WEIGHT OF HISTORY GIVES REAL 15TH CROWN

Real Madrid's knowhow eventually overpowers determined Dortmund in Wembley final

- Keir Radnedge

Who needs a super league? Real Madrid claimed membership for themselves alone by extending their haul of European crowns to 15. History was too powerful an opponent for a Borussia Dortmund wrecked emotionally and technically by those always-inevitable late goals.

Dani Carvajal, smallest man on the Wembley pitch, headed the first to spark the Dortmund implosion which presented Vinicius Junior with Madrid’s second. Goalscorers grab the headlines and their achievements are written in the record books, but equally significant here was the defiance of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian, fit too late to make his country’s Euro 2024 squad, laid the foundations for glory with a sequence of fine saves before and after the interval.

Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Sir Alex Ferguson were among the admiring high-profile spectators who witnessed Madrid’s latest triumph in the 69th final of the club world’s most prestigious event. Remarkably, this was Madrid’s first appearance in any of the eight Wembley finals. Victory was their fifth Champions League-La Liga double.

This story was – and is – all about a remarkable football dynasty. The Madrid of Paco Gento (Di Stefanoinspired, obviously) won six European Cups in 11 years, the Madrid of Fernando Hierro powered to three in five seasons, the Madrid of Cristiano Ronaldo four in five campaigns, and now the overlapping Madrid of Toni Kroos have celebrated a fifth in nine years.