No membership is extra synonymous with a trophy than Actual Madrid and the Champions League.
Since 1955-56, when former Madrid president Santiago Bernabeu helped usher in a brand new competitors for Europe’s elite soccer golf equipment, the Spanish giants have received it a file 15 occasions, most just lately in 2023-24. The closest rivals are AC Milan – with seven to their identify.
However what does it take to change into the dominant pressure in European soccer?
Former Germany midfielder Sami Khedira, who was a part of the Madrid crew that received La Decima – the membership’s tenth Champions League trophy in 2013-14 – says there may be an expectation on gamers who be a part of the membership to ship the trophy.
“It’s important to convey one thing again to the shirt – you need to win,” he says, in a brand new BBC documentary – Tips on how to Win the Champions League: Actual Madrid.
In current seasons, the Spaniards have appeared to win some video games within the competitors via sheer magnetism – as an illustration, throughout final season’s quarter-final second leg when holders Manchester Metropolis pummelled Madrid, however ended up on penalties.
Paul Clement, who was assistant supervisor to Carlo Ancelotti when the Italian received the primary of his three Champions League trophies with the membership in 2013-14, says the followers on the Bernabeu Stadium, “suck the ball into the purpose”.
The load of historical past
The concept for a contest between Europe’s finest golf equipment was dreamt up in 1955 by a bunch of journalists from French newspaper, L’Equipe. The then president Madrid, Bernabeu, was one of many essential proponents.
Spanish soccer journalist Phil Kitromilides referred to as him a “visionary president,” who, “actually noticed the way forward for soccer as a enterprise”.
Between 1955-60, Bernabeu’s Madrid, with a squad of ‘Galacticos’ together with Alfredo di Stefano, Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento, Raymond Kopa and Hungarian Ferenc Puskas, received the primary 5 editions of the European Cup consecutively – a feat that has by no means been repeated.
1997-98 was catalytic for the fashionable period
After profitable the European Cup for a sixth time in 1966, it might be 32 years earlier than Los Blancos tasted success within the competitors once more.
Journalist Graham Hunter says that Madrid, “completely abhorred that failure vacuum”.
Beneath president Lorenzo Sanz and supervisor Jupp Heynckes, Madrid had constructed a crew squad to compete once more, signing stars between 1996-98 together with Brazilian left-back Roberto Carlos, Croatian striker Davor Suker, Spanish defender Aitor Karanka and Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf.
The Spanish crew beat favourites Juventus 1-0 within the 1997-98 remaining in Amsterdam. Juve had received the competitors two years prior and had their very own megastars, akin to Zinedine Zidane and Alesandro Del Piero.
Former President Calderon says, “we did not assume actually that we had been going to win that title,” including, “from that second, we began to get well our delight”.
Between 1998-2002, Madrid received the competitors twice extra, to assert three Champions League trophies in 5 years.
How Perez created the ‘fashionable Galactico’
Madrid president Florentino Perez has overseen two durations within the membership’s historical past, having served on the helm between 2000-06 earlier than returning in 2009.
Throughout his first stint, he aggressively pursued the signatures of the world’s largest stars, or ‘Galacticos’.
In 2000, Portuguese ahead Luis Figo grew to become the world’s most costly footballer when he stop Barcelona to for £37m.
The next summer time, Los Blancos set a brand new switch world file after they from Juventus for £45.8m.
In the summertime of 2002, Madrid paid £28.5m to from the Italian aspect and in 2003, from Manchester United for £24.5m.
Nonetheless, Madrid solely received one Champions League and two La Liga trophies between 2000-06.
Calderon, who succeeded Perez, talks concerning the flaws in his predecessor’s technique, saying, “work at all times beats expertise when expertise would not work”.
Through the 77-year-old’s second time period, he has centered extra on shopping for younger abilities.
Brazilian winger in 2018, aged 18 and has change into arguably the crew’s finest participant.
In 2023, Madrid to convey then 20-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham to the Bernabeu. In his first season, he was the membership’s prime scorer within the league as they secured the Spanish title and a fifteenth European Cup.
The Unbiased’s chief soccer author Miguel Delaney describes this “fashionable Galactico,” method by saying, “it is signing younger, but it surely’s signing younger at a sure stage”.
Hunter calls Perez “the nice puppet grasp” who orchestrated the success of 2023-24.
Ancelotti the ‘excellent determine’ with similarities to Zidane
Ancelotti is at present in his second spell as Madrid supervisor. He first took over in 2013, at which level the membership had been via 10 managers since their earlier Champions League remaining in 2002.
The Italian coach, who had beforehand received two Champions League titles with AC Milan, introduced the trophy again to the Bernabeu in his first season. Since returning to Madrid in the summertime of 2021, he has received the Champions League twice extra – in 2021-22 and 2023-24.
Delaney describes Ancelotti as “the right determine” for Madrid’s presidential construction, as a result of he’s “somebody that understands his place throughout the hierarchy, but additionally is aware of how you can handle the personalities in that hierarchy”.
Seedorf, who performed below the 65-year-old at Milan, reveals his former boss stood out from different coaches as a result of he would “take heed to concepts,” including, “it might be an open dialog and that made us accountable for the consequence on the pitch as effectively”.
In between Ancelotti’s two spells at Madrid, Zidane had two stints as supervisor. In his first, he delivered three Champions League trophies in a row – 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Clement says that Zidane has, “related traits,” to the Italian, calling them each, “humble and quiet”.