# Hércules CF

Hércules de Alicante Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football team in Alicante, in the Valencian Community. Founded on 25 October 1922, it currently plays in Primera Federación and plays its home games at the 29,500-capacity Estadio José Rico Pérez.

## History

Hércules CF has been documented since 1914 although not officially registered until 26 September 1922, alongside Mercantil de Cartagena, Federación Levantina and others. Its founder was Vicente Pastor Alfosea dubbed "El Chepa". In its early days, the club played in various locations, the foothills of la montañosa, the lands of l'Hort del tio Ron, the campo de Benalúa or the facilities of the Alicante Recreation Club. Hercules joined a youth league, becoming champion in 1918. The first official match was in 1919 against Athletic Club Benaluense, Hercules winning 2–1. At first the team played in white and red striped shirts and black pants.
After first appearing in La Liga in the 1935–36 season, Hércules would play sporadically in the category for the next 40 years, playing mainly in the second division but going as low as the third. From 1961 to 1969, neighbours Alicante acted as its feeder club.
After a ten-year spell in the top flight, encompassing 12 seasons in the 1970s and '80s, the club only returned again in the 1996–97 campaign. Though eventually relegated, it managed two remarkable comeback wins over Barcelona, which ultimately handed the Liga title to Real Madrid.
In 2004–05, after five years in the third level, Hércules finished second, being subsequently promoted to the "silver category". After posting three consecutive solid seasons, the club narrowly missed out on a return to the top division in 2009, finishing fourth, three points behind last-promotee Tenerife.
The 2009–10 campaign saw Hércules promoted back into the top flight after 14 years in dramatic fashion: losing 0–1 at half-time at Rayo Vallecano, the team fought back to win 2–1 in the penultimate game of the season and leap frogged Real Betis into third place. In the last round, a 2–0 away win against relegation-threatened Real Unión guaranteed promotion, with the 4–0 win of Betis over Levante eventually counting for nothing (all three teams – Levante, Hércules and Betis – ended equal on points).
Early into the 2010–11 season, one year, three months and 19 days after Barcelona's last home defeat in the league, Hércules recorded a shock 2–0 win at the Camp Nou thanks to a brace from Nelson Valdez – Barcelona had won their last 11 home matches, scored at least three times in each of their last six league fixtures and were protecting a 17-game unbeaten streak. This was the Alicante outfit's third successive win over the Barcelona, having won both meetings in their previous top flight campaign 14 years before.
In the 2013–14 campaign, they were relegated to the Segunda División B after finishing in last place in the Segunda División.
In the 2016–17 Copa del Rey, the team drew 1–1 with Barcelona. In the second match at the Camp Nou (Barcelona's home), Hércules was defeated by the Catalonian side 7–0.

## Season to season

| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Copa del Rey |
| 1929–30 | 3 | 3ª | 5th | |
| 1931–32 | 3 | 3ª | 1st | |
| 1932–33 | 3 | 3ª | 1st | Round of 16 |
| 1933–34 | 3 | 3ª | 4th | Quarterfinals |
| 1934–35 | 2 | 2ª | 1st | Sixth round |
| 1935–36 | 1 | 1ª | 6th | Semifinals |
| 1939–40 | 1 | 1ª | 6th | Quarterfinals |
| 1940–41 | 1 | 1ª | 9th | Third round |
| 1941–42 | 1 | 1ª | 13th | First round |
| 1942–43 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | First round |
| 1943–44 | 2 | 2ª | 10th | Round of 32 |
| 1944–45 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | First round |
| 1945–46 | 1 | 1ª | 14th | First round |
| 1946–47 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | First round |
| 1947–48 | 2 | 2ª | 6th | Fifth round |
| 1948–49 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | Fifth round |
| 1949–50 | 2 | 2ª | 10th | Second round |
| 1950–51 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | |
| 1951–52 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | |
| 1952–53 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | Second round |
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Copa del Rey |
| 1953–54 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | |
| 1954–55 | 1 | 1ª | 6th | Quarterfinals |
| 1955–56 | 1 | 1ª | 16th | Round of 16 |
| 1956–57 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | |
| 1957–58 | 2 | 2ª | 5th | |
| 1958–59 | 2 | 2ª | 13th | Round of 32 |
| 1959–60 | 3 | 3ª | 1st | |
| 1960–61 | 2 | 2ª | 3rd | Round of 32 |
| 1961–62 | 2 | 2ª | 7th | Round of 32 |
| 1962–63 | 2 | 2ª | 8th | Round of 32 |
| 1963–64 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | Round of 32 |
| 1964–65 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | First round |
| 1965–66 | 2 | 2ª | 1st | Round of 32 |
| 1966–67 | 1 | 1ª | 15th | Round of 16 |
| 1967–68 | 2 | 2ª | 15th | Round of 32 |
| 1968–69 | 3 | 3ª | 1st | |
| 1969–70 | 3 | 3ª | 1st | Fourth round |
| 1970–71 | 2 | 2ª | 11th | Fourth round |
| 1971–72 | 2 | 2ª | 14th | Fifth round |
| 1972–73 | 2 | 2ª | 9th | Fifth round |
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Copa del Rey |
| 1973–74 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | Fourth round |
| 1974–75 | 1 | 1ª | 5th | Fifth round |
| 1975–76 | 1 | 1ª | 6th | Round of 16 |
| 1976–77 | 1 | 1ª | 13th | Quarterfinals |
| 1977–78 | 1 | 1ª | 15th | Fourth round |
| 1978–79 | 1 | 1ª | 12th | Third round |
| 1979–80 | 1 | 1ª | 15th | Fourth round |
| 1980–81 | 1 | 1ª | 13th | Fourth round |
| 1981–82 | 1 | 1ª | 17th | Fourth round |
| 1982–83 | 2 | 2ª | 8th | Fourth round |
| 1983–84 | 2 | 2ª | 3rd | Round of 16 |
| 1984–85 | 1 | 1ª | 15th | Round of 16 |
| 1985–86 | 1 | 1ª | 17th | Fourth round |
| 1986–87 | 2 | 2ª | 5th | First round |
| 1987–88 | 2 | 2ª | 18th | Round of 32 |
| 1988–89 | 3 | 2ª B | 8th | Third round |
| 1989–90 | 3 | 2ª B | 13th | |
| 1990–91 | 3 | 2ª B | 5th | First round |
| 1991–92 | 3 | 2ª B | 5th | Third round |
| 1992–93 | 3 | 2ª B | 4th | Third round |
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Copa del Rey |
| 1993–94 | 2 | 2ª | 7th | Fourth round |
| 1994–95 | 2 | 2ª | 9th | Second round |
| 1995–96 | 2 | 2ª | 1st | Round of 16 |
| 1996–97 | 1 | 1ª | 21st | Third round |
| 1997–98 | 2 | 2ª | 11th | Second round |
| 1998–99 | 2 | 2ª | 21st | First round |
| 1999–2000 | 3 | 2ª B | 4th | First round |
| 2000–01 | 3 | 2ª B | 11th | Preliminary |
| 2001–02 | 3 | 2ª B | 3rd | |
| 2002–03 | 3 | 2ª B | 11th | Second round |
| 2003–04 | 3 | 2ª B | 9th | |
| 2004–05 | 3 | 2ª B | 2nd | |
| 2005–06 | 2 | 2ª | 17th | First round |
| 2006–07 | 2 | 2ª | 16th | Round of 32 |
| 2007–08 | 2 | 2ª | 6th | Round of 32 |
| 2008–09 | 2 | 2ª | 4th | Round of 16 |
| 2009–10 | 2 | 2ª | 2nd | Round of 16 |
| 2010–11 | 1 | 1ª | 19th | Round of 32 |
| 2011–12 | 2 | 2ª | 5th | Second round |
| 2012–13 | 2 | 2ª | 17th | Second round |
| Season | Tier | Division | Place | Copa del Rey |
| 2013–14 | 2 | 2ª | 22nd | Third round |
| 2014–15 | 3 | 2ª B | 4th | First round |
| 2015–16 | 3 | 2ª B | 3rd | First round |
| 2016–17 | 3 | 2ª B | 7th | Round of 32 |
| 2017–18 | 3 | 2ª B | 10th | Third round |
| 2018–19 | 3 | 2ª B | 2nd | |
| 2019–20 | 3 | 2ª B | 18th | First round |
| 2020–21 | 3 | 2ª B | 4th / 3rd | |
| 2021–22 | 4 | 2ª RFEF | 5th | |
| 2022–23 | 4 | 2ª Fed. | 7th | |
| 2023–24 | 4 | 2ª Fed. | 1st | First round |
| 2024–25 | 3 | 1ª Fed. | | First round |
* 20 seasons in La Liga
* 43 seasons in Segunda División
* 1 season in Primera Federación
* 18 seasons in Segunda División B
* 3 seasons in Segunda Federación/Segunda División RFEF
* 7 seasons in Tercera División

## Players
### Current squad

    As of 7 February 2025
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | ESP | Carlos Abad |
| 3 | DF | ESP | Abraham del Moral |
| 4 | DF | ESP | Antonio Montoro |
| 5 | DF | ESP | Josema Gómez |
| 6 | MF | ESP | Roger Colomina |
| 7 | MF | ESP | Alvarito |
| 8 | MF | ESP | José Artiles |
| 9 | FW | ARG | Agustín Coscia |
| 10 | FW | ESP | Nico Espinosa |
| 11 | FW | ESP | Javi Moreno |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 12 | FW | ESP | Richie Dapaah |
| 13 | GK | ESP | Nando Almodóvar |
| 14 | MF | ESP | Mario García |
| 15 | DF | ESP | Samuel Vázquez |
| 17 | FW | ESP | Yanis Senhadji (on loan from Betis) |
| 18 | MF | ESP | Oriol Soldevila |
| 19 | MF | ESP | Carlos Mangada |
| 20 | DF | ESP | Alejandro Sotillos |
| 21 | DF | ESP | Alberto Retuerta |
| 22 | MF | ESP | Antonio Aranda |
| 23 | FW | ESP | Dani Romera |
| 24 | DF | ESP | Joel Arumí |

### Out of loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | DF | ESP | Rubén Cantero (at Salamanca until 30 June 2025) |
| — | MF | ESP | César Moreno (at Recreativo until 30 June 2025) |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | FRA | Rafaël De Palmas (at Alcoyano until 30 June 2025) |
| — | MF | CMR | Frank Angong (at Deportivo Aragón until 30 June 2025) |

## Former coaches

| Alejandro Finning (1930–31) Walter Harris (1931–33) Lippo Hertzka (1932–34) Manuel Suárez (1933–36) Luis Surruca (1939) Francisco Gamborena (1939–40) José Quirante (1939–40) Manuel Olivares (1940–42) Teodoro Mauri (1941–42) Manolo Maciá (1943–44) Francisco Pagaza (1944–46) Luis Urquiri (1945–48) Gaspar Rubio (1948–50) Antonio Bonet (1950–51) Mundo (1951–52) Gaspar Rubio (1952–53) La Riva (1952–53) Llopis (1952–53) Pina (1952–53) Amadeo Sánchez (1953–54) Patricio Caicedo (1954–56) José Iraragorri (1955–56) Amadeo Sánchez (1956–57) Gallart (1957–58) Echezarreta (1958–59) Sierra (1958–59) Álvaro Pérez (1959–60) Satur Grech (1960–61) Diego Lozano (1961–62) Carlos Iturraspe (1961–63) José Bermúdez (1962–65) Pepe Millán (1964–65) Luis Belló (1965–66) Vicente Dauder (1966–67) | Eduardo Toba (1966–68) Sergio Rodríguez (1967–68) Antoni Ramallets (1967–68) Álvaro Pérez (1968–69) Luis Ortega (1968–69) Manolet (1968–69) César Rodríguez (1969–71) Miguel González (1970–71) Sandor Kocsis (1970–71) Ignacio Eizaguirre (1971–72) Loves (interim) (1971–72) Pepe Valera (1971–72) Janos Kalmar (1972–73) Arsenio Iglesias (1973–77) Felipe Mesones (1977–78) Benito Joanet (1977–80) Koldo Aguirre (1979–82) Paquito García (1982–83) Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1982–83) Pachín (1982–84) Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1983–84) Carlos Jurado (1983–85) Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1984–85) Antonio Torres (1984–86) Manolo Villanova (1985–86) Alberto Ormaetxea (1986–87) García Traid (1986–87) Pepe Rivera (1986–88) Benito Joanet (1987–88) Pepe Martínez (1988–89) Marcel Domingo (1988–89) Moncho (1989–90) Juan Antonio Carcelén (1989–90) | José Víctor (1990–91) Vicente Carlos Campillo (1991–92) Quique Hernández (1992–94) Felipe Mesones (1994–95) Humberto de la Cruz (interim) (1995–96) Manolo Jiménez (1994–96) Ivan Brzić (1996–97) Quique Hernández (1996–98) David Vidal (1997–98) Sergio Egea (1998–99) Periko Alonso (1998–99) Manolo Jiménez (1998–2000) Teo Rastrojo & Vicente Russo (1999–2000) Miquel Corominas (2000–01) Joaquín Carbonell (2000–01) Álvaro Pérez (2001–02) Felipe Miñambres & Ernesto Llobregat (2001–02) Felipe Miñambres (2002–03) Josip Višnjić (2002–03) José Carlos Granero (2003–05) Javier Subirats (interim) (2004–05) Juan Carlos Mandiá (2004–06) Paquito Escudero (interim) (2005–06) José Bordalás (2005–07) Josu Uribe (2006–07) Paquito Escudero (2006–07) Andoni Goikoetxea (2007–08) Juan Carlos Mandiá (2008–09) Esteban Vigo (2009–2011) Miroslav Đukić (2011) | Juan Carlos Mandiá (2011–2012) Quique Hernández (2012–2014) Slaviša Jokanović (2014) Pacheta (2014–2015) Manolo Herrero (2015–2016) Vicente Mir (2016) Luis Tevenet (2016–2017) Carlos Luque (2017) Gustavo Siviero (2017) Claudio Barragán (2017–2018) Josip Višnjić (2018) Lluís Planagumà (2018–2019) Luis Vegar (interim) (2019) Jesús Muñoz (2019) Vicente Mir (2019–2020) |

## Fans
### Rivalries

The rival team is Elche Club de Fútbol, representing the two main cities of the Alicante province which are only 21 kilometres apart. The two contest the Alicante Province Derby [es] or the Costa Blanca Derby.
Hércules' other main rival is Valencia. This match is the regional derby par excellence. The matches between the two teams are always very tense and rivalrous, with occasional clashes between fans.
For years, the main rival has been Alicante CF, the leading club in the Alicante province, with which Hercules has shared the stadium and division for many years, leading to violent clashes between fans and players. Since their bankruptcy in 2012, their traditions are continued by CFI Alicante.
The other Valencian rivalry is with the Castellón, the other provincial capital of the Valencian Community.
Another rival team of Hercules is the Real Murcia Club de Fútbol, due to the proximity of both cities.

### Friendships

With fans of Iraklis, since 2003, fans of both teams formed a friendship through the Internet, because "Iraklis" is a Greek name for "Hercules", the Roman name for Heracles, the Greek god of strength. There is even a Hércules supporters club that bears the name Iraklis, in honor of their friendship.
They also have a newly formed partnership with St Johnstone F.C. of Scotland.