On 8 July 1983, in a working-class town south of Madrid, a members' assembly decided to start football all over again. Getafe turn 44 on 8 July 2027. Few clubs in Spain have travelled so far in so little time.

A fresh start on the ruins

The town had a football history long before 1983. Sociedad Getafe Deportivo was born in 1923 and vanished ten years later, while in 1946 Club Getafe Deportivo was founded and went on to play six seasons in the Segunda División. A young Luis Aragonés also wore the town's shirt there.

After relegation in 1982 and financial trouble, that team was dissolved. The new Getafe Club de Fútbol took over the structure of the feeder side, CD Getafe Promesas, and with the support of the town council it started without debts.

The blue of the working day

Its players are called the "Azulones", after the deep blue of the shirt. There are two versions of where the colour comes from.

The first says the azulón recalls the overalls of workers on the town's building sites and in its factories. The second links it to the mantle of the Virgen de los Ángeles, Getafe's patron saint, and the same blue was worn by the earlier clubs.

The 1946 team played in white, and in 2024-25 Joma's third shirt, white with green details, paid tribute to it. The crest holds the town's coat of arms inside a blue ring, and in 2013-14 a gold frame was added to mark ten seasons in the top flight.

From Las Margaritas to the Coliseum

For years the club's home was the municipal Las Margaritas ground. In 1998 the new Coliseum opened, named after Alfonso Pérez, a former player of the club, and since 2023 it has simply been called the Coliseum.

In 2004 the miracle happened: Getafe reached La Liga for the first time, about twenty years after the fresh start. The hero of promotion was Sergio Pachón, with five goals in the landmark win away at Tenerife.

Two finals and a night with Bayern

With Bernd Schuster in charge, Getafe thrashed Barcelona 4-0 in the 2007 Copa del Rey semi-finals, but lost the final 1-0 to Sevilla. Schuster left for Real Madrid and was replaced by Michael Laudrup.

2008 brought a second final, lost 3-1 to Valencia, and a European epic. In the UEFA Cup quarter-finals Getafe were knocked out by Bayern Munich only on away goals, after extra time.

In 2020, in the Europa League, they eliminated Ajax before being stopped by Inter. Dani Parejo, Paco Alcácer and Pablo Sarabia all passed through the academy, while goalkeeper Roberto Abbondanzieri won the Zamora award in 2006-07.

The Bordalás era

After twelve straight seasons in the top flight, Getafe were relegated in 2016, but bounced straight back in 2017. Today José Bordalás sits on the bench.

In 2025-26 Getafe finished 7th in La Liga with 51 points and earned a place in the Conference League play-off round.

Celebrate with us

From a team that started from scratch in 1983 to European nights, Getafe have stayed true to their town's blue. Happy 44th birthday, Azulones!

See our collectible jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Coliseum Alfonso Pérez in 2018 – Vincenzo.togni, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.