The club was formed in 1919, and played its first competitive match on 21 May 1919, when it lost 1–0 to Valencia Gimnástico.
They were promoted to La Liga for the first time in 1931–32, finishing 7th at the first attempt, and have only spent one season (1986–87) outside the top division since then.
They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football, having won La Liga on six occasions and the Copa del Rey eight times.
They also won the Supercopa de España in 1999 and its predecessor, the Copa Eva Duarte, in 1949.
Generally, this means players that have played at least 100 league games and/or have reached international status.