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

Real Sociedad, one of the historic clubs in Spanish football, has secured its fourth Copa del Rey title at La Cartuja. The txuri-urdin side has played in eight finals, winning four of them—two of those, notably, against Atlético de Madrid.

Finals won by Real Sociedad

Until Saturday’s title, the most recent one had been in 2021, although the most encouraging precedent was the 1987 final, with Atlético de Madrid as the opponent.

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 txuri-urdin title came in 2021 (corresponding to the 2020 edition). It 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 scored by Mikel Oyarzabal.

 

And on Saturday, at La Cartuja, the fourth arrived. The San Sebastián side won in the penalty shootout, with Marrero as the hero after saving two attempts. In the match (2–2), Barrenetxea and Oyarzabal (from the penalty spot) had twice put the txuri-urdin ahead, but Lookman and Julián Álvarez forced extra time, in which there were no goals.

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 seven 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 three titles in their history are the Copa del Rey victories of 1909, 2020 and 2026.

All Real Sociedad Copa del Rey finals