At the start of June, Real Madrid lifted their 15th Champions League title (including European Cups) after beating underdogs Borussia Dortmund. It was not a vintage performance from Los Blancos, who barely had a sight of goal in the first half, but as they so often do, they managed to find a way to win.
The result also meant a fifth Champions League win for Carlo Ancelotti, who extended his record as the most successful coach in the competition’s history. With the extremely successful Italian set to stay in Madrid for at least another season, it is little wonder why Real are trading at just 3/1 to successfully defend their European crown.
As well as recapping Ancelotti’s most recent success, we will also focus on how dominant he and Real Madrid have been in Europe’s top club competition.
Madrid Make It Win Number 15
Technically Real have won the ‘Champions League’ nine times and the ‘European Cup’ six times, but despite the 1992 name change, they are the same competition. So, when Los Blancos beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley on 1st June 2024, this was the 15th time they became kings of the continent. For a team so dominant on the European stage, they certainly did not show it for much of the game. Their German rivals had a much better opening half and they would have been ahead had it not been for some poor finishing.
Carvajal and Vini win it for Real Madrid 🏆#UCLfinal pic.twitter.com/vdVKAIiGmK
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) June 1, 2024
According to xG Philosophy, Dortmund’s expected goals at the break was 1.82 compared to a mere 0.08 for Real Madrid. So, while the favourites had ridden their luck against an energetic Dortmund, few believed the second half would be a repeat of the first. The reason for this seemingly inevitable response was because this is what Real do so often. Regularly they will endure periods where they are second best but they ride it out and find a goal from somewhere.
Since the start of the 2010/11 season, Madrid have ‘lost’ 26 Champions League knockout games on xG but out of these, they have only actually lost nine. Their ability to avoid defeat when not playing particularly well is second to none and it says a great deal about their mentality. Always unflustered and always confident in themselves, this winning mentality often proves decisive in such big games as proved to be the case at Wembley.
In the second half, after a couple of decent chances, which both fell to right-back Dani Carvajal, the Spaniard eventually broke the deadlock. Toni Kross swung in the corner from the left side and up-popped the 5ft 8in defender who redirected the ball inside the far post. Mats Hummels tried half-heartedly to stop the ball flying in with his hand but seemingly decided against doing a full goalkeeper impression.
It may have only been 1-0 at this stage but to most, the game was settled. Dortmund were becoming increasingly tired and this was highlighted when Ian Maatsen, on loan from Chelsea, passed the ball to Jude Bellingham, 25 yards from goal. Bellingham laid the ball off to Vinicius Junior who rather scuffed the ball into the ground with his weaker foot but the shot had enough left to beat Gregor Kobel.
There was some brief hope of an extremely unlikely comeback for Dortmund when Niclas Füllkrug headed home Donyell Malen’s cross from close range, only for the offside flag to deny them. The Germans must have accepted their defeat at this moment but soldiered on until the final whistle. Overall, it was a game that played out like few predicted but one that produced a result that most expected.
How Dominant Are Real Madrid In The Champions League?
Fifteen wins might sound like a lot, because it is; but the European Cup began back in 1955 so there have been a lot of opportunities to win, 69 to be precise. Despite this being such a competitive tournament though, no team comes anywhere close to challenging Madrid’s record.
Team | European Cup/Champions League Wins |
---|---|
Real Madrid | 15 |
AC Milan | 7 |
Bayern Munich | 6 |
Liverpool | 6 |
Barcelona | 5 |
Ajax | 4 |
Los Blancos are so far ahead in fact that they have more wins than the second and third most successful teams combined. What is perhaps even more impressive though is how formidable they are in the final. Although the Spanish giants have reached the final stage more than anyone else, no team from the top six teams boasts a superior win rate.
Team | Champions League Wins | Champions League Runners-up | Final Win Rate |
---|---|---|---|
Real Madrid | 15 | 3 | 83% |
AC Milan | 7 | 4 | 64% |
Bayern Munich | 6 | 5 | 55% |
Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 60% |
Barcelona | 5 | 3 | 63% |
Ajax | 4 | 2 | 67% |
Winning 15 of your 18 finals appearances is quite frankly a ridiculous record and it is something that no doubt gives Los Blancos a psychological edge each time. You have to go all the way back to the 1980/81 season to find the last team (Liverpool) to beat Real in the final.
Interestingly, this impressive finals record is part of a broader trend of incredible Spanish dominance. No Spanish team has lost a European final* since the 2000/01 season when Bayern beat Valencia on penalties and Liverpool beat Alaves via a Golden Goal. From this point, Spanish teams have won 19 successive finals against non-Spanish opponents, a truly incredible run and a level of dominance never witnessed before.
*Champions League & Europa League, no Spanish side had yet been involved in a Conference League final
Carlo Ancelotti’s Record In The Champions League
In such a longstanding competition, it is always going to be the case that the leading club has more wins than the leading manager. Real lifted their first European Cup in 1956, before Ancelotti was even born. So Ancelotti should only be compared to other managers and when doing so the Italian comes out on top, and with a bit of a buffer.
Manager | European Cup/Champions League Wins | Club(s) |
---|---|---|
Carlo Ancelotti | 5 | AC Milan, Real Madrid |
Bob Paisley | 3 | Liverpool |
Zinedine Zidane | 3 | Real Madrid |
Pep Guardiola | 3 | Barcelona, Man City |
With Guardiola still active and Zidane open to a return to management, Ancelotti’s record on top is not as safe as Real Madrid’s. The 64-year-old will be hoping to register another win before he retires although it is Pep Guardiola’s Man City who are the early 11/4 favourites for the competition in 2024/25. There are no real threats further down the pack though. Of managers with two victories to their name, Jose Mourinho is the only one still active and the Portuguese boss is no longer managing clubs likely to go all the way in this competition.
As a bit of extra trivia for you, Ancelotti is one of only six managers to have won this competition with more than one club and one of seven to have also won it as a player.