Real Madrid, the Spanish champion, added a new chapter to the amazing love story that links it to the most important European club tournaments with a 2-0 victory over Germany’s Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final the day before yesterday, crowning it with the title for the 15th time.
The story of the season that the Royal Club ended in the famous London Wembley Stadium is linked to two generations of players who met and united as a group, and harmonized on the field, as if they were a smoothly working machine, to form the second great era that Real Madrid spent half a century searching for.
The journey began at the beginning of the tournament, when the Spanish capital’s team, during the era of the late Alfredo Di Stefano, was crowned champion of the European Cup in the first five editions of 1956, and another title in 1966.
The squad, consisting of a group of young players and a number of experienced veteran players, equaled this achievement by winning a sixth title in 11 seasons, although Dani Carvajal, who scored the goal the day before yesterday, is the only remaining player from the squad that won the tenth title a decade ago. . Vinicius Junior, champion of the 14th title in Paris two years ago, became the first Brazilian to score in two Champions League final matches, and is a symbol of the young talents at Real Madrid who continue to prove their ability to continue the club’s success.
Carvajal equaled Real Madrid legend Paco Gento’s record by achieving six titles, alongside Toni Kroos, Luka Modric and defender Nacho.
The Spanish defender sat as a reserve for a long time, and returned to the starting lineup this season, ending it by lifting the cup as captain of the team.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti succeeded, with his experience, in maintaining the momentum in Real Madrid, after the long departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo, Karim Benzema and Casemiro, and Modric (38 years old) began to play in rotation in a young team full of talent.
Next year, Ancelotti will face another challenge, as he will have to find a replacement for German Toni Kroos, who was finally bid farewell by the fans at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, after he decided to retire after the 2024 European Championship.
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