Athletic Club, champion in 1903

In 1903, April 8, 117 years ago, Athletic Club won the Cup for the second time in a row after beating Real Madrid by 3 goals to 2 at the Hipódromo in the Spanish capital. In this way, the lions revalidated a title they had won the previous year, when the tournament was held for the first time under the name of the Crowning Cup (Copa de la Coronación).

Only three teams took part in this second edition: Athletic Club, Real Madrid and RCD Espanyol. The Cup was played as a group of ‘all against all’, with only one crucial match. Real Madrid opened the tournament by beating Espanyol by 4 goals to 1, and the following day Athletic Club did the same by beating the team from Catalunya 4-0 (doublets of Juan Astorquia, Evans and Alejandro).

Accordingly, April 8th arrived, the day of the final match between the lions and the team from Madrid, where the champion of the tournament would be announced. It is because of them that the RFEF (Royal Spanish Football Federation) considers this match as the final of the 1903 tournament.

In front of 5,000 spectators at the Hipodromo de la Castellana, Real Madrid began the match by leading the way and the scoreboard. By the minute 40 they were winning 0-2 with goals scored by Valdeterrazo and Neyra. However, Athletic managed a great comeback in the second half that turned the match around. Cazeaux reduced the distance in the minute 55, Montejo equalized it in the minute 70 and Alejandro De la Sota scored the final 3-2 in the minute 80.

Athletic Club line-up in the final of 1903: Acha, Silva, Arana, Goiri, Cockram, Ansoleaga, Sota, Montejo, Astorquia, Cazeaux, Evans. Bench players: Langford and Larrañaga. (Photograph: AC Museoa)

Below you will find a quotation from one of the chronicles that were writing about the clash (El Noticiero Bilbaíno. Bilbao, 1903):

“Today the match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao was held at the Hipódromo. These two clubs competed for the championship and the silver cup given by the King. Real Madrid had already beaten the Club from Barcelona. There was great expectation amongst the public to witness this clash. Real Madrid scored the first two goals by playing a brilliant game. Afterwards, they went on the defensive and as the wind shifted in favour of the team from Bilbao, they managed to score three goals, despite Real Madrid being better at the defense line. A fourth could not be scored due to the lack of time and the players from Bilbao won by three goals against two“.

Athletic Club’s emotional comeback was so strong in some of the match’s spectators that a group of them decided to found a branch of Athletic Club in Madrid, giving rise to the current team, Atletico de Madrid, at the end of that month, in April 1903.