When was the last time Real Sociedad won the Copa del Rey?

Real Sociedad, one of the historic clubs in Spanish football, heads to La Cartuja seeking its fourth Copa del Rey title. To date, the Txuri-urdin side has appeared in seven finals, winning three of them—one of which, notably, was against Atlético de Madrid.

Finals won by Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad has conquered the Copa del Rey three times. The most recent was in 2021, though the most encouraging precedent is the 1987 victory against Atlético de Madrid.

The Txuri-urdin’s first cup title came in 1909. At that time, competing as Club Ciclista de San Sebastián, they defeated the now-defunct Club Español de Madrid 3-1 at the Campo de Madrid. It took nearly 80 years (78 to be exact) for Real to lift the trophy again. It happened in 1987 at La Romareda against Atlético de Madrid. That closely contested match (2-2, with goals from López Ufarte and Txiki Begiristain for the Basques, and Da Silva and Rubio for the Madrid side) was decided 4-2 in a penalty shootout. John Toshack was then managing a legendary team featuring names like Arconada, Bakero, López Ufarte, Górriz, and Zamora.

The third and, so far, last title for the Txuri-urdin arrived in 2021 (corresponding to the 2020 edition). This was the final that could not be played on its original date due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was eventually held on April 3, 2021, at La Cartuja. The opponent was Athletic Club, whom Imanol Alguacil's side defeated 1-0 thanks to a penalty goal by Mikel Oyarzabal.

The other four finals played by the San Sebastián side ended in defeat. One was against Athletic Club (in 1910, under the name Vasconia) and three against FC Barcelona: in 1928, 1951, and 1988.

Real Sociedad’s Full Honors List

Real Sociedad holds a total of six official trophies, all of them domestic. Most were achieved during the club's 'Golden Age' in the 1980s. During that period, they won two LALIGA titles (1980/81 and 1981/82) with Ormaetxea as manager, the 1987 Copa del Rey, and the 1982 Spanish Super Cup.

In those years, the team also reached the European Cup semifinals (1983), where they fell to the eventual champions, Hamburg. The other two titles in their history are the Copa del Rey victories of 1909 and 2020.

All Real Sociedad Copa del Rey finals