Sierra Cazorla |
| 2005–06 | Umbro | Puertas Castalla |
| 2006–07 | CajaSur | |
| 2007–09 | Patrick | |
| 2009–10 | Macron | Covirán |
| 2010–12 | Legea[32] | Caja Granada |
| 2012–14 | Luanvi[33] | |
| 2014–16 | Joma[34] | Solver |
| 2016–18 | Energy King | |
| 2018–19 | Erreà[35] | None |
| 2019–22 | Nike[36][37] | Platzi |
| 2022– | Adidas[38] |
Coaches
edit
Lippo Hertzka (1934–1935)- Gaspar Rubio (1939–1940)
- Antonio Bonet Silvestre (1941–1943)
- Francisco Bru (1941–1943)
István Plattkó (1943–1945)- Gaspar Rubio (1950)
Alejandro Scopelli (1957–1959)- Jenő Kalmár (1958–1960)
- Fernando Argila Pazzaglia (1960–1961)
- Francisco Trinchant (1961)
Heriberto Herrera (1961–1962)- Ignacio Eizaguirre (1963–1964)
- Francisco Antúnez (1963–1964)
- Jenő Kalmár (1965–1966)
Marcel Domingo (1968–1969)- Joseíto (1970–1972)
- Pasieguito (1972–1973)
- Joseíto (1973–1975)
- Miguel Muñoz (1975–1976)
Héctor Núñez (1976)
Vavá (1977–1978)- Francisco Gento (1980–1981)
- José Mingorance (1981)
- Antonio Ruiz (1981–1982)
- Manuel Ruiz Sosa (1982–1983)
- Felipe Mesones (1983–1984)
- Nando Yosu (1984)
- Joaquín Peiró (1985–1988)
- Manuel Ruiz Sosa (1988)
- Pachín (1988–1989)
- José Enrique Díaz (1989–1990)
- Nando Yosu (1992–1994)
- Lucas Alcaraz (1995–1998)
- Paco Chaparro (1998–1999)
- Felipe Mesones (2000)
- Ismael Díaz (2000)
- José Ángel Moreno (2001)
- Ramón Blanco (2001–2002)
Josip Višnjić (2006–2007)- Óscar Cano (2007–2009)
- Pedro Braojos (2008–2009)
- Fabri (2010–2012)
- Abel Resino (2012)
- Juan Antonio Anquela (2012–2013)
- Lucas Alcaraz (2013–2014)
- Joaquín Caparrós (2014–2015)
- Joseba Aguado (interim) (2015)
- Abel Resino (2015)
- José Ramón Sandoval (2015–2016)
- José González (2016)
- Paco Jémez (2016)
- Lucas Alcaraz (2016–2017)
- Tony Adams (2017)
- José Luis Oltra (2017–2018)
- Pedro Morilla Pineda (2018)
- Miguel Ángel Portugal (2018)
- Diego Martínez (2018–2021)
- Robert Moreno (2021–2022)
- Rubén Torrecilla (interim) (2022)
- Aitor Karanka (2022)
- Paco López (2022–2023)
References
edit- ^ "Comienzan a instalarse en los Cármenes las gradas supletorias". 23 August 2024.
- ^ "Atlético finish third, Real Sociedad and Granada qualify for the Europa League". AS.com. 7 July 2020. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ Datos del club (Club data) Archived 1 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine; Granada official website (in Spanish)
- ^ "Historia del Granada CF en ideal.es". Granada CF – Ideal (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 18 January 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Temporada 1931-32 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 16 October 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Temporada 1932-33 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 5 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Temporada 1932-33 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 20 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Se cumplen 75 años del primer partido y el primer gol del Granada CF en Primera División". GranadaDigital (in Spanish). 28 September 2016. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
- ^ "César, un nueve revolucionario". La Vanguardia. 19 March 2012. Archived from the original on 5 November 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ "Temporada 1941-42 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 20 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Copa del Rey / Spanish Cup 1958-59". linguasport.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
- ^ "Temporada 1983-84 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 5 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Temporada 1984-85 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 20 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Temporada 1984-85 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "22 años en el infierno" [Granada, 22 years in hell] (in Spanish). Granada Hoy. 24 May 2010. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
- ^ "Temporada 2005-06 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Temporada 2006-07 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 4 January 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "How Udinese beat the system and stands at the gates of La Liga". A Football Report. 14 June 2011. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Ya somos de Segunda (1-0)". Granada Hoy (in European Spanish). 23 May 2010. Archived from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
- ^ "Granada promoted to La Liga". Sky Sports. 18 June 2011. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 19 June 2011.
- ^ "Granada, en Primera 35 años después" [Granada, to Primera after 35 years] (in Spanish). Marca. 18 June 2011. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
- ^ "Jiang Lizhang, nuevo propietario del Granada" [Jiang Lizhang, new owner of Granada]. ABC (in Spanish). Spain. 14 June 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Real Sociedad condemn Granada to Segunda División". Diario AS. 29 April 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ "Granada back in Spanish top flight after draw with Mallorca". Reuters. 4 June 2019. Archived from the original on 16 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
- ^ Lowe, Sid (20 July 2020). "Silence, solitude and sadness for Leganés after desperate La Liga finale". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
- ^ Grounds, Ben (15 April 2021). "Man Utd 2-0 Granada (agg: 4-0) Edinson Cavani on target as hosts book Europa League semi-final spot". Sky Sports. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
- ^ "Plantilla Granada Club de Fútbol". Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Temporada 1931-32 – 14 Abril 1931. Historia del Granada C.F." 14abril1931.tk. Retrieved 16 October 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b "El Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes cumple un cuarto de siglo". La Vanguardia. 16 May 2020. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "Comienzan las obras de mejora en el Nuevo Los Cármenes, incluido el pintado de los asientos". ideal.es. 20 June 2019. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ "'Granada Sport Park', el macro proyecto que reformará por completo los alrededores de los Cármenes". ideal.es. 5 April 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ "Sólo falta el patrocinador principal". granadaenjuego.com. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "Nuevas equipaciones LUANVI 2013-2014 | Granada – Web Oficial". Nuevas equipaciones LUANVI 2013-2014 | Granada – Web Oficial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Joma se convierte en patrocinador técnico oficial del Granada CF | Granada – Web Oficial". Joma se convierte en patrocinador técnico oficial del Granada CF | Granada – Web Oficial (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Errea Sport is the new official technical sponsor for Granada CF!". Arunava about Football. 14 July 2018. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "El Granada CF celebra el ascenso a Primera con el fichaje de Nike como patrocinador". palco23.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "Nike nabs Granada deal, Erreá contract terminated". SportBusiness Sponsorship. 21 June 2019. Archived from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
- ^ "El Granada 'cambia de piel': Nike por Adidas". marca.com (in Spanish). 9 June 2022. Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
External links
edit
- Official website (in Spanish)
- Official website (in English)
- Futbolme team profile (in Spanish)
- BDFutbol team profile
- Unofficial website (in Spanish)