A café on Pamplona's main square, two small clubs that had fallen out, and a word from the Basque language: that is how Osasuna began, on 24 October 1920. This year the Navarre club celebrates 106 years. It has never filled its trophy cabinet with major titles, but it has something just as valuable: an identity that has never changed, dressed in red.

Reconciliation at Café Kutz

In 1919 Pamplona had Sportiva, and a few months later a group of its members broke away to form New Club. The split had political causes, but conversations at Café Kutz on the Plaza del Castillo brought the two sides back together. At the assembly of 24 October 1920 a new club was born, with statutes declaring it independent of any political or religious ideology. Eduardo Aizpún was elected its first president. That same afternoon the team played its first match, against a military regiment based in the city, and drew 1-1.

What "Osasuna" means

At the time most Spanish clubs had English names. In Pamplona they chose something different: osasuna is a Basque word meaning "health", in the sense of strength and vitality. To this day it is the only Basque name among La Liga clubs. The full name, Club Atlético Osasuna, appears in official documents from January 1921.

The red of Navarre

The shirt colour was not chosen at random. The founders wanted the team to wear the colours of the flag of Navarre, so the shirt was red from day one and has stayed red throughout the club's history. It is paired with navy blue shorts, since the club's official colours are red and blue. The nicknames come from there too: Los Rojillos in Spanish and Gorritxoak in Basque, both meaning "the little reds". In the 1980s the shirts were made by Meyba, while today the kit is produced by Macron, which also dresses fans off the pitch, for example with the Osasuna men's overshirt.

A crest that changed with history

The first crest was designed by Humbelino Urmeneta: a triangle, half red and half blue, on the background of a period football, topped by a crown, with the flag of Pamplona in the centre and the initials C, A, O. In 1928 the ball disappeared and the triangle became a shield. In 1931, with the proclamation of the Second Republic, the crown was removed, returning in 1941. Several small changes to colours and border followed. The current crest, from 2006, is simpler, with a golden crowned lion at its centre surrounded by the initials and the red and blue.

El Sadar, Pamplona's cauldron

Osasuna played in the Primera for the first time in the 1935-36 season. In 1967 El Sadar was inaugurated; from December 2005 it was known for a period as Reyno de Navarra. In 2021 it was thoroughly rebuilt and now holds 23,516 spectators very close to the pitch. That is where the team lived its great European nights: knocking out Rangers in 1985 and Stuttgart in 1991, and, under Javier Aguirre, finishing fourth in 2005-06. In the 2006-07 season it reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, where it went out 2-1 on aggregate to Sevilla.

Two finals and a captain who became a symbol

The Copa del Rey slipped through its fingers twice: in 2005 against Real Betis after extra time, and in 2023 against Real Madrid, 2-1. Patxi Puñal holds the appearance record with 513 official matches. For the centenary in 2020, Pamplona city council lit up the town hall in red and blue and honoured the club with the city's Gold Medal.

Happy birthday, Osasuna. Pamplona keeps wearing the red of Navarre with the same stubbornness, and every new generation of "rojillos" makes it its own. Those who want to wear it in everyday life can also take a look at the Macron men's polo.

See Osasuna shirts and merchandise at sportarena.gr.

Photo: El Sadar – Visma17, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.