Magic In Madrid
2-0 down against PSG, 4-3 down against Chelsea, 5-3 down against Manchester City. Real Madrid faced these aggregate score lines with 30 minutes or less to go and yet somehow, someway, are going to the Champions League final. Football is “The Beautiful Game”, and as fans we have come to expect the unexpected in the Champions League, but this is something else. Real Madrid have proven that winning DNA is a real thing, and this run to Paris is truly remarkable.
While some of the same faces are there, this Madrid side is not the same powerhouse they were from 2014-2018, winning 4 of 5 titles in Europe’s largest club competition. Teams from those years did have some magical moments, but they really were the best side in Europe, and favorites in just about every game, no matter who was on the opposition. Gone are the days of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale running riot on opposition back lines, and Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane keeping world-class forwards in their back pockets. Toni Kroos, Casemiro, and the evergreen Luka Modric still run the midfield, but they are aided by the fresh legs of 23-year-old Fede Valverde and 19-year-old Eduardo Camavinga. Karim Benzema has taken the role of main man up front with his Ballon D’or winning form, but he too is supported by players much younger than him in Vinicius and Rodrygo.
For Rodrygo, what a night he had. By coming off the bench and scoring two goals in two minutes, he quickly wrote his name in the Real Madrid history books, and we should not have doubted the man many fans call “Mr. Champions League”. After scoring a hat trick at 18 in his Champions League debut, he has gone on to average a goal contribution every 65 minutes in the competition, with so much untapped potential to still work with.
Rodrygo living up to his nickname
Camaving and Valverde have both struggled to break up the KCM trio in midfield, but it is no coincidence they both ended the night on the pitch while the elder statesmen were watching from the sidelines. Valverde’s pressing and never ending engine, along with Camavinga’s creativity and driving runs gave Madrid the youthful exuberance they needed, and when blended with the experience of the older players and the atmosphere from the crowd, Man City did not stand a chance.
Thibaut Courtois must be applauded for the 10 saves he made over 120 minutes, including a world class spider-like stop to deny Jack Grealish from putting City up 6-3. This season Courtois has been immense, and has a great case to be the top goalkeeper in world football. Ferland Mendy’s goal line clearance on Grealish’s other great opportunity will become the stuff of legend if Madrid can eventually win the final, and Nacho barely put a foot wrong at center back in a game he would not have played in if David Alaba wasn’t injured. A Real Madrid lifer but never a sure-fire starter, the 32 year old finished the game with the captain’s armband, and no one deserved to celebrate more than him.
You can never count out Real on a European night
Real Madrid are not better than Liverpool, and they will not be the favorites on May 28th. One could argue though that they aren’t better than PSG, Chelsea, and Manchester City. In fact, they were truly outplayed for most of their time against these teams. However, their ability to create magic when it is needed, when no one else can see it coming, has led them to this stage. Liverpool will be out for revenge, and are a much better side than in 2018 when these two met, but we cannot dare count out Madrid, not until the final whistle is blown.