UE Cornella: Things to know about Atletico Madrid's Copa del Rey conquerors
By Mitch Wilks
Times may be tough at the moment but neither Brexit nor the grips of a global pandemic could stop the magic of cup competition coming to life once more - after little known Union Esportiva Cornella sprung a surprise in Spain.
Atletico Madrid may have enjoyed a table topping resurgence in La Liga, but they became the latest elite side to fall foul of a calamitous cup exit after being toppled 1-0 by the third tier outfit in the Copa del Rey.
Bizarrely, the same thing also happened to Atleti last season - when another third tier side, Cultural Leonesa, dumped them out of the very same competition in the round of 32. But we're not here to talk about Diego Simeone's hinting at a departure from the capital, no-no; we're hear to delve a little bit more into who Cornella actually are.
So sit back and get your reading glasses as 90min spins you through the key things to know about them.
1. Responsible for Jordi Alba
When Jordi Alba was released for being too small by Barcelona's La Masia academy aged 16, he was snapped up by local side Cornella.
Some youth team experience and a growth spurt later, he was in their first team by age 18 and subsequently sold to Valencia for €6,000 in 2007.
He's since returned to Barcelona and operated as arguably the best left back in the world with an obscene trophy cabinet, much to the delight of La Blaugrana's neighbouring side.
2. Neighbours of Barcelona
Quite literally, Cornella are the third major team in Catalonia but often slip under the radar due to their lack of status compared to Barcelona and Espanyol.
They aren't so far away from their world famous neighbours, however, at least in geographical terms. A 20 minute drive separates Camp Nou from Cornella's state of the art 1,500-seater Camp Municipal de Cornella.
3. Previous Copa del Rey experiences
For those who've never heard of Cornella before - which is understandable - their shock victory against Atletico might seem like this is the first time they've enjoyed such highs.
The semi-pro side have actually entered the competition four times in total, with their best run coming in the 2014/15 season - their first time in the tournament. Reaching the round of 32, they were drawn against Real Madrid and beaten 9-1 over two legs.
4. They share land with Espanyol
See that bit of scaffolding at the top of Cornella's sole stand? Yeah, it's another stadium. RCD Espanyol's stadium, to be exact.
The Camp Municipal de Cornella literally sits next to the Segunda Division side's 40,000 capacity RCDE Stadium. By 'next to', we mean it's basically in the car park.
Should Cornella achieve promotion, that would make for one interesting derby.
5. They have an affiliation with Birmingham City
Yes, you read that one correctly.
In October 2017, it emerged that Championship side Birmingham had established a partnership with Cornella. The Catalan side's 'grassroots' model to building players and developing talent is what reportedly impressed the club, which ultimately resulted in a Manchester City/Girona-esque collaboration.
Spanish midfielder Agus Medina signed for Birmingham in summer 2019 but has since moved back to Cornella on loan and assisted the winner against Atleti.
