Whistles to the anthem are answered with Spanish flags and a minority of Esteladas.

The anthem blared thunderously, but the scene was a hubbub that the King watched impassively, as always, from his box. Fresh from Pope Francis ' funeral in Rome, he was accompanied by Vice President María Jesús Montero , the President of the Andalusian Regional Government, Juanma Moreno , and the Minister of Sport, Pilar Alegría . Next to them, in the front row, was the President of the Federation, Rafael Louzán , at his first major institutional event.

The PA system couldn't prevent the final from starting with a resounding boo from halfway around the stadium, filled with Barça fans. Furthermore, at the 17th minute and 14th minute, the chant "In, Inde, Independencia" came from the south end of La Cartuja. Another incident that disrupted the normalcy in the box, with Felipe VI and Louzán as the protagonists.

Since Louzán's election last December, the Copa del Rey has undergone changes. The main one is that both clubs knew the champion would take home the trophy forever, not just for a season. Until now, you had to win three editions to be able to display the original Copa del Rey in your showcases. "It's logical that the winner takes it. In football, evolution is necessary," Louzán acknowledged in the minutes before the start of a final that may be the last at La Cartuja.

There have been six consecutive editions with Seville as the host city, but now the RFEF is going to open the auction so other cities can bid to host the event. "We're going to give the opportunity to anyone interested and who applies, but both the Regional Government and the Seville City Council and the Provincial Council, which form the board of trustees of La Cartuja, have already expressed their interest in continuing the Cup here," acknowledged the RFEF president. For six years, they have paid a fee of 1.2 million euros and have now removed the athletics track and expanded the capacity to 70,000 spectators, making it the third-largest stadium in Spain.

The Metropolitan competition

Their opponent will be Madrid, which wants at least the next edition of the competition's final to be held at the Metropolitano Stadium. The capital hasn't hosted a final since 2018, although it has hosted one for three consecutive seasons.

Everyone wants to host the Spanish football festival because it means filling the stadiums and the city with color for an entire weekend. And in this edition, before challenging each other at the spruced-up Cartuja stadium, more football-loving than ever and presided over by two large banners reading "Hala Madrid!... and nothing more" and "125 years of history," the two teams took to the streets of Seville, with packed terraces enlivened by the summer temperatures, but also with some incidents.

The 2,000 police officers ensuring security in the Andalusian capital were heavily involved in the center of Seville this morning. They intervened to disperse a group of Barça supporters using fireworks and flares, and in several fights in other parts of the city center. These clashes resulted in five arrests, three of them identified as Barça fans and one as a Real Madrid fan. Another Real Madrid fan was injured and had a broken nose.

The white party, in addition to the fan zone next to the stadium, took place in the Alameda de Hércules, a gathering point for Real Madrid fans who trickled into the city to paint the north end of La Cartuja stadium white, competing with the blaugrana fans who filled the south stand. Both teams' anthems were played, chanted by some and whistled by the opponents.

But the highlight of the show was when the stadium went dark to receive the trophy, which arrived at the center of the field from the air on a hoverboard before a young Athletic fan, the reigning champion, placed it in the middle of the field. A laser drew the lineups on the pitch, and again, the young Athletic fan, escorted by a Barça youth and a young Real Madrid fan, carried it to the entrance of the locker room tunnel to preside over the exit of the two teams. Banners were then unfurled at the ends. Madrid with its motto "Until the end, let's go Real," and Barça remembering that, with 31 titles, it is "the King of Cups."