The slogan for the latest World Cup goes, “Football unites the world,” and this couldn’t be more true, considering that it is the most popular sport in the world. Certain competitions have a much bigger meaning than others, and as for national teams, World Cup is the biggest stage possible, but for teams, continental team competitions are what matters the most. Understandably, the Champions League is the leader here, as it is looked upon as the competition where the best teams participate and fight for their place in football history. Now, some teams had much more success than others in this competition, and Real Madrid is definitely one of them, which is why we will focus on the competition and this team’s history in it.
The European Cup
Many football fans are familiar with the fact that before the season 1992/93, the Champion League was played in a different format and was called European Cup. The first one was held back in 1956, and Real Madrid was the first winner. They succeeded in winning the next four ones and have become the only club that managed to do that. Now, there are many opposite opinions regarding this success, but back then, football was not played at such a high level everywhere, meaning that the format of the competition was the only right one at that time, as only the best of the best competed in it.
All in all, even though it was a completely different competition, and it was enough to win only six games to win the title, their success is still a great one, and one that hasn’t been repeated by any other team since then. They will always remain the first winners in European competitions and the first team with five back-to-back titles. As for the format and why there were so few teams competing for the title, there is still much talk about whether the Champions League with the current format should only be played by the winners of the national leagues.
Another thing that needs to be mentioned is the latest incentive by the top football clubs in Europe, whose plan was to create an entirely new and closed competition with just the top teams in Europe being eligible to participate. Needless to say how that could be disastrous for football as we know it, and even the fans of those teams that would regularly participate in such league were protesting and urging the UEFA to stop them. In addition to the closed competition, such a format would leave no or far less option for some other teams from other countries to qualify for the competition. Luckily, the incentive stopped, but there is still much noise about Superleague, meaning that we are yet to see what the top clubs in Europe will do next regarding this issue.
The big change
As for the current format of CL, everything changed in the 1992/93 season when the European Cup became the Champions League, but one thing remained the same – Real Madrid has continued its domination. At this moment, they have 14 titles (from the beginning of the competition back in 1956), and they lost only three finals (of which the last one was back in 1981). The second on that list is AC Milan, with half the titles less than Real, which means that no one can attack first place for the next seven years. Besides that, they are also the winners of the last UCL, and there is no doubt they will do everything they can to defend the title and become back-to-back champions once again. Of course, this is a highly demanding competition where surprises happen pretty often, which is just one of the reasons why CL is so popular, not just in Europe but worldwide.
Three in a row
Being a back-to-back winner means defending the title or, better said, winning the same competition twice in a row. As we have already mentioned, Real did it five times in a row in European Cup, which is a great success, but what about the modern era of the Champion League? Once again, they are the first team ever to become back-to-back champions, but that was not enough for them, as they won UCL three times in a row from 2016 to 2018.
Plenty of credit for such accomplishment also goes to their coach, that led them to three consecutive CL titles, a football legend Zinedine Zidane, who also won this title as a player for Real Madrid back in 2002. He was a part of the Galactico project that became world known as the entire team was filled with superstars and football legends, and in the 2002 finals, he scored a left-footed volley winner that is still considered one of the best goals ever scored in the CL, especially CL finals.
As for the current progress and chances of Real Madrid, since they are the last year’s winners, they have a new opportunity to make history again and become back-to-back winners twice, which would be a great success and they could also try to beat their own record in the next season. They are already far ahead of all other competitors regarding all the statistics, and the new title would mean that no one can get them off the throne for a long period of time. And one thing is certain – they surely have the quality to add another trophy to their collection.
Final thoughts
We all agree that Real Madrid has already done something that will be difficult to beat, but the new UCL knockout stage is just about to start, and thanks to the many great teams, everything is possible. We can expect great matches and many surprises, which is perfect for football fans who love to bet on their favorite teams. If you are one of them, you will need a trustworthy website to place a bet and, with a little luck, win some money, and luckily, we have a great one for you. Think about the predictions that can bring you some money, and choose some favorites, but do not forget the underdogs, and visit Asianbookie Bandar Bola and place the bet.
