Few teams owe their shirt to a parcel from Scotland the way Betis do. The club was founded on 12 September 1907 in Seville, and on 12 September 2027 it turns 120 years old. This is the story of its green and white stripes.

Students and a Spanish "balompié"

The club was born as Sevilla Balompié, with Alfonso del Castillo Ochoa as its first president and students of Seville's Polytechnic Academy among its early members. The word "balompié" had been proposed by journalist Mariano de Cavia as a Spanish answer to the English "foot-ball".

In 1910 a split at Sevilla gave birth to Betis Football Club, and in 1914 the two clubs merged. That same year King Alfonso XIII granted his patronage and the team became "Real".

"Betis" comes from Baetis, the Roman name of the Guadalquivir river. The Roman province of the region also took its name from the river.

From blue to green

At first Betis wore blue shirts with white shorts. The change came thanks to Manuel Ramos Asensio, who had learned English in Dumfries, Scotland, and often watched Celtic in Glasgow, where he had made friends.

When the team needed new shirts, he arranged for green and white fabric to be sent to Seville. The colours matched his favourite Scottish club, and also those that later became the flag of Andalusia.

The big difference is that Betis wear vertical stripes, while Celtic wear hoops. On 28 February 2017, Andalusia Day, Betis wore hoops for one match only, against Málaga.

A crest with thirteen bars

The crest changed many times during the 20th century. The current one was approved in 1957 and combines the crest of the Alfonso XIII era with the one designed under the Second Spanish Republic.

The triangle with its thirteen green and white bars dates from 1932. It is the detail every Betis fan recognises at once, even from the farthest corner of the stands.

Champions with an Irishman

The golden year was 1934-35, when Irishman Patrick O'Connell led the team to its only league title, one point ahead of Madrid. The Copa del Rey followed in 1977, 2005 and 2022.

The fans' best-known motto is "Viva el Betis manquepierda", meaning "long live Betis, even when they lose". The phrase became popular in the 1940s and is linked to the cartoonist Martínez de León.

Legends and a new era

Joaquín holds the record with 528 appearances, Rafael Gordillo is the Betis player with the most Spain caps and Rubén Castro is the top scorer with 148 goals. Today the captain is Isco, who wears the armband in one of the most successful periods in the club's history.

In 2025 Betis played the first European final in their history, in the Conference League, but lost 4-1 to Chelsea. In 2025-26 they finished fifth in La Liga and returned to the Champions League after 21 years.

While the Benito Villamarín is being rebuilt, the team has played since 2025 at the La Cartuja stadium, which holds 70,000. Its renovated home is expected around 2028.

Celebrate with us

From a parcel of Scottish fabric to Champions League nights, Betis turn 120 dressed in green and white. Happy birthday to every Betis fan, manquepierda!

See our Real Betis jerseys at sportarena.gr.

Photo: The Benito Villamarín (2018) – Anual, Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.