Real Madrid and UEFA Champions League seems to be bound for life. They are certainly the record holder in this competition with two-time consecutive wins and 13 titles in total, more than any of their contenders’ trophy. The European nights in Santiago Bernabeu is simply worth remembering with more than 81,000 fans creating exciting atmosphere for each and every game.
Los Blancos have had great players in the squad throughout the years to create history in each era. There are Alfredo di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas, Pedrag Mijatovic, Raul Gonzalez, Luis Figo,Zinedine Zidane, Fernando Hierro, Angel Di Maria, Gareth Bale, Sergio Ramos and last but last least, Cristiano Ronaldo. They have been the key men to ensure the glory in Madrid’s hand continues. Not to mention the notable managers behind this constant star-studded team from Jose Villalonga, Luis Cagnilia, Miguel Munoz, Jupp Heynckes, Vicente del Bosque, Carlo Ancellotti to Zinedine Zidane himself. They have had a chance to lift the trophy in each of their spell. Some even managed to win it more than once.
Top Achievements
Real Madrid’s success in Champions League is unlike any other teams. Reaching 16 finals plus 13 silverware is certainly hard to catch up by their contenders.
They clinched the titles from the first edition in 1956 to 1960 consecutively, then another one in 1966. However, it took a while for Los Merengues to secure their seventh trophy till 1998 when they stunned the favorite, Juventus 1-0. Real Madrid won twice more in 2000 by trashing Valencia 3-0 and thumping Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 in 2002 with Vicente del Bosque at the helm of Los Galacticos. Another galacticos squad sealed La Decima, their tenth title, in 2014 by smashing Atletico Madrid 4-1. Then, two years later they started their domination by triple victory three years in a row. Another record which is hard to break.
Meanwhile, their failed attempts happened on three occasions. In 1981, Real Madrid lost 0-1 to Liverpool. Previously, in 1962, Eusebio and Benfica ended their domination by dismantling them 5-3 whereas Inter Milan crushed them 3-1 in 1964.
Iconic Moments
The iconic moments for Real Madrid is quite hard to pick. One moment for sure was during the first five editions from 1956 to 1960 when Alfredo di Stefano and Co dominated the continent.
The next glorious moment was during Zinedine Zidane’s first stint. The French legend guided his team to dominate again for three years from 2016 to 2019. Cristiano Ronaldo and Co defeated Atletico on penalties, trashed Juventus 4-1 and dismantled Liverpool 3-1.Another unforgettable moment was when Vicente del Bosque took charge of the first Los Galacticos era in early 2000s. He guided Zidane and Co to snatch two victories in 2000 and 2002. The Frenchman himselft scored one of the memorable goals in Champions League history in 2002 final.
The only disappointing moments were their first failure at the summit in 1962 and the first early exit in 1961. Bella Guttman’s men including the Portuguese legend Eusebio shocked them with the unexpected 5-3 win. Ferenc Puskas’ hattrick was not enough to salvage them from the inevitable loss and Eusebio himself bagged a brace. In the previous season, they even had to head to the exit too soon after a 3-4 defeat on aggregate from their archrival, Barcelona, at the first round.
