Barcelona’s decisive triumph over Athletic Club accomplished more than just securing a spot in the Spanish Super Cup final.
As such, it has brought back into focus an intriguing narrative that has consistently accompanied the tournament since the implementation of the new ‘Final Four’ structure.
This Sunday, Barça will have the prospect of ending a phenomenon that has stubbornly refused to change: the reigning La Liga champions have consistently failed to hoist the Super Cup under this format.
Hansi Flick’s squad now awaits their contender, who will be confirmed later today.
The championship match could once more feature a Clasico confrontation against Real Madrid or a contest with Atletico Madrid.
What is this ongoing narrative?
Ever since the Super Cup adopted its current configuration, the league winners have consistently fallen short.
This trend has been evident in every edition held in Saudi Arabia, as well as in the version staged in Spain during the COVID-impacted season.
The most recent occurrence was last year, when Barcelona claimed the trophy despite entering the competition as the league’s second-place finishers.
Real Madrid, who were the defending champions at that time, reached the final but ultimately did not succeed.
Examining past events only strengthens this observation. In 2020, during the inaugural version of the revamped format, Barcelona entered as the La Liga titleholders. However, Real Madrid was the team that claimed the championship.
The subsequent year, Real Madrid participated as champions but failed to even reach the final round, which Athletic Club ultimately won over Barcelona.
Atletico Madrid then assumed the role of reigning champions for the 2022 tournament, marking their sole appearance in the Super Cup in that capacity.
Yet again, the jinx persisted, with Atletico unable to reach the championship game, and Real Madrid successfully defending their title by defeating Athletic Club.
The pattern maintained its steady course in 2023 and 2024. Following their designation as league champions, Real Madrid conceded the 2023 Super Cup final to Barcelona.
Barcelona subsequently experienced an identical outcome a year subsequent. As winners of the 2022–23 campaign, they advanced to the 2024 final yet were defeated by Real Madrid in a different Clasico match.
Presently, Barcelona finds themselves central to this narrative yet again. This will mark their fourth successive Super Cup championship match.
More significantly, it offers an opportunity to definitively break a recurring trend that has characterized this tournament for five years.
