2013 Copa del Rey Final

Lore & Background

It was the clubs' first meeting in the final since 1992 when Atlético won 2–0 over Real Madrid. Before this match, the two teams had met in the final on three other occasions: 1960, 1961 and 1975; all were Atlético wins, except 1975 when Real Madrid won. Atlético lifted the trophy for the tenth time in their history. It was the first time since 1992 that Atlético had won trophies in two consecutive seasons, following their win in the 2012 UEFA Europa League Final the previous year.

In Their Own Story

The Bernabéu lights hummed against the Madrid night sky as red and white shirts stretched across the pitch. The air smelled of cut grass and anticipation, heavy with the weight of eighteen years without a league title. Every tackle echoed like a drumbeat, every sprint toward goal felt like a step into history.

Reader's Guide

The match was originally scheduled for Saturday, 18 May, but was moved to Friday, 17 May for TV broadcast reasons. The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium was chosen as the venue over Atlético's Vicente Calderón stadium due to its greater capacity of 80,000. Each team was allocated 30,000 tickets, and the remainder were allocated to the RFEF. Adidas provided the official ball for the match, the Adidas Cafusa, the same ball used for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Did You Know?

• The 2013 final was the 111th Copa del Rey final, including two seasons where two rival editions were played.
• Atlético Madrid's tenth Copa del Rey title came in this final.
• The match was played at Real Madrid's home ground, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.