When Vinicius Jr scored the second goal of the Champions League final, he knew, everyone in the crowd knew that the inevitable had happened yet again: Real Madrid had won their 15th Champions League trophy, and they had done so in ways that even the most hardcore Real Madrid fans would not have thought of in a billion years.
Borussia Dortmund fans knew as well, and they were proud of their team’s effort in an emotional season, but emotions have no place in such a monumental game, not until the final whistle, and Dortmund fans had to learn that the hard way.
Real Madrid have won the Champions League again, but it was not given to them. They took it. They grabbed onto it and held it with all their mighty will; they showed that it meant more to them than anyone else. They worked harder than anyone else, they suffered more than anyone else, and when it was all said and done, they took what was rightfully theirs — a record-extending 15th Champions League title. Do not let anyone tell you this was easy, because those who have been here and those who have been watching since the start of the season, know that what Real Madrid have done is nothing short of historical.
The way the Champions League final started was the way Real Madrid’s season started as well — lots of not-so-good things happening that ruined the momentum of this team, but they held on and then flourished in the second half. Real Madrid, after losing three starters to ACL injuries, and overcoming multiple long-term injuries to key players like Vinicius Jr, Aurelien Tchouameni, Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga, have just completed one of the greatest seasons of all time.
It is ignorant to assume that Real Madrid do not face hardships: “Oh well, the most successful club in history had a few injuries, boohoo,” is what one of my friends told me when we talked about Los Blancos losing three defensive pillars at the start of the season and signing no centre-back — potentially hammering your own foot by continuing with just two centre-backs all season — would hurt chances of any team on the planet to win anything. After that, facing 30+ injuries — most of them to your starters — would also throw any team off of any success for that single season. Losing your superstar striker, who won the Ballon d’Or not long before he left, and changing your entire system because of a lack of a replacement for him would give most teams a big, big disadvantage.
But, even with these hardships, Real Madrid always find a way, and because they find a way, these problems do not seem as big. Let me assure you: they were. That is what makes this season so special. 95 points (which could have been more) and a maiden unbeaten Champions League season, you can’t not give credit where it is due; even their biggest haters can’t do that.
People talk about how monotonous it may seem for Real Madrid fans, winning it every year, and how there is no emotion involved for the players putting their blood, sweat and tears into the game, making sure they cover for the players that are injured, that they do not leave anything in the locker in the biggest games of the season. Let me assure you: there definitely were a lot of emotions involved.
These players are not robots. They win everything because they work harder than everyone else, and they are better than everyone else. They suffer a lot, they fight a lot, they leave it all out on the pitch, and they prove time and time again they are better than everyone, even when everyone is supporting the team against them. Saying they are monotonous is just coping with the fact that your team are not as good as Real Madrid, and that you would trade everything in the world to see your team win everything the way Real Madrid do almost every year.
In the Champions League final, Real Madrid were not perfect. They suffered a lot, in the first half, and they probably did not deserve to win the Champions League final based on their performance in the first half, but that is why football is a game of two halves. Real Madrid were better and more efficient in the second half, that is why they won. Dortmund did not take their chances despite being better than Real Madrid in the first 45 minutes, and that is when it seemed clear that Real Madrid were going to win.
All season, we have seen Real Madrid get walloped in set pieces — it is a miracle they did not concede more goals despite atrocious defending. But, in this specific game, where they knew how difficult it would be to keep Dortmund away, they had the best defensive performance in terms of set pieces we have seen from them all season. It was key to ensure that corners and free kicks were defended well, and Real Madrid obliged — it is the other thing they did not do well: handle transitions.
Carlo Ancelotti was vocal about how effective Dortmund are in transitions and counter-attacks — they were seen throwing five or six bodies at every opportunity, and they were electric — this was a place where Real Madrid did not do their homework, and if they did, it was a ‘C’ for effort.
There were a few players who kept Real Madrid in the game in the first half, and most of those same players were the ones who propelled Real Madrid to their fifteenth Champions League crown — Fede Valverde, Dani Carvajal, Ferland Mendy, and Toni Kroos. Vinicius Jr started off well and was great in the second half. Eduardo Camavinga was awesome in the second as well, but it was those players who deserved a lot of credit for keeping Madrid in the game.
Fede Valverde, especially, after an exceptional season — probably the best of his entire career — put one of his best performances in a Real Madrid shirt in the most important game of the season. That is the biggest reason why he deserves the number eight. It is not because of his stylistic similarities to Kroos, because they are different types of players. It is because having him on the pitch means you will receive incredible, consistent output when you need it the most, which is also what you get from Kroos. It is the mentality with which Valverde plays, the consistency he has added to his game, and the love he has for this team that makes him the worthy heir to that jersey, and, eventually, the captain.
Carvajal, simply put, had an all-time game to put a cherry on top of an all-time season by an all-time great. One challenge after another, a brilliant all-round game, leaving it all out on the pitch, while also scoring the Champions League winning goal to match Paco Gento’s record of six titles — this is the full circle moment that Carvajal deserved, after having such a tough time with injuries and form in the last few years.
Who knew one of the last ever passes from Toni Kroos to Dani Carvajal would make a Champions League winning goal?
It’s been a cross field switch connection between them for so long — a UCL winning goal to top it all off is beautiful.
— Hridyam (@hridarora) June 1, 2024
Real Madrid deserve the Champions League this season. They have faced setbacks that would have crippled any other club in the sport — or rather, in any sport — but they kept going. They kept blitzing past their opponents even when the going got incredibly tough, and that is a result of their grit, resilience, incredible squad planning and, most importantly, just their Madridismo. Real Madrid are inevitable, and they have proven that to the entire world yet again.
