Athletic de Bilbao v Mallorca

About the Drawing

The 2024 Copa del Rey Final brought together Athletic Club and Mallorca in Seville, with both clubs hoping to lift one of Spanish football's most cherished trophies. The match remained finely balanced throughout, eventually being decided by a penalty shoot-out after ninety minutes and extra time had failed to separate the teams.

Listening to the final on the radio, there was a growing sense of tension as the match stretched on. Penalty shoot-outs have their own rhythm, with every kick carrying the weight of months of competition. King Felipe VI was present for the occasion, as was Rafael Nadal, adding to the significance of the evening.

Athletic Club's victory ended a forty-year wait for the Copa del Rey. The celebrations did not end in Seville. A few days later, Bilbao came together for the return of La Gabarra, the historic barge used only on the rarest occasions. Seeing it make its way along the Nervión River, surrounded by thousands of supporters, was unforgettable. The images travelled around the world, yet they still felt unmistakably Bilbao.

This drawing also has its own story. The day after the final, a friend living in Dubai telephoned me with an unusual request. He wanted a print to give as a special present to someone in Bilbao. Only recently did I discover that it now hangs in that person's office. I like the thought that a drawing made while listening to the match has found a home in the city where the celebration meant the most.