Real Betis Balompié marked its 119th anniversary on Saturday, September 12, in one of the finest spells the club has enjoyed in the last two decades, sitting fifth in La Liga and back in the Champions League after 21 seasons away from the competition. Club president Ángel Haro congratulated supporters on the anniversary in a message released by the club.
The four captains, Isco Alarcón, Marc Bartra, Aitor Ruibal and Héctor Bellerín, cut a cake after a closed-door training session at the Luis del Sol sports city. The club shared a picture of the four captains with the caption: "Captains of our ship. To 119 more years of pure beticismo".
The Betis president chose to highlight supporters' loyalty in his anniversary message. Haro said: "I would like to use this message to congratulate every bético on our club's birthday, 119 years of history with one common factor, which has been the loyalty and commitment of every bético towards this club".
The Chilean coach, now in his seventh season in charge, also sent his own message for the occasion. Pellegrini said: "Congratulations to Betis and every bético on 119 years of history.".
Real Betis have collected 9 points out of a possible 12 in La Liga after four matchdays, with three wins and one defeat, and go into the new week on a two-game winning run. The latest of those wins came on September 8 in the club's Champions League debut, 21 years after its last appearance in the competition, beating Lille 2-3 away thanks to a brace from Marc Bartra and a goal from Tyler Parrott. Before that, on September 4, the Verdiblancos beat Real Madrid 1-0 with another Parrott strike. Betis have scored 5 goals and conceded 5 this season, three points behind leaders Barcelona.
Pellegrini's side travel to Villarreal on Monday, September 14, at the Estadio de la Cerámica holding a seven-point lead over their 17th-placed hosts, a lead a win would stretch to ten points. The two sides last met on January 17, when Betis won 2-0. Pellegrini will be without Aitor Ruibal, Antony and Cucho Hernández for that game, according to the club's injuries list, ahead of a run of fixtures already visible on the fixtures page.
