The Supercopa de Espana was only founded in 1982, but it's still a fierce competition.
The Spanish Super Cup has become so popular due to the fact that it has thrown up so many Clasico clashes between Real Madrid and Barcelona over the years, two of the biggest clubs in world football.
Real Madrid have a strong history in the Supercopa due to their regular participation in the competition, and while it may not be the Champions League or La Liga, it remains a trophy that the side from the Spanish capital want to get their hands on.
What is the Supercopa de Espana?
The Supercopa de Espana, translated as the Spanish super cup, is basically the equivalent of the Community Shield in England, albeit with a few tweaks.
The competition does have some predecessors such as the Copa Eva Duarte, but the Supercopa de Espana was only formed in 1982. To begin with, the competition consisted of one tie played over two legs - home and away - between La Liga champions and Copa del Rey victors.
Bar a few years in which the competition wasn't held, it ran in that format for 35 years. In 2018, the game was played over just one leg at a neutral venue between Barcelona and Sevilla, but the competition's structure has now changed entirely.
From 2019 to the present day, the Supercopa de Espana has consisted of four teams and has been held in Saudi Arabia all but one year in its new format. It now consists of the winners and runners-up in both La Liga and the Copa del Rey, with two one-legged semi-finals preceding the final of the competition.
For example, the 2022/23 Supercopa de Espana saw Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in a one-legged final after they had beaten Real Betis and Valencia in their respective semi-finals.
Real Madrid's Supercopa de Espana titles
Since its formation, Real Madrid have participated in the Supercopa 18 times. The Spanish giants have won the trophy on 12 separate occasions, dating all the way back to their first triumph in 1988.
Real Madrid actually won the trophy in 1989 as well, although no tournament took place that year. As Los Blancos won both the league and cup in the 1988/89 season, they were automatically awarded another crown.
They would go on to win the next two Supercopas they participated in too, beating Barcelona in the final on both occasions. In fact, over the four legs, they went unbeaten.
Madrid would go on to beat Barcelona again in 1997 before victories against Real Zaragoza, Mallorca and Valencia in the next 21 years. Since 2012, the capital side have won four Supercopa titles, most recently against Athletic Club in 2022.
Real Madrid Supercopa de Espana titles
Year | Final score |
|---|---|
1988 | Real Madrid 3-2 Barcelona (on aggregate) |
1989 | Won automatically after league and cup double |
1990 | Real Madrid 5-1 Barcelona (on aggregate) |
1993 | Real Madrid 4-2 (agg) Barcelona |
1997 | Real Madrid 5-3 (agg) Barcelona |
2001 | Real Madrid 4-1 (agg) Real Zaragoza |
2003 | Real Madrid 4-2 (agg) Mallorca |
2008 | Real Madrid 6-5 (agg) Valencia |
2012 | Real Madrid* 4-4 (agg) Barcelona |
2017 | Real Madrid 5-1 (agg) Barcelona |
2020 | Real Madrid 0-0 Atletico Madrid (4-1 on pens) |
2022 | Real Madrid 2-0 Athletic Club |
*Won on away goals
Real Madrid Supercopa de Espana full record
Since the inception of the Supercopa, Real Madrid have participated in 33 matches in the competition. The Spanish side boast a strong record, triumphing in 17 games - a win ratio of 51.5%.
There have been plenty of battles with Barca over the years, Madrid meeting them in 16 different matches. Of those games, the capital side have come out on top in nine, only losing five times.
Astonishingly, Real Madrid have only met city neighbours Atletico on one occasion in the Supercopa - the final in 2020. The game was goalless after extra-time, but the 14-time European champions came out victors in the penalty shootout.
Real Madrid Supercopa de Espana record
Games played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
33 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 12 |
Real Madrid top goalscorers in Supercopa de Espana
Barca's Lionel Messi may be top goalscorer in Supercopa history with 14 strikes in the competition - double the next best player - but Real Madrid have had a fair few sharpshooters in their ranks over the years as well.
Their most prolific finishers in the Supercopa are Karim Benzema and Raul, the two legendary centre-forwards having netted seven goals in the competition, albeit the Spaniard hit that total it fewer games.
Somewhat surprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo only managed four in the Supercopa, although he made just seven appearances in the competition.
Real Madrid top goalscorers in Supercopa de Espana
Player | Appearances | Goals |
|---|---|---|
Raul | 12 | 7 |
Karim Benzema | 13 | 7 |
Cristiano Ronaldo | 7 | 4 |
Emilio Butragueno | 4 | 3 |
Ruud van Nistelrooy | 3 | 3 |
