Hércules CF

Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈeɾkules]) is a Spanish football team based in Alacant, in the autonomous community of Valencian Community. Founded in 12 March 1922, it currently plays in Segunda División B – Group 3 and plays its home games at the 29,500-capacity Estadio José Rico Pérez.[2][3]

Hércules
Full nameHércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D.[1]
Nickname(s)Los Herculanos / Els Herculans (The Herculeans)
Los Griegos / Els Grecs (The Greeks)
Los Blanquiazules / Els Blanc-i-blaus (The White and Blues)
Founded12 March 1922 (12 March 1922)
GroundJosé Rico Pérez, Alacant,
Valencia, Spain
Capacity29,500
OwnerEnrique Ortiz Selva
PresidentCarlos Parodi García-Pertusa
Head coachVacant
League2ª B – Group 3
2018–192ª B – Group 3, 2nd
WebsiteClub website

History

Hercules C.F. has been documented since 1914 although not officially registered until 26 September 1922, alongside Mercantil de Cartagena, Federación Levantina and others. Its founder was Vicente Pastor Alfosea dubbed "El Chepa".[4] In its early days, the club played in various locations, the foothills of la montañosa, the lands of l'Hort del tio Ron, the campo de Benalúa or the facilities of the Alicante Recreation Club.

Hércules FC first team in the 1920s with Vicente Pastor Alfosea, the founder of the club, in the background.
Hércules CF squad in 1936.

Hercules joined a youth league, becoming champion in 1918. The first official match was in 1919 against Athletic Club Benaluense, Hercules winning 2-1. At first the team played in white and red striped shirts and black pants.

After first appearing in La Liga in the 1935–36 season, Hércules would play sporadically in the category for the next 40 years, playing mainly in the second division but going as low as the third. From 1961 to 1969, neighbours Alicante acted as its feeder club.

After a ten-year spell in the top flight, encompassing 12 seasons in the 1970s and '80s, the club only returned again in the 1996–97 campaign. Though eventually relegated, it managed two remarkable comeback wins over Barcelona, which ultimately handed the Liga title to Real Madrid.

In 2004–05, after five years in the third level, Hércules finished second, being subsequently promoted to the "silver category". After posting three consecutive solid seasons, the club narrowly missed out on a return to the top division in 2009, finishing fourth, three points behind last-promotee Tenerife.

The 2009–10 campaign saw Hércules promoted back into the top flight after 14 years in dramatic fashion: losing 0–1 at half-time at Rayo Vallecano, the team fought back to win 2–1 in the penultimate game of the season and leap frogged Real Betis into third place.[5] In the last round, a 2–0 away win against relegation-threatened Real Unión guaranteed promotion, with the 4–0 win of Betis over Levante eventually counting for nothing (all three teams – Levante, Hércules and Betis – ended equal on points).

Early into the 2010–11 season, one year, three months and 19 days after Barcelona's last home defeat in the league, Hércules recorded a shock 2–0 win at the Camp Nou thanks to a brace from Nelson Valdez[6] – Barcelona had won their last 11 home matches, scored at least three times in each of their last six league fixtures and were protecting a 17-game unbeaten streak. This was the Alicante outfit's third successive win over the Barcelona, having won both meetings in their previous top flight campaign 14 years before.[7]

In the 2013–14 campaign, they were relegated to the Segunda División B after finishing in last place in the Segunda División.

In the 2016-17 Copa del Rey, the team drew 1-1 with Barcelona. In the second match at the Camp Nou (Barcelona's home), Hércules was defeated by the Catalonian side 7-0.

Season to season
Hércules celebrate in Alicante, after returning to La Liga in 2010
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1929–30 3 3ª 5th
1931–32 3 3ª 1st
1932–33 3 3ª 1st
1933–34 3 3ª 4th
1934–35 2 2ª 1st
1935–36 1 1ª 6th
1939–40 1 1ª 6th
1940–41 1 1ª 9th
1941–42 1 1ª 13th
1942–43 2 2ª 4th
1943–44 2 2ª 10th
1944–45 2 2ª 2nd
1945–46 1 1ª 14th
1946–47 2 2ª 4th
1947–48 2 2ª 6th
1948–49 2 2ª 4th
1949–50 2 2ª 10th
1950–51 2 2ª 4th
1951–52 2 2ª 4th
1952–53 2 2ª 2nd
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1953–54 2 2ª 2nd
1954–55 1 1ª 6th
1955–56 1 1ª 16th
1956–57 2 2ª 2nd
1957–58 2 2ª 5th
1958–59 2 2ª 13th
1959–60 3 3ª 1st
1960–61 2 2ª 3rd
1961–62 2 2ª 7th
1962–63 2 2ª 8th
1963–64 2 2ª 2nd
1964–65 2 2ª 4th
1965–66 2 2ª 1st
1966–67 1 1ª 15th
1967–68 2 2ª 15th
1968–69 3 3ª 1st
1969–70 3 3ª 1st
1970–71 2 2ª 11th
1971–72 2 2ª 14th
1972–73 2 2ª 9th
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1973–74 2 2ª 2nd
1974–75 1 1ª 5th
1975–76 1 1ª 6th
1976–77 1 1ª 13th
1977–78 1 1ª 15th
1978–79 1 1ª 12th
1979–80 1 1ª 15th
1980–81 1 1ª 13th
1981–82 1 1ª 17th
1982–83 2 2ª 8th
1983–84 2 2ª 3rd
1984–85 1 1ª 15th
1985–86 1 1ª 17th
1986–87 2 2ª 5th
1987–88 2 2ª 18th
1988–89 3 2ªB 8th
1989–90 3 2ªB 13th
1990–91 3 2ªB 5th
1991–92 3 2ªB 5th Third Round
1992–93 3 2ªB 4th Third Round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
1993–94 2 2ª 7th Fourth Round
1994–95 2 2ª 9th
1995–96 2 2ª 1st Round of 16
1996–97 1 1ª 21st Third Round
1997–98 2 2ª 11th Second Round
1998–99 2 2ª 21st
1999–00 3 2ªB 4th
2000–01 3 2ªB 11th Preliminary round
2001–02 3 2ªB 3rd
2002–03 3 2ªB 11th Second Round
2003–04 3 2ªB 9th
2004–05 3 2ªB 2nd
2005–06 2 2ª 17th First Round
2006–07 2 2ª 16th Round of 32
2007–08 2 2ª 6th Round of 32
2008–09 2 2ª 4th Round of 16
2009–10 2 2ª 2nd Round of 16
2010–11 1 1ª 19th Round of 32
2011–12 2 2ª 5th Second Round
2012–13 2 2ª 17th Second Round
Season Tier Division Place Copa del Rey
2013–14 2 2ª 22nd Third round
2014–15 3 2ªB 4th First round
2015–16 3 2ªB 3rd First round
2016–17 3 2ªB 7th Round of 32
2017–18 3 2ªB 10th Third round
2018–19 3 2ªB 2nd
2019–20 3 2ªB 18th First round
2020–21 3 2ªB

Players

Current squad
First starting lineup of the season 2010–11, its last in La Liga, against Athletic Bilbao.
As of 2 September 2019

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  ESP Ismael Falcón
2 DF  ESP Felipe Alfonso
3 DF  ESP Nani Molina
4 DF  ESP Pablo Íñiguez
5 DF  ESP Samuel Llorca (captain)
6 MF  ESP Fran Miranda
7 FW  ESP Benja Martínez
8 MF  ESP Diego Benito
9 FW  HON Jona Mejía
10 FW  ESP Carlos Martínez
11 FW  ESP Jesús Alfaro
No. Pos. Nation Player
12 MF  ESP Yeray González
13 GK  ESP Rubén Ualoloca
14 MF  COL Jaime Alvarado (on loan from Watford)
15 FW  GRE Nikos Vergos (on loan from Panathinaikos)
16 DF  ESP Víctor Olmedo
17 FW  MLI Moha Traoré
18 DF  ESP Rulo Prieto
20 FW  ESP Alejandro Alfaro
21 DF  ESP Álvaro Pérez
22 FW  ESP Borja Martínez
23 MF  ESP Pedro Torres

Notable players

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW  FRA David Trezeguet
— FW  PAR Nelson Valdez
— GK  POL Jan Tomaszewski
— FW  ESP Franja Madrid
— FW  ARG Mario Kempes
— GK  NED Piet Velthuizen
— MF  NED Royston Drenthe
— MF  SCO Alfie Conn Jr.

Former coaches
Rayo Vallecano vs. Hércules
  • Eduardo Toba (1966–68)
  • Sergio Rodríguez (1967–68)
  • Antoni Ramallets (1967–68)
  • Álvaro Pérez (1968–69)
  • Luis Ortega (1968–69)
  • Manolet (1968–69)
  • César Rodríguez (1969–71)
  • Miguel González (1970–71)
  • Sandor Kocsis (1970–71)
  • Ignacio Eizaguirre (1971–72)
  • Loves (interim) (1971–72)
  • Pepe Valera (1971–72)
  • Janos Kalmar (1972–73)
  • Arsenio Iglesias (1973–77)
  • Felipe Mesones (1977–78)
  • Benito Joanet (1977–80)
  • Koldo Aguirre (1979–82)
  • Paquito García (1982–83)
  • Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1982–83)
  • Pachín (1982–84)
  • Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1983–84)
  • Carlos Jurado (1983–85)
  • Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1984–85)
  • Antonio Torres (1984–86)
  • Manolo Villanova (1985–86)
  • Alberto Ormaetxea (1986–87)
  • García Traid (1986–87)
  • Pepe Rivera (1986–88)
  • Benito Joanet (1987–88)
  • Pepe Martínez (1988–89)
  • Marcel Domingo (1988–89)
  • Moncho (1989–90)
  • Juan Antonio Carcelén (1989–90)

Relationships with other teams
  • Iraklis – Since 2003, fans of both teams formed a friendship through the Internet, because "Iraklis" is a Greek name for "Hercules", the Roman name for Heracles, the Greek god of strength. There is even a Hércules supporters club that bears the name Iraklis, in honor of their friendship.[8]

See also

References
  1. "Hércules de Alicante CF – Datos del club" [Hércules de Alicante CF – Club data] (in Spanish). Hércules CF. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013.
  2. "Estadio Jose Rico Perez - Alicante - The Stadium Guide". Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  3. "Estadio José Rico Pérez - AlicanteInfo.net". www.alicanteinfo.net. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  4. Guerra, Víctor (2 March 2014). "Vicente Pastor, El Chepa: alma mater del Hércules C.F." La Millor Terra del Mon (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  5. "El Hércules vuelve a Primera catorce años después". abc (in Spanish). 19 June 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  6. "Valdez brace sinks champions". ESPN Soccernet. 11 September 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2010.
  7. Remarkable runs and a seismic shock; FIFA.com, 15 September 2010
  8. El Hércules proyecta su imagen en otros tres equipos europeos Archived 28 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Noticia de 2005 de La Verdad.
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