The eighth classic in a Copa del Rey final will land on April 26 at La Cartuja. Real Madrid leads 4-3 so far, turning the historical balance by winning the last two occasions: 0-1 in 2011, with that leap by Cristiano Ronaldo, and 1-2 in 2014, with Gareth Bale's sprint down the Mestalla wing to surpass Marc Bartra and score the decisive goal. Two matches where the galactics of the past generation decided the outcome. That's how classics are, pitting the two best teams in the country against each other and constantly comparing their galaxies.
In three weeks, Seville will act as a turning point in the analysis between both squads. The titles accumulated in the last three years explain Real Madrid's clear superiority, with two Champions Leagues, two La Liga titles, and a Copa del Rey in their pocket during the rise of Vinicius, Rodrygo, Jude Bellingham, and company. But in recent months, coinciding with the arrival of Kylian Mbappé, Barcelona has shown that their new generation is here to stay. Guided by Lamine Yamal, they have triumphed in the October classic and in the Spanish Super Cup final, both with authority (0-4 in the league and 2-5 in Arabia).
Two football blows that have threatened Madrid's throne in Spanish football, although spring will determine the outcome. Whites and Blaugranas will face each other on the 26th in Seville, on the 10th or 11th of May in Montjuïc in a crucial match for the league and, perhaps, in a hypothetical Champions League final on May 31st in Munich. It would be the mother of all classics, the only one left to be played in a major event after so many Copa del Rey and Super Cup finals.
History reflects that a classic in a final always marks a before and after. Starting with the first one, played just a month before the military uprising that sparked the Spanish Civil War. It was on June 21, 1936, at Mestalla. Real Madrid won 2-1 in the last match of Ricardo Zamora. Real Madrid also won in 1974, while Barcelona lifted the trophy in 1968 and 1983. In 1990, Barcelona's triumph saved Johan Cruyff's job, leaving the Cup without a 'classic' final until 2011.
That year, Mestalla witnessed one of the great battles of the Mourinho-Guardiola war, trenches in full swing at that time. Cristiano's header in extra time left Barcelona, who conquered the league and Champions League, without the treble. It was a tough match, with constant huddles around the referee, tension on the benches and in the stands, and duels pushed to the limit. Mourinho won the battle, but Guardiola would respond a few days later in the continental semifinals.
The 2014 final was even more pivotal and confirmed Barcelona's identity crisis after Guardiola's departure. Tata Martino succumbed to Ancelotti, Bartra to Bale, and the Madrid victory led to a trophy-less season for the Blaugranas and the arrival of Luis Enrique at Camp Nou. A significant decision, as with him came the treble of the 2014-2015 season.
Now, 11 and 14 years after Mestalla, the Cup reunites them in another pivotal moment, with Yamal, Pedri, Raphinha, Mbappé, Vinicius, and Bellingham replacing the stars of the past decade. Lamine was three years old in the first Mestalla final, and Mbappé was about to visit Valdebebas at the age of 12, a gift from his parents and an invitation from Zinedine Zidane to meet his idol Cristiano. Fate, whimsical, now pits them against each other.
At the Bernabéu, these next two classics (Cup and League) are seen as crucial for Ancelotti's tenure. Questioned at times during the season due to the team's level of play, the Italian arrives alive in all three tournaments in April for the first time since 2014. That year, he ended up winning the Copa del Rey and the Champions League but stumbled in La Liga, like Barcelona, against an Atlético Madrid that would lift the title at Camp Nou.
The wear and tear of the classics influenced the league, something that Hansi Flick will try to avoid, obsessed with maintaining his team's physical level to fight for the treble and confirm that "new era" that is echoed in Barcelona with every victory in the classics. It depends on sustaining the three-point lead in the league, with the Copa del Rey and the Champions League as a mental boost for the squad.
Mbappé and Robert Lewandowski battle for the league's top scorer, Endrick and Ferran Torres for the Copa del Rey. Both clubs, for everything. A classic.