Want to see a real Cinderella story? There's no better place to find it than Spain's Copa del Rey. This annual soccer championship pits 63 teams from Spain's 1st, 2nd and 3rd (Segunda B) division against each other in home and away matches. Played primarily during the work week, the competition ensures that no passionate soccer fan need go 3 days without futból.
The competition began 1902 to celebrate the coronation of Spanish King Alfonso XIII. It was officially named the Copa Del Rey in 1903 and its first title match saw Athletic Bilbao defeat Madrid FC (later Real Madrid).
Originally formed with a representative from each province, the competition has grown to invite many of the top teams from Spain's first 3 divisions.
The competition is a tournament elimination format that pits 2 teams against each other in home and away matches, with the winner being the team with a greater goal total in both games. As with other Cup ties, even goal differential is broken by weighting away goals more heavily.
The exception to the home-away format is the final, regularly played in one of Spain's most prestigious stadiums.
The giant clubs of Spain's first division regularly face off against smaller teams from the lower divisions. This week Barcelona crossed the straights of Gilbraltar to face tiny Ceuta (you get extra credit if you knew that Spain still has territory in Africa apart from the Canary islands). Barça was able to win their "trap" match but Spain's glamor sides regularly fall to small teams in these ties. The most famous example of this was the Alcorconazo: where tiny Alcorcón defeated Real Madrid 4-0 at home. Alcorcón lost the away match 1-0 in Santiago Bernabeau but advanced on the 4-1 goal aggregate.
Small and outclassed as they are, the teams from Spain's lower ranks do have certain advantages. The first and most important advantage is motivation: their team will be excited to prove that they can play with the best in the world while Spain's first division teams regularly rest their "A" team. The result is that the smaller teams often have greater chemistry - their players are used to playing together while the big teams field a patchwork mix of first and second team players - especially early in the competition.
These early games can often be a trap because of field conditions as well. When Spain's large teams play the away leg, they're forced to play on a small, often poorly maintained field. This limits their passing game (especially in Barcelona's case) and speed (especially in Madrid's case). Nevertheless, Spain's large teams do often win out.
The Copa del Rey's most regular victor has been FC Barcelona with 25 victories. Athletíc Bilbao follow closely with a total of 23 cup wins, the last being in 1984. Real Madrid have the third most victories with 17. They haven't won since 1993.
In 2010, the King's Cup has received quite a bit of attention. Real Madrid have announced that they intend to take the Cup more seriously after being embarrassed the last several years. Coach Jose Mourinho is a master of elimination tournaments and won the Coppa Italia in 2009 with Inter Milan.
Teams like Sevilla, Valencia, Athletico, Athletic and Barcelona seem more likely to hoist the King's trophy at the end of the season.
As you follow the action, here's a look back at one of the best finals, the 2009 match between the Copa del Rey's two most storied teams: Barcelona and Athletic.
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