Copa del Rey Final 2009 vs Athletic Bilbao
The last piece in football’s first-ever sextuple.
On May 13, 2009, FC Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao at Valencia's Mestalla Stadium to grab their sixth trophy of a single calendar year under Pep Guardiola. With La Liga already secured weeks earlier, this win delivered the domestic double and capped off what fans call the historic 'Sextuple' season.
- Competition
- Copa del Rey Final
- Date
- May 13, 2009
- Venue
- Mestalla Stadium, Valencia
- Opponent
- Athletic Bilbao
- Result
- 4-1 (AET)
- Key Scorers
- Pedro, Bojan, Messi, Piqué
Lore & Background
By May 2009, FC Barcelona had already secured La Liga and were on the cusp of Champions League glory. The Copa del Rey Final against Athletic Bilbao was not merely a game; it was a coronation ceremony for a team that had revolutionized football with their tiki-taka style. Athletic Bilbao, known for their fierce Basque identity and physical play, offered spirited resistance, but they were ultimately overwhelmed by the fluidity and creativity of the Blaugrana. The match is remembered not just for the scoreline, but for the sheer artistry displayed on the pitch.
In Their Own Story
The Valencia night at Mestalla hummed with a specific kind of electric tension: the final hurdle before immortality. While Athletic Bilbao fought with their trademark Basque grit, the Blaugrana moved like water around stone. The match was already decided in extra time, but it was Lionel Messi who turned the contest into a work of art. From 25 yards out, he curled a thunderous shot that dipped ferociously over the keeper's fingertips and into the top corner—a strike so perfectly placed it seemed to defy physics. With Pedro sealing the late goal and Bojan and Piqué having already etched their names in the night, the scoreboard read 4-1. As confetti swirled through the floodlights, the players didn't just lift a trophy; they hoisted the final piece of the first-ever Sextuple in football history.
Reader's Guide
This was the coronation match for Pep Guardiola's revolution. Having already secured La Liga, Barcelona faced Athletic Bilbao at Mestalla with one objective: complete the domestic double. The game unfolded as a clash of styles—Athletic's physical intensity versus Barcelona's fluid tiki-taka. Although the Basques held firm in regular time, the floodgates opened in extra time. Pedro capitalized on a defensive lapse to break the deadlock, followed by a composed finish from Bojan Krkić. The defining moment arrived when Lionel Messi unleashed one of his signature strikes from outside the box, curling it into the top corner with surgical precision. Gerard Piqué added a fourth late on to seal the 4-1 victory. This triumph marked the final domestic trophy before Barcelona's Champions League showdown against Manchester United, setting the stage for the historic sextuple.
Did You Know?
- This victory claimed FC Barcelona's 24th Copa del Rey title at the time, further distancing them from their closest rivals in cup history.
- Lionel Messi's goal is widely regarded by pundits and fans alike as one of his greatest individual strikes ever, celebrated for its technical audacity and perfectly timed execution against a stubborn defense.
- The win secured the domestic double just weeks after clinching La Liga, proving Barcelona's dominance across all fronts before the season concluded.
- This trophy was the final piece won before the 2009 Champions League Final in Rome; defeating Manchester United there would complete the unprecedented sextuple.