In a country dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona, the Copa del Rey is the pinnacle for almost every other team.
Basket case Valencia fired their coach after a rare high in 2019
In a country where Real Madrid and Barcelona reign supreme, the Copa del Rey is the holy grail for nearly every other bloody team. But not for the basket case known as Valencia, who sacked their coach right after a rare moment of joy in 2019.
The former Spanish giants used to be one of the best teams in the world, but they've been absolute shite since the 2008 global financial crisis. They were looking for a saviour when some twat named Peter Lim showed up in 2014.
Five years later, Marcelino Garcia Toral secured the club's one and only trophy since 2008 - a Copa del Rey win over Messi's Barcelona. But just weeks later, the idiot was fired before taking on Frank Lampard's Chelsea in Europe.
Fans were fuming, and even key defender Ezequiel Garay joined in. "You're leaving through the front door, mister," the former Real Madrid man wrote on Instagram. "Whoever made this decision didn't just take you down; they took down an entire team and fans, something I say loud and clear: IT'S NOT FAIR."
Multiple reports at the time suggested Lim was just jealous of Marcelino taking the credit for what he believed was his success. But as the years since proved, it didn't really have much to do at all with the former Salford City co-owner, as Valencia have been in constant disarray and fans regularly protest his ownership.
Marcelino would prove his worth again with a Spanish Super Cup at Athletic Bilbao on top of two more Copa finals. Yet further down the line, he suggested another reason for Lim's bizarre firing.
"I am absolutely convinced that winning the Copa del Rey was the detonator for this situation," he claimed in an interview. "Previously we received messages that we should disregard la Copa but the fans, the entire squad, and the coaching staff wanted to win it."
He added: "Everything was on the up, but you have an owner who can destroy, and did destroy, a team in world record time."
Barcelona's Hansi Flick certainly can't imagine that, but his rival for Saturday's final, Real Madrid's Carlo Ancelotti, has another fear - lose and you're gone.
