Lto the story of real Madrid changed in 2014. Again. That year, the first of Carlo Ancelotti at the White House, the white team was proclaimed champion of the Cup, and in Lisbon, it reached tenth. A glorious cycle began which, eight years later, is still open. In helsinkibefore the unityMadrid are looking for their fifth European Super Cup and the seventeenth final won since the goal of Ball at Mestalla in Barcelona. Only Atlético de Madrid has been able to beat the whites in this period of time when a title is played in a single match. They did so in the 2014 Spanish Super Cup and the 2018 European Super Cup. Simeone’s men added to these titles the Cup they won against the Whites in 2013 at the Santiago Bernabu. It would be something extraordinary if the two champions won by Madrid in the Madrid derby, in Lisbon and Milan, did not appear along the way.
“The finals are not played, they are won”, he repeated Louis Aragons in one of those mantras that are part of his collection of phrases to permeate the locker room. The Madrid one wasn’t pissed off by Luis as a coach, even though he was very close at the time to Ramon Mendoza, but there is no team like the white team that has better internalized this teaching. A balance sheet between the greats of Europe from 2014 to today clearly shows this. And it’s something that goes further, both in terms of the number of trophies and the quality of the finals he reaches.
La Decimocuarta are already shining with their ‘sisters’ at Real Madrid City
Barcelona: 10 out of 15
The Whites’ dominance in the final since 2014 began against Bara with the Cup final and the gallop of Ball to destroy Bartra and defeat Pinto. Since then, the azulgrana team has lost five finals. Three in the Spanish Super Cup (against Madrid and Athletic, twice against the Basques) and two in the Copa del Rey (Real Madrid and Valencia). At international level, he hasn’t appeared in a final since he was able to play after winning the Champions League in 2015. His overall record since 2014 is 10 wins in 15 finals.
Atlético de Madrid: 3 out of 6
The story of Atlético de Madrid would be different today if they had won in Lisbon and/or Milan. But this chapter remains to be written.
The white victim in Lisbon in 2014 has since played five finals against his eternal rival. They have won two Super Cups (that of Spain, in 2014, and that of Europe in 2018) and have lost three: the two Champions Leagues and the first Spanish Super Cup disputed in Saudi Arabia. The only one that wasn’t against the Whites was won: the 2018 Europa League game against Marseille in Lyon.
Seville: 4 out of 12
Infallible in the final of the Europa League, Sevilla resists the European Supercup. They have only won it once (2006) and no one has lost as many finals as they have (five). With the cup in 2014, Sevilla played 12 finals and won “only” four in the Europa League. I lost two King’s Cups and all the Super Cups (six).
Athletic: three out of six
The Basques have played in six finals in this era of Madrid splendor, including three in Cups that have always ended in defeat (two against Bara and the Basque due to the pandemic against Real at La Cartuja). The Super Cup was better for him: two wins (both against Barcelona) and one defeat (Real Madrid, last January).
Bavaria: 13 out of 17
Bayern have never played in a European final against Madrid, but on this path since 2014 they have fallen to the Whites three times: twice in the semi-finals and once in the quarter-finals. During that time, he left four titles in 17 finals: three German Super Cups (all against Borussia Dortmund) and the Cup won by Eintracht in 2018.
Liverpool: 6 out of 12
Winners of everything since Klopp took over, Liverpool have lost both Champions League finals in which Madrid were their rivals. Moreover, since 2014, he has fallen twice in the Community Shield (Manchester City and Arsenal) and once in the League Cup (with City, on penalties in 2016). In Europe, Klopp started with a loss to Sevilla in the 2016 Europa League final.
Alexander Arnold’s big goal in the Community Shield final
Manchester City: 9 out of 13
With the Champions League a nostalgia and so far impossible object of desire, Manchester City appear in English football finals every year. Since 2014, he has one in the FA Cup (6-0 against Watford in 2019), five in the Community Shield (winning two and losing three) and full in the League Cup (six out of six). In the Champions League, he reached the final at Porto in 2021, which he lost to Chelsea.
PSG: 19 of 22
In Paris lives the other nouveau riche who aspires to be European champion. The final he reached, that of 2020, he lost in Lisbon against Bayern. His dominance in France is absolute, but he lost three finals: last year’s Super Cup (against Lille, in Tel Aviv) and another Cup (that of 2019, against Stade de Reims, on penalties ). The season kicks off with another Super Cup, the ninth in 10 years.
PSG goal recital: Messi, Neymar’s free kick and even Ramos’ high heels!
Chelsea: 6 out of 15
European champions in 2021, the Stamford Bridge team did not miss the European Super Cup (Villarreal, on penalties) and the Club World Cup (Palmeiras, in extra time) to confirm their return to the elite. Also winners of the 2019 Europa League, against Arsenal and with the best Hazard, they have left a good handful of finals since 2014: four out of five in the Cup, the last three in a row; two out of three in the League Cup and three out of three in the Community Shield.
Juve: 8 out of 17
Juve returns to their country after a period when it was only worth being European champions. Twice he was one step away and both times he crossed paths with a Spanish side in the final to extend his curse in the Champions League final: two wins from nine. In 2015 it was Bara and in 2017 Madrid. In Italy, since 2014, they have won five Cups in seven finals, while in the Super Cup they have lost five in eight finals.