For European football teams not blessed with a long legacy of glory and worldwide adoration, the quest to break into the sport’s exclusive group of elite clubs is an arduous odyssey that requires great imagination and cunning. There is no greater stage for a club to prove its worthiness among the continent’s giants than the UEFA Champions League – where every club, player, coach and fan wants to play. Real Sociedad knows just how precious that experience is and, after playing in the competition for the first time in 10 years this season, the Basque side is determined to ensure it becomes a regular in club football’s most prestigious platform.

As Iñigo Díaz de Cerio puts it, in order to battle with the big boys, ambitious but lesser-known clubs “have to be different”. The international sales manager of Real Sociedad is aware that “brand” carries a lot of weight in the modern, digital world and strengthening it is integral to any team’s hopes of ruffling the feathers of the global giants.

“We are not yet a sufficiently well-known brand in the world, which has forced us to take a different approach,” he adds. “In the UEFA Champions League, everyone gets goosebumps, regardless of the country, league or club that you represent. The UEFA Champions League is the biggest showcase we can have. It positions us and gives us prestige. As a club that is opening up to the world, it is a major qualitative leap forward and it accelerates all processes, especially international recognition.”

Real Sociedad has devoted itself to bolstering its image through a wide-ranging strategy aimed at growing its international fanbase, sticking by its principles and commitment to the local community and creating more space for supporters by expanding its stadium and providing attractions for their visitors.

The results? Last season, the Donostia-San Sebastián club matched its highest finish (fourth) in a decade in La Liga and has just enjoyed its best ever performance in the UEFA Champions League. La Real pulled off some stunning results in the UEFA Champions League in 2023-24, beating Italian giants FC Internazionale Milano, Portuguese powerhouse SL Benfica and FC Red Bull Salzburg, winners of 10 straight Austrian Bundesliga titles and counting. Imanol Alguacil’s team finished top of Group D with an unbeaten record before facing French behemoths Paris Saint-Germain in the round-of-16 and was ultimately knocked out.

“It is true that we compete with clubs that have ten times more budget than we do,” Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay says. “This means that we have to have very clear principles in order to be able to compete with them. If we bring together the best from each generation and invest well, we can be competitive.”

One of those principles that has helped Real Sociedad overcome the financial gap to the wealthier clubs is its devotion to youth development.

The club has a strong commitment to the Basque Country and is devoted to developing and fielding a team of homegrown heroes. Captain and top scorer Mikel Oyarzabal, Martin Zubimendi, Ander Barrenetxea, Unai Marrero, Igor Zubeldia, Beñat Turrientes, Álvaro Odriozola and Jon Pacheco are all examples of first-team regulars who came up through the club’s youth academy.

“For us, the academy is the genesis, the player that's trained in Zubieta [the youth academy],” says director of football Roberto Olabe. “What we do is feed the succession line of players coming through to the first team. We want at least 60% of players to come from the academy.”

“We do not buy to sell immediately. We're thinking about generating value so players develop and bring out their best qualities. Generating value is not about the sale from the first minute. We cannot be in a hurry. Talent does not manifest itself when you want it to. Talent needs time. We want to have the maximum number of players developed in the professional team, but we are aware that in order to compete at the elite level we have to improve with signings from outside.”

Seeing a squad full of local superstars is a source of immense pride for the team’s supporters and Real Sociedad has managed to bring the devoted fans closer to the team in both body and spirit. In 2017, a €47 million project to renovate the Reala Arena began, increasing its capacity from the 32,000 it held following its 1993 construction to the more ambitious 40,000 in line with the club’s growth in the last thirty years.

“We used to have an athletics track in the stadium because it was from 1993, but now you need the public to feel closer to the game. That totally changes the fan's experience and has really made them part of the match,” director of commercial and marketing Begoña Lazabal says. “Something that seemed like a dream has now completely changed, not only in terms of football, but also for the city as a tourist attraction.”

That modernisation has extended well beyond the physical realm and into the digital one, as Real Sociedad looks to build a strong connection with its fans across the world as well as those close to the Reala Arena.

Lazabal continues: “Attracting international fans is about digital strategy. Segmenting these fans through technology to be able to address them and interest them, where they're from, their language, what they like, what they click on, so we generate more content and activities for each of them. And of course, if they can, the experience of coming to the stadium.”

The club adopted more direct ways of growing its presence in particular countries, too, and sometimes the presence of certain players can speed up that process. Young Japanese sensation Takefusa Kubo has enhanced Real Sociedad’s efforts to develop partnerships with companies from the Asian nation.

“Japan has been a market that has always been there, even before Take,” Diaz de Cerio adds. “It’s true that he’s accelerated the whole process and the presence but the relationship with the Japanese sponsor came very naturally.”

While the more traditional giants of European football make annual tours of the United States to attract fans in that market, other teams must look elsewhere, as the international sales manager continues: “We started conversations for a possible match on a summer tour in Japan and from there they believed that we were a perfect partner for a country development through sport and we understood they were a perfect partner also for this expansion.

“Japan is a country that culturally has many similarities with the Basque Country, that helps us and brings us closer and we believe that opportunities can be opened up from there, because it has always been a country with a football tradition. In this case, the player (Take) is a lever totally activating the markets and it really has been a huge impact, in this case in the Japanese market. Logistics are crucial, to bring us closer and to provide a service that otherwise they wouldn’t have access to. We generate confidence and are agile to resolve any issues they might have. We have to continue working along these lines because the brand has to be consolidated first.”

The Basque outfit’s strategy is certainly producing positive results but the ultimate goal is regular appearances in the UEFA Champions League and president Apperribay hopes to see the team take on more big names in the near future.

“It is a unique tournament, no doubt and we have learned a lot from Austria, Italy, Portugal,” he says. “We have experienced some great games. I believe that the UEFA Champions League is one of the most important points of union for Europe. To win it, we have to be true to who we are. I think if Real Sociedad deepens the way it’s doing its work, we’re closer to doing so and will one day succeed.”

For more information about Real Sociedad and the UEFA Champions League, watch the full FedEx | Outside The Box episode.