Nine Copa del Rey finals, 56 trophies, three never-relegated clubs: the longest cup rivalry in Spanish football

FC Barcelona and Athletic Club have met in nine Copa del Rey finals — more than any other pairing in the 122-year history of Spanish football's oldest competition. Between them they own 56 Copas del Rey: Barcelona on 32, Athletic on 24, the two highest totals in the tournament's history and far ahead of Real Madrid's 20. Both clubs are also two-thirds of the never-relegated trio that has spent every La Liga season since 1929 in the top flight. The rivalry has produced everything from a 1942 final that needed extra time and finished 4-3, to a 1984 Bernabéu final remembered as much for the post-whistle brawl as for Endika's goal, to a 2021 La Cartuja demolition where Messi scored twice in five minutes.