The 1908 Copa del Rey final was the decisive match of the sixth edition of Spain’s primary football cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The final determined the champion of the 1908 tournament.
Date and venue
The match was played on 12 April 1908 at the Campo de O'Donnell in Madrid, which served as a common venue for major football events in the capital during that period.
Competing teams
The contest was contested between two of Spain’s leading clubs of the era:
- Athletic Bilbao – representing the Basque province of Biscay and one of the most successful early Spanish clubs.
- Madrid Football Club (commonly referred to as Madrid FC, later renamed Real Madrid) – the principal club from the host city.
Result
Athletic Bilbao defeated Madrid FC with a final score of 2 – 1 after extra time. The match required an additional period because the scores were level at the end of regular time.
Significance
- The victory marked Athletic Bilbao’s third Copa del Rey title, reinforcing the club’s dominance in the early history of the competition.
- For Madrid FC, the loss ended a sequence of three consecutive Copa del Rey triumphs (1905‑1907) and highlighted the competitive rivalry that would develop between the two clubs in subsequent decades.
Match details
Specific information regarding goal scorers, line‑ups, and minute‑by‑minute events for the 1908 final is not comprehensively documented in widely available contemporary sources. Consequently, detailed statistical data for the match remain limited.
Aftermath
Following the 1908 final, Athletic Bilbao continued to be a prominent force in Spanish football, adding numerous Copa del Rey titles in the ensuing years. Madrid FC eventually secured its first Copa del Rey title after the 1908 edition, beginning a long‑standing tradition of success in the competition.
Note: While the date, venue, participating clubs, and final result are corroborated by multiple historical records, certain finer details of the match (such as exact goal times and individual player contributions) lack sufficient verification and are therefore not presented.