The 'Athletic de Oro' Copa Winners (1983, 1984)

Lore & Background

The relationship between Athletic and Barcelona has historically been fairly healthy aside from certain periods when competitiveness became hostility, such as in the early 1980s. By the turn of the 21st century, the rivalry had largely become a historical concept due to the disparity in the fortunes of the clubs and the lack of a local element, but their frequent meetings in matches of importance, including four Copa del Rey finals and three Supercopa fixtures in a dozen seasons, restored some relevancy to the fixture.

Reader's Guide

Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona are both owned by their socios who elect a president to oversee club affairs. They also place great importance in developing local players through their cantera, and were among the last major clubs to adopt a commercial sponsor logo on their jerseys (Athletic doing so in 2008 and Barcelona three years later). These two clubs are the most successful clubs in their respective regions of the Basque Country and Catalonia, both regions who have more support for separatism than other parts of Spain. As a result, these two clubs tend to identify themselves more so with regional culture than with Spain as a whole, such as with Athletic's adherence to a unique 'Basque only' player policy and Barcelona's self proclaimed commitment to Catalan independence and identity.

Did You Know?

• Barcelona's team in the 1902 final also included players from Hispania AC, meaning theirs was also something of a combined force rather than a single club entity.
• Athletic Bilbao's 12–1 win over Barcelona in 1931 still ranks as the biggest win in the history of La Liga, with Bata scoring seven goals.