Pellegrini returns to the scene of the 'crime': "I told them the Cinderella story, we couldn't even train..."

Pellegrini returns to the Estadio de Santo Domingo 17 years after the 2009 Alcorconazo, when Alcorcón knocked out Real Madrid from the Copa del Rey.

Manuel Pellegrini returns to the Estadio de Santo Domingo on Wednesday as Betis faces Navalcarnero in the Copa del Rey, 17 years after one of football's greatest upsets. In 2009, Alcorcón eliminated Real Madrid from the competition under then-manager Juan Antonio Anquela, a result that remains one of the most memorable shocks in Copa del Rey history.

Anquela recalled the historic tie in an interview, describing how he prepared his players mentally for the challenge. "We've been invited to a ball and we're going to dance with the prince," he told them, using a Cinderella story analogy. "But if the prince isn't careful, we'll give him quite a scare." The underdog Alcorcón did exactly that, turning what seemed like a celebration for Madrid into a nightmare.

Despite the magnitude of the upset, Anquela emphasized that his team had genuine footballing quality and mental strength. He also stressed that the players never lost sight of their true objective—promotion to the second division—keeping focus even after the shock victory over Madrid. The Alcorconazo remains more than just a scoreline; it represents a humble team's audacity to compete with one of football's giants and make history.