Will history repeat itself in this year’s Champions League final? Well, yes and no.
And then there were two. Either Real Madrid or Juventus will be the best club team in Europe this year.
Since the European Cup became the Champions League in 1992, Real Madrid have a 100% success rate in Champions League finals. They have emerged victorious in all five finals they have appeared in since the rebrand.
In 1998, it only took one goal against Juventus in Amsterdam to claim European club football’s top prize. Two years later, they lifted the trophy after beating Valencia 3-0 in the Stade de France and a 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in Hampden Park in 2002 saw them be crowned kings of Europe yet again.
It took them 12 long years to win the prestigious accolade again as they defeated Atletico Madrid 4-1 after extra time in Berlin. Then, of course, last year Milan’s San Siro played host to their penalty shootout victory over Atletico.
If Madrid always win Champions League finals, then history would dictate that we put the house on them winning it again, right?
Wrong.
Juventus also have a crazy Champions League record that makes this whole predicting malarky a little more difficult.
Although they have lost four of the five Champions League finals they have played in, including that one to Madrid nearly two decades ago, their one win came against the holders of the competition. In 1996, Juve defeated Ajax via penalty shootout in Rome to stop the Eredivisie side from winning the tournament two years on the bounce. They won it the previous year after beating AC Milan 1-0 in Vienna.
So, Juventus have only ever beaten Champions League holders, but current holders Real Madrid have never lost a Champions League final.
Maybe we should just flip a coin.
