A Brief history of the Copa del Ray
The Copa del Rey, also known as the King's Cup, is one of the oldest football competitions in Spain and was first held in 1903. The tournament was created by Alfonso XIII and was originally known as the Copa del Rey de Alfonso XIII. The competition has been held annually since its inception, except for a few interruptions due to political and social events in Spain.
Over the years, many Spanish football clubs have won the Copa del Rey, including FC Barcelona, who have won the tournament a record-breaking 31 times. Real Madrid is another successful club, having won the trophy 19 times. Other notable winners include Atletico Madrid, Valencia, Athletic Bilbao, and Sevilla.
In recent years, the Copa del Rey has seen a variety of winners, with smaller clubs such as Cultural y Deportiva Leonesa and Mirandes achieving victories in recent seasons. The most recent winner of the Copa del Rey was Barcelona, who won the tournament in 2020, defeating Real Sociedad 2-1 in the final. The winner of the 2022 Copa del Rey was Athletic Club. They defeated Barcelona 3-2 in the final to win the tournament. This was Athletic Club's 24th Copa del Rey title, and the first time they had won the tournament since 1984.