Swansea City Deportivo La Coruna friendly Liberty Stadium

1st August

Brief history
Deportivo have a long and illustrious history, with this being the club's 108th year in professional football and their 43rd in the Spanish top flight.
Founded in 1906, the club is currently managed by former player Victor Sanchez.
The club has had a yo-yo career in La Liga, having experienced a tough period in the 1970s and 80s. During this time, Deportivo experienced back-to-back relegations and twice spent time in the Spanish third division.
During 1990-91 they ended an 18-year spell away from the top division after winning promotion.
The club experienced a resurgence in the mid 90s, earning them the title of 'Super Depor', as they finished third in 1992-93 which saw them qualify for Europe for the first time in the club's history.
However, they went one better the next year, as they took the title down to the wire. But Valencia held Depor to a draw, handing the title to Catalan giants Barcelona. They again finished runners up in the next campaign, with Real Madrid finishing above the side.
They won their first major title in 1994-95 as they won the Copa del Rey, beating Valencia in the final, but the club's finest moment arrived in 2000 as they stormed to the La Liga title, winning the league by five points ahead of Barca and Valencia. 
Their latest major title came in 2002 as they overcame Real Madrid at their own ground to claim the Copa del Rey.
The club have again found themselves in a time of difficulty as they spent the period of 2011-2014 yo-yoing between the top two divisions, before they survived relegation from La Liga last season by three points.

Last season
Last season was a difficult campaign for Deportivo, who narrowly avoided relegation.
With a new man at the helm, the club were hoping for a positive year. However, things didn't go to plan and the club managed just seven wins all season.
They claimed notable scalps, including a 3-0 win over Valencia and a 1-0 win against Athletic Bilbao; both played at the Riazor.
The side struggled in the second half of the season, which included a 14-game run without a win. However, their survival came down to the last two games as they claimed a vital victory over Levante in the penultimate round before they came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Barcelona at the Camp Nou to retain their status as a top-flight club.

Manager
Victor Sanchez - The former Deportivo midfielder is about to embark on his first season with the La Liga club after he replaced former manager Victor Fernandez, who was sacked following the club's survival.
This is the 39-year-old's first season as a manager, following assistant manager roles with Getafe, Sevilla and Olympiakos.
He spent seven years with Depor between 1999 and 2006 during his playing career. He played 210 times for the club, winning a La Liga title, a Copa del Rey and two Supercopa de Espanas with the side after joining from Real Madrid.

Key players
Luisinho - The left-back has been at Deportivo since joining in 2013 from Benfica. He has established himself as a key member of the La Coruna starting XI, playing more minutes than any of his team-mates last season. He started 34 of the 35 league games he played in last term and has made a total of 66 appearances
Juanfran - A key figure in last season's survival, with the 26-year-old having rejoined the La Liga side on loan from his new club Watford.



New arrivals
Luis Alberto, Juanfran, Cani and Oriol Riera are some of the notable signings made by Deportivo this summer. The former two joined on loan, whilst the latter two have made their switches permanent deals.
Alberto and Juanfran link up with the side for the season, with Alberto bringing experience after spending last campaign on loan at Malaga. Riera spent the second half of last season with the La Liga side, but has made his temporary switch from Wigan permanent.
Cani brings a wealth of experience with him after singing from Villarreal, and an exciting young prospect at the club is Alex Corredera, who has made the switch from Barcelona's youth academy. 

Notable former players
Deportivo La Coruna has a lengthy list of famous and talented footballers who have donned the famous blue and white of the club.
Arguably, the most famous footballer to have played for the club is Brazilian legend Rivaldo. Rivaldo played for the club for only one season, in 1996-1997, however he made himself known by scoring 21 times in 42 goals. His form throughout the season earned him a move to Barcelona. He went on to win the Uefa Champions League with AC Milan and won the 2002 World Cup with the Brazilian national team, in a career that is still going strong to this day.
During Depor's golden era, they had some talented strikers; none more so than Brazilian star Bebeto. The man whose famous baby cradle celebration is an iconic World Cup moment, remains Depor's third top goalscorer in all competitions. He found the back of the net 86 times in his 131 appearances for the club.
Bebeto was a huge hit with the Deportivo fans, thanks to his amazing goal tally at the club while almost helping the side to their first ever La Liga title during his stint at the club. 
Roy Makaay and Diego Tristan are two other famous strikers who list Depor as former clubs. Makaay was at the club when they won their first La Liga title in 1999, and netted 96 goals in all competitions for the club during a four-year spell with the side. Makaay then went on to play for Bayern Munich for four years, before retiring in his homeland with Feyenoord in 2010.
Tristan joined the club in 2000, the year after the club's La Liga title success. His spell with the side was his most successful in terms of his goal return, netting 111 times at the club, making him the club's top goalscorer in all competitions ahead of his ex team-mate Makaay.
Other notable players include the two 2010 World Cup winning full-backs Joan Capdevilla and Alvaro Arbeloa.



Honours
La Liga: 1999-00
Copa Del Rey: 1994-95, 2001-02
Supercopa de Espana: 1995, 2000, 2002
Segunda Division: 1961-62 1963-64 1965-66 1967-68 2011-12
Galucian Championship: 1926-27 1927-28 1930-31 1932-33 1936-37 1939-40
Galician Cup: 1945-46

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