Sporting GijonReal Sporting de Gijón is a Spanish football club based in Gijón, in the region of Asturias, founded in 1905. The club holds the title "Real", granted by King Alfonso XIII in 1912, and has played in red-and-white stripes since its earliest days, earning the nickname "rojiblancos". Sporting play their home games at Estadio El Molinón, the oldest stadium in Spain still in use for professional football. Named after the mill that once stood nearby, the ground has hosted the team since the early 20th century and remains the beating heart of the club and its surroundings.
The club's greatest achievement remains their runners-up finish in the 1978–79 La Liga season, when they ended the campaign behind Real Madrid. The star of that side was Quini, a striker who won the Pichichi Trophy as the league's top scorer three times while at Sporting. In March 1981, Quini was kidnapped by armed men and held for 25 days, a case that shook Spain; that same year, Sporting reached the Copa del Rey final, losing 0–1 to Barcelona, before returning to the final in 1982, where they fell to Real Sociedad after extra time. Quini, who died in 2018, is still regarded as the greatest player in the club's history.
On the European stage, the most memorable run came in 1990–91, when Sporting reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup and were eliminated by Inter Milan. The period from 1979 to 1982 also brought regular appearances in European competition, reflecting the finest era in the team's history.
A key part of the club's identity is the Mareo football academy, founded in 1978. Among its graduates are Luis Enrique, later a Barcelona player and Spain international, defender Abelardo Fernández, and striker David Villa, who took his first steps in senior football in Gijón before moving on to Valencia. Sporting are also known for their loyal supporters, and the Asturian derby against Real Oviedo is one of the most intense fixtures in Spanish football. After relegation from La Liga in 2017, the club spent seven seasons in the second division before returning to the top flight in 2024 via the promotion playoffs, bringing first-class football back to El Molinón.