A club with the stature of Real Madrid need no introduction to the average football fan, given their illustrious history and plethora of star players past and present.
The most successful team in the history of the European Cup have 15 titles to their name, and are ranked number one by FIFA in their all-time rankings, but how did they become a giant of the global game and can the current crop maintain that status?
For all the answers, here is our ultimate guide to Los Blancos:
The club
Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the regal title ‘Real’ was bestowed upon the club by King Alfonso XIII in 1920. They won their first of 20 Copa del Reys three years later, and number one of a record 36 La Liga titles in 1932 in the new championship’s third season.
Madrid established themselves as a major European force when their side, including Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, won the first five European Cups between 1955 and 1960, as well as 12 league titles in 16 years. Periods of dominance would also follow in the 1970s and 1980s, but ending a 32-year wait for a seventh Champions League title in 1998 was the highlight of the next decade as La Liga success became rarer.
Despite many high-profile signings, the Galacticos era failed to reestablish dominance with just three league titles claimed in 13 seasons between 2003 and 2017. However another golden age, spearheaded by the goals of Cristiano Ronaldo, saw Real lift three successive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018 under Zinedine Zidane’s management, with another coming in 2022.
The stadium
Madrid have played their home matches in the 78,297-capacity Santiago Bernabeu Stadium since 1947, named after the president who ran the club during their heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. It is the second largest stadium in Spain behind the Nou Camp, and became the first ground to play host to both a European Championships and World Cup final, back in 1964 and 1982 respectively.
It has also hosted the final of the European Cup/Champions League on four occasions, as well as the 2018 Copa Libertadores showpiece, making it the only venue to host the two most important premier continental cup finals. It has undergone major transformation in recent years which has seen the introduction of a retractable roof and a new facade to allow it to be used for concerts and other events, including NFL matches.
Last season
2023/24 was a glorious campaign for Madrid, as they clinched both the La Liga title and a record-extending 15th Champions League title – the fifth time they’d lifted both major honours in the same season, and the third occasion since 2016/17.
They were beaten just twice all campaign across all competitions, both against neighbours Atletico in the league and Copa del Rey. Real clinched the league title with four games to spare, finishing 10 points ahead of Barcelona thanks to 29 wins from 38 matches, with Vinicius Junior top scoring across all competitions with 24 strikes.
Their sixth Champions League success in 11 seasons came courtesy of defeating RB Leipzig, Manchester City and Bayern Munich in the knockout stages, before goals from Daniel Carvajal and Vinicius beat Borussia Dortmund in the final.
The manager
That triumph saw Carlo Ancelotti lift the trophy for the fifth time in his career, making him the most successful manager in European Cup history. He also won it twice as a player when he was a member of the fabled AC Milan side of the late 1980s, having also played in midfield for Parma and Roma.
After spells with Reggiana, Parma and Juventus, his dugout career took off back in Milan where he won a Serie A and two Champions Leagues. A Premier League and FA Cup double followed in his first season at Chelsea in 2009/10, before he ended Paris Saint-Germain’s 19-year wait for Ligue 1 success in 2013. He has also won a Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich but his best work has been done at the Bernabeu, where he’s claimed 15 major honours, including two La Ligas, three Champions Leagues and two FIFA World Club Cups.
The squad
Real have one of the most star-studded squads in world football, headlined by Kylian Mbappe who arrived from PSG in the summer. Vinicius recently netted his 100th goal for the club, while his Brazilian international teammates Rodrygo and 18-year-old Endrick are other weapons in attack.
Jude Bellingham is in his second season in Spain, and has quickly established himself in a midfield that also contains the likes of captain Luka Modric, Uruguayan Federico Valverde, French internationals Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga, as well as former Gunners loanee Dani Ceballos. Former Manchester City winger Brahim Diaz is also a threat on the wing.
Thibaut Courtois is the first-choice goalkeeper, who plays behind a defence that regularly includes Antonio Rudiger, Ferland Mendy and homegrown trio Raul Ascencio, Lucas Vazquez and vice-captain Carvajal. Eder Militao and veteran full-back David Alaba are also options for Ancelotti.
The season so far
As they attempt to win successive La Ligas for the first time since 2008, Real currently sit in second spot behind Barcelona, but are still in the hunt for a first-ever treble. They set up an El Clasico Copa del Rey final by edging past Real Sociedad 5-4 on aggregate in the semi-finals, as they look to gain revenge for losing the Supercopa de Espana final to Barca in January.
Two pieces of silverware have already been claimed already – the UEFA Super Cup against Atalanta, before they lifted the inaugural edition of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup by beating Mexican side Pachuca 3–0 in the final, as Ancelotti became the most decorated manager in the club’s history.
Mbappe has netted 17 times in his last 12 outings to take his tally in all-white to 33 already, with the highlight of his first season being a hat-trick against Manchester City in the play-off round of the Champions League, which they found themselves in courtesy of an 11th-place finish during the league stage, but beat Atletico on penalties to reach the quarters.
The previous meetings
Before this tie, we had only faced Real twice before in competitive action, which came during our run to the 2005/06 Champions League final at the last-16 stage. One of Thierry Henry’s greatest ever goals saw us become the first English team to triumph in the Bernabeu, before we held a Madrid side boasting Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, Roberto Carlos and Raul to a goalless draw at Highbury to advance.
However the sides have met in friendly matches stretching back to 1962 when we took on one of Los Blanco’s greatest ever sides, while we also beat them 3-1 in Lee Dixon’s testimonial back in 1999.
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