How Real Madrid created a Champions League dynasty

Spanish giants have secured a 15th European Cup but the win exposes football's biggest issues

- Miguel Delaney

As Jude Bellingham looked for his family from the pitch, and Carlo Ancelotti wondered about his cigar, Florentino Perez was already walking to the club car underneath Wembley. There were now official pleasantries to be handled after their Champions League win. He has done this so many times now and the Real Madrid president’s simple response on being asked how it feels said even more than intended.

“Well, we have one more Champions League than we had before.” Stirring stuff...

There was a touch more romance when Perez described Real Madrid and the Champions League as an “everlasting love”, except we all know what weighs over that. They love it but want to destroy it. As recently as Monday the proposed European Super League – an entity essentially representing his views – were celebrating a “victory” from a Spanish court case where they actually won nothing.

Madrid instead had to satisfy themselves with another Champions League win that, admittedly, wasn’t a bad consolation. This is now going to be the tension that runs through every celebration, especially since everyone around the club talks about their illustrious history so much.

When match-winner Dani Carvajal came out for his press conference, he was asked about club legend Paco Gento – whose record of six European Cups he and Luka Modric had matched – more than anything else. This even extended to what Gento had said to him over the years and whether he “felt like a legend”.

Ancelotti came out minutes later to celebrate his record of five European Cups as a manager, which is surely something never to be surpassed. It is two more than those next on the pantheon, with Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola having three each. Guardiola is desperate to win the most Champions Leagues in history but he is already talking about leaving Manchester City next year.