Athletic Bilbao celebrates their Copa del Rey victory with a historic parade in Madrid

Players of Athletic Club de Bilbao along with their fans celebrate their Copa del Rey victory in the traditional trophy parade with the “Gabarra” at the Estuary of Bilbao, Spain on Thursday (April 11). Athletic Bilbao, the team of the city of Bilbao in the Basque region in northern Spain, organized a grand celebration for their victory in the King's Cup.

The ship named "La Gabarra," which was used in the celebrations for the cup won in 1984, was taken out of the museum and floated for the first time in 40 years. The players and coaching staff of Athletic Bilbao boarded the 18.5-meter-long "La Gabarra" with the cup and traveled 13 kilometers on the Bilbao River (Nervion River).

Hundreds of thousands of Athletic Bilbao fans filled the streets, cafes, and the balconies, windows, and terraces of houses along the river to celebrate their team's cup success. The city of Bilbao was painted in the club's colors, red and white.

According to the Spanish press, the celebrations, which more than 1 million people attended, ended with speeches from the balcony of the city hall of Bilbao. Barcelona is the club that has won the Spanish King's Cup the most times, with 31 wins, followed by Athletic Bilbao with 24 wins.

Bilbao also has the distinction of being the first club to win this cup.

Built-in the 1980s when Bilbao was an important city in the Spanish industry, La Gabarra was floated on the river during the cup in 1984 and was considered to be floated again for the 2015 Spanish Super Cup, but officials later decided to keep this ship in the museum.

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