Ball IQReal Sociedad Quiz
A Real Sociedad quiz on the 1981 and 1982 titles, Zamora at El Molinón, the end of the Basque-only policy and the 2020 Copa del Rey.
Free to play · no sign-up · nothing to install
-
easy
In which city do Real Sociedad play their home matches at the Reale Arena?
WhyThe ground, long known simply as their home ground, stands in San Sebastián (Donostia), the capital of Gipuzkoa. -
easy
Antoine Griezmann, who joined Real Sociedad's academy as a teenager, was sold in the summer of 2014. Where did he go?
WhyAtlético Madrid paid roughly €30m in 2014 after Griezmann's 16-goal La Liga season; his switch to Barcelona did not come until 2019. -
medium
Which coach was in charge of Real Sociedad for both of their La Liga title wins?
WhyAlberto Ormaetxea, a former Real Sociedad player, managed the side through the near-miss of 1979-80 and then the titles of 1980-81 and 1981-82. -
medium
Which coach was in charge of the Real Sociedad side that pushed Real Madrid all the way in the 2002-03 La Liga title race?
WhyFrenchman Raynald Denoueix, previously of Nantes, took Real Sociedad to second place in his first season in Spain. -
hard
Real Sociedad won 1-0 at Old Trafford in the Europa League group stage in September 2022. Who scored the penalty that decided it?
WhyBrais Méndez converted on 59 minutes after referee Marco Di Bello gave a contested handball against Lisandro Martínez, a call VAR checked and let stand, and Real Sociedad held on at Old Trafford. -
medium
In which year did Real Sociedad abandon their policy of signing only Basque players?
WhyThe policy stood until 1989, when the club signed the Liverpool-born Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge. Dalian Atkinson followed in 1990. -
medium
A last-gasp equaliser away at Sporting Gijón on the final day of 1980-81 secured Real Sociedad's first league title. Who scored it?
WhyJesús María Zamora struck in the dying seconds at El Molinón to make it 2-2, snatching the championship. Real Madrid had won their own game and briefly believed the title was theirs. -
hard
Real Sociedad reached the European Cup semi-finals in 1982-83, going out to the club that went on to lift the trophy. Which German side was it?
WhyHamburger SV eliminated Real Sociedad in the last four and then beat Juventus 1-0 in the 1983 final. Real Sociedad had knocked out Víkingur, Celtic and Sporting CP on the way. -
medium
Luis Arconada's most replayed moment came in the Euro 1984 final, when a free-kick squirmed under his body. Who struck it?
WhyMichel Platini's free-kick slid beneath the Real Sociedad goalkeeper and France went on to win 2-0. In Spain the goal is still known simply as 'the Arconada'. -
medium
Real Sociedad's home ground underwent a major redevelopment completed in 2019. Which feature was taken out?
Whytheir home ground opened in 1993 as a multi-purpose municipal stadium; the roughly €47m rebuild, finished in October 2019, stripped out the running track and lifted capacity to about 40,000. -
hard
Before establishing himself at Real Sociedad, Xabi Alonso spent the first half of the 2000-01 season on loan at which Basque club?
WhyThe Eibar loan was his first extended run of senior football; John Toshack, appointed in January 2001, recalled him, and later handed the 20-year-old the club captaincy. -
medium
Real Sociedad reached the Champions League knockout rounds in 2023-24. Which club eliminated them in the round of 16?
WhyPSG won 2-0 in Paris and 2-1 at the Reale Arena for a 4-1 aggregate, with Kylian Mbappé scoring in both legs. -
medium
The Copa del Rey lifted at La Cartuja was Real Sociedad's first major trophy since which year?
WhyTheir previous silverware was the 1987 Copa del Rey; the back-to-back La Liga titles of 1981 and 1982 came earlier still. -
hard
Real Sociedad finished the 1979-80 league season a single point short of the championship. How many of their 34 games did they lose?
WhyThey lost just once, but 14 draws cost them dearly and Real Madrid pipped them 53 points to 52. Their unbeaten run through the first 32 matchdays was a Spanish record at the time. -
medium
Real Sociedad took the 1980-81 championship on head-to-head record after finishing level on points with the runners-up. Which club missed out?
WhyBoth Real Sociedad and Real Madrid finished on 45 points. Real Sociedad's 3-1 home win against Madrid outweighed their 1-0 defeat in the capital, giving them the title. -
medium
Alongside Turkey's Nihat Kahveci, Real Sociedad's 2002-03 attack was led by a Serbian striker who was in his second spell at the club. Who was he?
WhyDarko Kovačević first played for Real Sociedad from 1996 to 1999, then returned mid-way through the 2001-02 season after spells at Juventus and Lazio. -
hard
The 1987 Copa del Rey final, which Real Sociedad won on penalties, was staged at which neutral stadium?
WhyThe final was played at La Romareda in Zaragoza on 27 June 1987 in front of around 37,000 fans. Lopez Ufarte (9') and Txiki Begiristain (36') scored inside the first half, Atletico Madrid levelled twice, and after 2-2 through extra time Real Sociedad won 4-2 on penalties. -
medium
Real Sociedad signed David Silva on a free transfer in August 2020. Which club had he just left?
WhySilva joined after ten seasons at Manchester City; a serious knee injury in 2023 pre-season ended his career at Real Sociedad. -
medium
Who was Real Sociedad's manager when they won the 1987 Copa del Rey?
WhyThe Welshman John Toshack managed Real Sociedad from 1985 to 1989 and won the 1986-87 Copa del Rey, beating Atletico Madrid 4-2 on penalties after a 2-2 draw at La Romareda. He left for Real Madrid in 1989 and later returned to San Sebastian twice. -
hard
Which pair of Real Sociedad players left for Barcelona in the summer of 1988 and became pillars of Johan Cruyff's Dream Team?
WhyJosé Mari Bakero and Txiki Begiristain moved to the Camp Nou in 1988, arriving alongside new coach Johan Cruyff. Both won multiple league titles and the 1992 European Cup there. -
medium
Dalian Atkinson, signed from Sheffield Wednesday in 1990 once Real Sociedad had opened their doors to non-Basques, stayed a single season. Which English club did he join next?
WhyAtkinson moved to Aston Villa in 1991 for around £1.6m, and in October 1992 scored the solo goal at Wimbledon that was voted Goal of the Season in the Premier League's first campaign. Ipswich Town had been his first club. -
medium
Real Sociedad finished as La Liga runners-up in 2002-03. How far behind the champions Real Madrid did they end up?
WhyReal Madrid ended on 78 points to Real Sociedad's 76, wrapping up the title on the final day against Athletic. -
hard
Real Sociedad won the Segunda División title in 2009-10 to climb back into La Liga. Which coach led that promotion?
WhyUruguayan Martín Lasarte took charge in 2009 and went up at the first attempt; Chris Coleman had managed the club earlier in its second-tier spell. -
medium
In which season were Real Sociedad relegated from La Liga to the Segunda División?
WhyThey finished 19th in 2006-07 and dropped into the second tier, where they stayed for three seasons. -
easy
Who converted the 63rd-minute penalty that won Real Sociedad the 2020 Copa del Rey?
WhyCaptain Mikel Oyarzabal sent Unai Simón the wrong way from the spot after Portu was brought down in the box. -
easy
Real Sociedad's 2020 Copa del Rey final was finally played in April 2021 at La Cartuja in Seville, and was settled 1-0. Which side did they beat to lift the cup?
WhyReal Sociedad beat Athletic Club 1-0 — the first all-Basque Copa del Rey final since 1927, played behind closed doors because of the pandemic. -
easy
Real Sociedad played their last game at Atotxa in 1993. Which stadium became their new home?
WhyAnoeta opened in August 1993 and is now known as the Reale Arena. San Mamés belongs to Athletic Club, El Sadar to Osasuna and Mendizorroza to Alavés. -
easy
In which year was Real Sociedad formally founded?
WhyThe club was constituted on 7 September 1909, growing out of the San Sebastián Recreation Club. King Alfonso XIII granted it the 'Real' (Royal) title a few months later, in February 1910. -
easy
Xabi Alonso came through Real Sociedad's academy and left the club in August 2004. Which side signed him?
WhyLiverpool paid around £10.5m for him in 2004; his moves to Real Madrid (2009) and Bayern Munich (2014) came much later. -
easy
John Aldridge was the signing that ended Real Sociedad's long tradition of fielding only Basque players. Which club did they buy him from?
WhyAldridge moved from Liverpool to Real Sociedad on 14 September 1989 for about £1.25m, becoming the first non-Basque player the club had signed in over four decades. He had joined Liverpool from Oxford United in January 1987, which is why Oxford is such a tempting wrong answer. -
easy
In August 2022 Real Sociedad banked the biggest transfer fee in their history for Alexander Isak. Which club bought him?
WhyNewcastle United paid a then club-record €70m; Real Sociedad had signed Isak from Borussia Dortmund for about €10m in 2019. -
easy
How many times have Real Sociedad been crowned champions of La Liga?
WhyReal Sociedad have two Spanish league titles, both won back-to-back in the early 1980s under Alberto Ormaetxea. They have never won it since.
Think you know Real Sociedad? Prove it in the app.
Streaks, live 1v1, a rating out of 99 — and every quiz in one app.
Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle PlayMore quizzes to try
Show all 116 quizzes
Want them as a printable list instead? Real Sociedad quiz questions and answers →
Real Sociedad in the record books
Free reference tables — every winner, every top scorer, checked and dated.
What the Real Sociedad quiz covers
Every question is written and checked by football fans — soccer, if you're reading this in the US — across the topics that decide a real Real Sociedad expert:
Club history
Founding, golden eras and the moments that shaped Real Sociedad.
Players & legends
Cult heroes and record-breakers, past and present.
Managers
The bosses in the dugout and the trophies they won.
Trophies & honours
Every title, cup and big European night that counts.
Records & stats
Appearances, goals, transfers and all-time bests.
Iconic moments
Famous games, comebacks and unforgettable goals.
This is one set from a bank of thousands of questions spanning 72 clubs, every major league and eight decades of football.
How the Real Sociedad quiz is checked
Every question above was written by hand and verified before it went live.
All 32 Real Sociedad questions were checked twice before publication — once against the claim the question makes, and once against the wrong answers offered beside it. A question whose wrong options can be dismissed without knowing any football is not really a question, so those get rewritten or dropped rather than padded out. Anything that could not be confirmed was removed rather than guessed, which is why some sets are smaller than others. Every one of them carries a written explanation. Spot something wrong and tell us — corrections from players are how the bank stays accurate.
Real Sociedad quiz — FAQ
How many times have Real Sociedad won La Liga?
When did Real Sociedad stop signing only Basque players?
What is Real Sociedad's stadium and when did they move there?
When did Real Sociedad last win the Copa del Rey?
About the Real Sociedad quiz
Real Sociedad are the club of San Sebastián — Donostia, the capital of Gipuzkoa. They were constituted on 7 September 1909, growing out of the San Sebastián Recreation Club, and a few months later, in February 1910, King Alfonso XIII granted them the 'Real' title they have carried ever since. Bilbao has Athletic, Pamplona has Osasuna, Vitoria-Gasteiz has Alavés. San Sebastián has this.
The early 1980s are still the high-water mark. In 1979-80 they lost only one of their 34 league games and still finished a point short of Real Madrid, 52 to 53, because 14 draws piled up along the way. The following season they went one better: Jesús María Zamora's equaliser in the dying seconds at El Molinón made it 2-2 against Sporting Gijón on the final day, and the title came down to head-to-head record after Real Sociedad and Real Madrid both finished on 45 points. Alberto Ormaetxea, a former player, managed the near-miss and then both championships. In 1982-83 the same side reached the European Cup semi-finals, going out to Hamburger SV, who then beat Juventus in the final.
Then there is the policy. For over four decades Real Sociedad fielded only Basque players, and it ended in September 1989 when they paid Liverpool about £1.25m for John Aldridge. Dalian Atkinson followed from Sheffield Wednesday in 1990 and stayed a single season before joining Aston Villa. The club has always been better at producing than buying: José Mari Bakero and Txiki Begiristain left for Barcelona in 1988 and became pillars of Cruyff's side, Xabi Alonso went to Liverpool in 2004 after a formative loan spell at Eibar, Antoine Griezmann went to Atlético Madrid in 2014, and Alexander Isak's move to Newcastle United in 2022 brought in the biggest fee in the club's history.
The modern chapters are here too: Raynald Denoueix taking them to within two points of Real Madrid in 2002-03 with Nihat and Darko Kovačević up front, relegation in 2006-07 and Martín Lasarte's promotion at the first attempt in 2009-10, the running track finally ripped out of Anoeta in 2019, Mikel Oyarzabal's penalty beating Athletic Club at La Cartuja to end a wait for silverware that stretched back to 1987, Brais Méndez winning it at Old Trafford, and a Champions League round of 16 against PSG. Work through the questions and see how much of it you actually have.
Ball IQ has 32 Real Sociedad questions — 10 easy, 15 medium and 7 hard.