“You got this,” the Adidas billboard declared pre-match, bearing the face of Jude Bellingham. For the midfielder, this always felt like destiny.
A Champions League final at Wembley, against the club he departed last summer, in his first season at Real Madrid, a season in which he catapulted himself into the Ballon d’Or conversation for the first time. At 20 years old, it probably won’t be the last.
La Liga’s player of the season went into this final as 3/1 second favourite to win this year’s France Football award, behind only team-mate Vinicius Junior. By the end of the night, Bellingham was a European champion for the first time – when the Ballon d’Or gets handed out though, he might yet regret allowing Vinicius to score Real Madrid’s second goal.
Several hours earlier, in the middle of Wembley Way, the sign was raised in hope rather than expectation. “Suche 2 Karten,” read the tiny piece of cardboard, held by a Borussia Dortmund fan. ‘Seeking two tickets’.
He wasn’t the only one. Outside the stadium, many had signs with the same request, desperate to find their way into Wembley for the biggest game in club football. They surely knew their chances of success weren’t great, they could have stayed in Germany and accepted the inevitable, but they had to give it a try. The bond between a fan and their football club is just too great.
Matches like this don’t come around very often – well, unless you’re a Real Madrid fan. Songs rang out from every bar in the vicinity, some in German, some in Spanish. Others queued at the burger stall – £12 for a burger, since you asked, more eye-watering prices than even the play-off finals here in the past couple of weeks. The caterers weren’t stupid – at a Champions League final, there’s money to be made.
Many supporters sported half-and-half scarves, on one of the few occasions when such a thing may be just about acceptable. Another held aloft a scarf simply saying ‘London’. Less acceptable – sir, this is a football match.
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Fans in Fenerbahce shirts were here too, for reasons unclear – they were in the Europa Conference League this season. Others sported Brazil or Flamengo shirts bearing the name of Vinicius.
Inside the stadium, well before kick-off there was time for a spot of comedy – huge cheers from the Dortmund fans as the cameras found Jurgen Klopp in the stands, and his face was plastered on the big screen. Seconds later, the camera cut to Jose Mourinho doing media pitchside, to deafening boos.
In an instant, the screen cut back to Klopp again. More huge cheers. Then back to Mourinho again. BOOOOOO!!! Even Jose himself was chuckling by this point.
There were plenty more star names present, too – Ronaldinho, Zinedine Zidane, Alex Ferguson and Jay Z among them. All witnessed an atmosphere that was awe-inspiring well before the game actually started. Real Madrid fans waved flags, sung club anthems and bounced to a drum, but even that impressive display just couldn’t compete with the Dortmund supporters, who’d recreated the Yellow Wall at the east end of Wembley.
Their flags were bigger, their songs were louder, and the entire three tiers of fans swayed and bounced so much that you wondered whether England’s national stadium was structurally capable of coping. It’s probably never had a bigger test.
Soon, they were holding up a touching banner in tribute to a member of Dortmund’s ultra group The Unity, who passed away earlier this season. “With every game and every moment that passes, we think of you – Marcel, we miss you,” it said. Then they held their scarves aloft for a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone. Klopp looked on approvingly, smiling as he joined in the singing.
Real Madrid responded with their own scarf-brandishing song. It was a beautiful few minutes – two communities banding together, eager to do everything they could to help their team achieve the ultimate.
After Lenny Kravitz emerged on a giant stage to sing Fly Away in the opening ceremony, the match was just seconds old before it was time for the next comic interlude – a pitch invader who darted on to take selfies with Bellingham and Vinicius (they seemed less enthusiastic about it than him for some reason), followed seconds later by another pitch-invading Real Madrid fan, followed seconds after that by someone running on from the Dortmund end, prompting a minute-long chase with the stewards. Always a lot of fun.
The atmosphere bubbled constantly as the action finally got going, with screams of agony from the BVB end as first Karim Adeyemi rounded Thibaut Courtois but took the ball too wide when clean through, then Niclas Fullkrug was denied by the inside of the post. Real Madrid’s ageing defence was creaking, Dortmund’s dynamism too much for them.
After a rather pointed half-time announcement – “Entering the pitch area is an arrestable offence,” repeated twice over the PA system – Dortmund fans welcomed their side for the second half with another banner.
“Let’s go Dortmund, fight and win,” it said, before a massive flare display, giving the impression that their entire end of the stadium was on fire. They don’t do anything half-heartedly.
Within five minutes though, it was the Real Madrid fans rallying and twirling scarves, after Toni Kroos had a free kick saved and Dani Carvajal headed the resulting corner over the bar.
That was just the dress rehearsal – half an hour later, Kroos swung in another corner, and Carvajal didn’t miss. The Spanish end of the stadium descended into delirium.
Nine minutes later, it happened again. Bellingham had been relatively quiet for much of the game, but suddenly took advantage when Dortmund trailed and had to chase the game. First his shot was deflected narrowly wide, then he picked up the ball near the edge of the area and laid on the assist for Vinicius to seal victory, sinking to his knees in joy as the Brazilian found the net.
Could England’s new star make a meaningful contribution in the biggest club game of all? You bet he could – little wonder he received a hero’s reception from the Real Madrid supporters when he was substituted moments later, the game over.
Remarkably, not since 1983 have Real Madrid lost a major European final, when they were famously stunned by Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen in the Cup Winners’ Cup showpiece in Gothenburg. Since then, they’ve played 11 finals, and won all of them.
It takes more than just talent and expensive players to win so many finals consecutively. Winning is in Real Madrid’s DNA – since forever, it’s always been known that nothing less is acceptable. It drives them, it compels them to hang on in there and triumph in the biggest moments, even when the going gets tough, like against Liverpool in Paris two years ago, and like the first half against Dortmund at Wembley.
Many of the side had been there and done it before – when it comes to it, they know how to get the job done when it really matters. Carvajal and Luka Modric have now equalled Paco Gento’s record of playing in six victorious European Cup/Champions League finals – a record that has stood for 58 years, since Real Madrid beat Partizan Belgrade in the 1966 final in Brussels. Toni Kroos and Nacho have also won six, but didn’t play in every final.
It’s only a few short years since Los Blancos were chasing La Decima, their 10th European Cup triumph, secured against rivals Atletico in Lisbon a decade ago. Now they’re celebrating La Decimoquinta, the 15th. They’ve won the trophy more than twice as many times as their nearest challengers, Milan, on seven.
It was Carlo Ancelotti who delivered both La Decima in 2014, and now La Decimoquinta in 2024, having also lifted the 2022 trophy after returning for a second spell as Real Madrid boss a year earlier.
After winning the trophy twice with Milan, in 2003 and 2007, it takes his tally to five Champions League/European Cup triumphs – two more than any other manager in history.
At what point will Ancelotti start to get credit for that, and rightfully be considered as one of the greatest managers of all time? Pep Guardiola has won three, Sir Alex Ferguson just two.
It almost seems like a fever dream now that, four years ago, Ancelotti really was finishing 12th in the Premier League with a chaotic Everton, virtually written off as a top-level manager. How did the top clubs overlook him?
Ancelotti’s genius may not necessarily be in revolutionising how football is played, like Guardiola, but how he consistently knows how to get the best out of top players. Few bosses understand the delicate balance of managing egos better than him.
Smart man-management, smart tactics, a few raised eyebrows here and there, then, bang, before you know it, he’s won five Champions Leagues. That didn’t happen by accident.
Neither did Bellingham’s rise to European champion. As he raced over to the Real Madrid fans at full time, punching the air, you got the sense this might not be the last time he celebrates such glory.
Hopefully with England, too, this summer. Win Euro 2024, and the Ballon d’Or really may be his.
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