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{{infobox football tournament
| current               = 
| logo                  = 
| founded               = 1982
| abolished             = 1986
| number of teams       = 22 
| region                = {{flagcountry|Spain}}
| current champions     =  
| most successful club  = [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] (2 titles)
| broadcasters          = 
| website               = 
}}

The '''Copa de la Liga''' ('''League Cup''' in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]) was a Spanish [[Association football|football]] tournament created in 1982.

Due to time constraints, saturation and club pressure, the competition only lasted four years, being cancelled in 1986. Winning the trophy helped two clubs to complete cup [[Double (association football)#Cup Double|doubles]]: [[FC Barcelona]] with the [[Copa del Rey]] (1983) and [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]] with the [[1984–85 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]] (1985). In all four finals, the team that played the second leg at home won the trophy.<ref>[https://www.vavel.com/es/futbol/2020/03/29/1018448-la-copa-de-la-liga-en-espana-un-experimento-fugaz.html La Copa de la Liga en España: un experimento fugaz] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225023324/https://www.vavel.com/es/futbol/2020/03/29/1018448-la-copa-de-la-liga-en-espana-un-experimento-fugaz.html |date=25 February 2021 }}</ref>

== History ==
The League Cup was promoted by the president of [[FC Barcelona]], [[Josep Lluís Núñez]], in order to create a new competition that would generate new economic income for the clubs, both in terms of box office and television rights.

In 1986 the fourth and last edition was held. In 1987, the fifth edition was scheduled to be held with a new “final three” format (which would have replaced the [[Supercopa de España]], which for this reason was not held in the 1987 or 1988 seasons), for which they were already classified. [[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] (League champion), [[Real Sociedad]] (Cup champion) and [[Atlético Madrid]] (champion of the “[[1986–87 La Liga#Intermediate group|intermediate league]]” of the “Playoff League”). The clubs finally agreed to cancel the competition due to the saturation of the match schedule, especially due to the strange League format of that 1986–87 season.<ref>[https://elpais.com/deportes/2020-07-19/la-interminable-liga-del-playoff.html La interminable ‘Liga del playoff’] elpais.com</ref>

==Format==
The League Cup was a straight knock-out competition. All ties were played over two legs, home and away, with the team with the largest aggregate score progressing. The final also consisted of two games.

If the aggregate score was tied after two legs of ninety minutes each, [[Overtime (sports)|extra-time]] would be played. If that failed to separate the teams, a [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shootout]] would determine the winner. Unlike the [[Copa del Rey]], the [[away goals rule]] was not applied.

==Champions==
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season
! Winners 
! Runners-up
! First leg score
! Second leg score
! Result (agg.)
|-
| [[1983 Copa de la Liga|1983]]
| [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]]
| 2–2
| 2–1
| 4–3
|-
| [[1984 Copa de la Liga|1984]]
| [[Real Valladolid]]
| [[Atlético Madrid]]
| 0–0
| 3–0 {{aet}}
| 3–0
|-
| [[1985 Copa de la Liga|1985]]
| [[Real Madrid C.F.|Real Madrid]]
| [[Atlético Madrid]]
| 2–3
| 2–0
| 4–3
|-
| [[1986 Copa de la Liga|1986]]
| [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]]
| [[Real Betis]]
| 0–1
| 2–0
| 2–1
|}

==Top goalscorers==
[[File:Hugo Sánchez 1988 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|[[Hugo Sánchez]] is the all-time top goalscorer in the competition.]]
Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bdfutbol.com/en/t/trcompCLI.html?p=players |title=Liga's Cup |publisher=Bdfutbol.com }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style=text-align:center;
|-
!No.
!Nat.
!Player
!Pos.
!Club(s) (goals)
!Total 
|-
| 1
|{{flagicon|MEX}}
|align="left"|[[Hugo Sánchez]]
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[Atlético Madrid]] (14)
|'''14''' 
|-
|2
|{{flagicon|PAR|1954}}
|align="left"|[[Raúl Amarilla (footballer, born 1960)|Raúl Amarilla]]
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[Real Zaragoza]] (9)<br />[[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] (4)
|'''13'''
|-
|rowspan="2"|3
|{{flagicon|ESP}}
|align="left"|[[Pedro Uralde]]
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[Real Sociedad]] (9)
|rowspan="2"|'''9'''
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}}
|align="left"|[[Roberto Marina]] 
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[Atlético Madrid]] (9)
|-
|5
|{{flagicon|ESP}}
|align="left"|[[Santillana (footballer)|Santillana]]
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[Real Madrid CF|Real Madrid]] (8)
|'''8'''{{refn|group="note"|Includes the first goal against [[Real Zaragoza]] on 22 June 1983; some sites such as ''Be Soccer'' attribute it to Santillana, while others such as ''BDFutbol'' attribute it as an [[own goal]] by [[:it:Eugenio Vitaller|Eugenio Vitaller]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fr.besoccer.com/match/real-madrid/real-zaragoza/198315058/temps-forts|title=Real Madrid 5 (5–3) 3 Real Zaragoza|publisher=Be Soccer|language=fr|access-date=8 January 2023}}</ref>}}
|-
|rowspan="4"|6
|{{flagicon|ESP}}
|align="left"|[[Michel Pineda]]
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[RCD Espanyol|Espanyol]] (7)
|rowspan="4"|'''7''' 
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}}
|align="left"|[[Paco Machín]]
|[[Forward (association football)|FW]]
|align="left"|[[Real Betis]] (5) <br />[[Racing de Santander]] (2)
|-
|{{flagicon|DEN}}
|align="left"|[[John Lauridsen]]
|[[Midfielder|MF]]
|align="left"|[[RCD Espanyol|Espanyol]] (7)
|-
|{{flagicon|ESP}}
|align="left"|[[Juan Carlos Arteche|Juan Arteche]]
|[[Defender (association football)|DF]]
|align="left"|[[Atlético Madrid]] (7)
|}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group="note"}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.rsssf.org/tabless/spanleagcuphist.html Spain – List of League Cup Finals]; at [[Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation|RSSSF]]

{{Copa de la Liga}}
{{Football in Spain}}
{{National football (soccer) league cups}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copa De La Liga}}
[[Category:Copa de la Liga| ]]
[[Category:National association football league cups]]
[[Category:Defunct football cup competitions in Spain]]
[[Category:1982–83 in Spanish football cups]]
[[Category:1983–84 in Spanish football cups]]
[[Category:1984–85 in Spanish football cups]]
[[Category:1985–86 in Spanish football cups]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1983]]
[[Category:Recurring sporting events disestablished in 1986]]
[[Category:1983 establishments in Spain]]
[[Category:1986 disestablishments in Spain]]
[[Category:History of football in Spain]]