The Mestralla stadium in Valencia is set to host the Copa del Rey football final on 16 April, which will see European football giants Real Madrid and FC Barcelona play head-to-head with their respective leading players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
For the long-serving Mestalla stadium, formerly known as the Luis Casanova stadium, this will be the 10th time it will host the final of the so-called (I)competición del K.O(I), Spanish football’s knockout tournament, the Copa del Rey. This will also be the fourth time that Madrid and Barcelona will play head-to-head in a final held in the city of Valencia. The last time both teams visited the Mestalla stadium was in 2011, when Real Madrid finally triumphed with a goal by Cristiano Ronaldo scored against FC Barcelona during extra time.
However, the final on the 16 April will be the 7th time that Real Madrid and FC Barcelona play against each other in the final knockout round of the Copa del Rey. Until now, both teams have each won three of these finals. Overall, FC Barcelona boasts the highest number of Copa del Rey wins, followed by Athetlic Bilbao, who used to be known as the “king of cups”, relating to the Copa del Rey (King’s Cup) tournament title, with 25 to their name. Real Madrid holds third place with 18 wins.
