The Copa del Rey is the annual knockout cup competition in Spanish football, which has been a prize to play for in addition to league priorities for the top clubs and a trophy of pride for those who don’t get the same limelight. The oldest competition in the country drives clubs to be a part of its rich legacy and etch their name in history. Since its inauguration in 1903, 16 of 37 teams that have made it to the final have won the trophy, with 12 winning it more than once. Many teams have secured the silverware in different ways, ranking them among the top winners of the contests. Some have demonstrated dominance by defining eras of multiple successes and enhancing their status in the competition.
We look at the top five most successful clubs in the Copa del Rey History:
Valencia - 8 Titles
Valencia reached the Copa del Rey finals 11 times between 1940-1955 and 1966-1972, establishing itself as one of the top contenders for the trophy in that era, winning it four times since their first success in 1941. Though they lost most of the finals, including three straight times against Athletic Club, their achievement was notable as it came against the three big guns of Spain. Edmundo Suárez stole the headlines in those victories and remains the top scorer for Valencia in the Copa del Rey finals with seven, scoring a brace in the 1949 triumph against the Basque club. However, their biggest margin of victory came in the 1954 final when they strolled past Barcelona with Antonio Fuertes’s brace inspiring a 3-0 success. The Blanquinegros lifted the cup on more occasions in 1978–79 and 1998–99, after suffering another three consecutive final losses from 1969 to 1971, then again in 2007-08 and 2018-19. Despite falling from their grace, their last success was special as they ended a long drought for trophies by beating the Catalan giants again. They last participated in the Copa del Rey final in 2022, where they were narrowly defeated by Real Betis in a penalty shootout.
Atletico Madrid - 10 Titles
Undoubtedly, Atletico Madrid will be mentioned in the list of the top winners of the Copa del Rey, being a prominent name in Spanish football. Los Rojiblancos won the silverware 10 times, with a big chunk of their success coming in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s. Their first two success came against their city rivals Real Madrid in back-to-back fashion (1959-1961), which was remarkable, repeating the feat in 1991 against Mallorca and 1992 when they beat the Los Blancos again. Strangely, in their most renowned period under manager Diego Simeone, the team only managed one cup title in 2013, beating their acclaimed rivals once more in a 2-1 comeback win at extra time. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo, as he often does in this fixture, giving the lead inside 14 minutes, the club struck back with Diego Costa levelling the scores in the 35th minute and Miranda finding the winner in the first half of the extra period with Atleto’s keeper Thibaut Courtois winning the man of the match for his gallant show under the sticks. That title victory was their only success in the 21st century. The achievement was sweet as Santiago Bernabéu hosted the final.
Real Madrid - 20 Titles
Despite losing the honour to their noisy neighbours in four of the five Madrid derby Copa del Rey finals, they have claimed 10 more titles than their city rivals and have an equal number of runners-up medals. While this competition is down on the pecking order of Los Blancos’ trophy list, they have been a dominant force, winning trophies in different eras since the competition began in 1903. The club also reached the final of the inaugural edition but lost 3-2 to Athletic Club. However, they achieved an impressive streak by winning the Copa del Rey in four consecutive seasons from 1905 to 1908 as Madrid FC. Los Blancos' next big achievement was reaching four finals in eight years from 1940 to 1947, winning back-to-back titles in the last two years of that period. The period between 1969 and 1982 also saw the club pick up five trophies in eight finals. Real Madrid remained a key player in Copa del Rey success in modern times, with 2010-11 and 2013-14 success coming in the second Galactico era spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo, defeating their internal rivals Barcelona on both occasions. The 2022-23 season was the last time they tasted success with Carlo Ancelotti in charge again.
Athletic Club - 24 Titles
However, both Madrid clubs were still beaten by the Copa del Rey medals collected by the Athletic Club Bilbao, winning the first two trophies in 1903 and 1904 and reigning supreme in the first 60 years of the competition, including three straight honours (1914, 1915 and 1916) and six titles between 1910 and 1916. Another successful era for the Basque club was winning six Spanish cup titles again from 1921 to 1933, an unmatched record for any other side and marking a golden era for the club. Among them were the four repeated successes from 1930 to 1933. The next big dominance came in the 1950s with another four honours, but in separate years this time. Athletic Club won three more trophies post-1958, but failed to gather any after the 1984 triumph despite reaching six finals, with five coming this century. That is, until the latest iteration of the Copa del Rey, where the club ended a long 40-year wait for the silverware, beating Osasuna 4-2 on penalties following a 1-1 draw. They are the second most successful club in the competition, showing their unwavering legacy.
Barcelona - 31 Titles
While other clubs have scripted their legacy and made legendary contributions in the Copa del Rey, nobody has come close to the excellence of Barcelona in this competition. The Blaugranas have won a record 31Copa Del Rey titles, reaching the most finals, scoring the most goals and whatnot. Their Copa del Rey achievements came after Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid, but once they got the taste of the trophy in the treble success (1909–10-1912–13), there was no looking back. For a club that loves to win trophies, the cup competition remained a priority for the Catalan giant to add to their trophy cabinet, be it in the eras of Helenio Herrera and Johan Cruyff, to the modern day managers Pep Guardiola or Luis Enrique. Even though Barcelona won a ton of Copa del Rey trophies before the turn of the era, the four-peat dominance from 2014 to 2018 lives long in the memories due to the sensational football played in this period, spearheaded by the legendary MSN trio: Messi, Suarez and Neymar.
