What Liverpool and Real Madrid can learn from previous repeat Champions League finals

Matt Stead

The bad news for Liverpool is that European Cup finals repeated in quick succession often produce the same winner. Real Madrid, for example.

 

There have been nine different repeat finals in European Cup history. AC Milan and Benfica faced off in 1963 and 1990. AC Milan and Ajax competed in 1969 and 1995. Ajax and Juventus duelled in 1973 and 1996. Real Madrid and Juventus did battle in 1998 and 2017. Real Madrid and Liverpool clashed in 1981 and 2018.

In each of these examples, at least 19 years had passed between the two games and thus the teams were different in all but name.

But in five cases, European Cup finals were repeated in quick succession. Real Madrid v Liverpool will be the first showpiece to take place three times and as seen before, that gap of only four years or fewer between games offers an interesting insight into what changes and what stays the same in the interim.

The bad news for Liverpool, beaten finalists by Real Madrid in 2018, is that European Cup finals repeated so soon after the other usually produce the same winner. Only once has that not been the case – and that was when the Reds themselves lost to AC Milan in 2007 after vanquishing the Italians two years prior. And it tends to be Los Blancos who inflict consecutive bouts of heartache on the same team.

 

Real Madrid v Stade de Reims (1956 and 1959)

Results
1956: Real Madrid 4 Reims 3
1959: Real Madrid 2 Reims 0

Scorers
1956: Real Madrid 4 (Di Stefano, Rial x2, Marquitos) Reims 3 (Leblond, Templin, Hidalgo)
1959: Real Madrid 2 (Mateos, Di Stefano) Reims 0

Managers
1956: Real Madrid – Jose Villalonga
1959: Real Madrid – Luis Carniglia
1956: Reims – Albert Batteux
1959: Reims – Albert Batteux

Line-ups
1956: Real Madrid – Alonso; Marquitos, Atienza, Lesmes; Munoz, Zarraga; Joseito, Marsal, Rial, Gento; Di Stefano
1959: Real Madrid – Dominguez; Marquitos, Santamaria, Zarraga; Santisteban, Ruiz; Kopa, Mateos, Rial, Gento; Di Stefano
1956: Reims – Jacquet; Zimny, Jonquet, Giraudo; Leblond, Siatka; Hidalgo, Glowacki, Bliard, Templin; Kopa
1959: Reims – Colonna; Rodzik, Jonquet, Giraudo; Penverne, Leblond; Lamartine, Piantoni, Bliard, Vincent; Fontaine

Same winners. One player (Alfredo Di Stefano) scored in both finals. The winners changed managers. The losers kept theirs. Five Real Madrid players started both finals. Four Reims players started both finals. Raymond Kopa started both finals but for different teams.

Just Fontaine and Alfredo Di Stefano

 

Liverpool v AC Milan (2005 and 2007)

Results
2005: Liverpool 3 AC Milan 3 (3-2 on penalties)
2007: AC Milan 2 Liverpool 1

Scorers
2005: Liverpool 3 (Gerrard, Smicer, Alonso) AC Milan 3 (Maldini, Crespo x2)
2007: AC Milan 2 (Inzaghi x2) Liverpool 1 (Kuyt)

Managers
2005: Liverpool – Rafael Benitez
2007: Liverpool – Rafael Benitez
2005: AC Milan – Carlo Ancelotti
2007: AC Milan – Carlo Ancelotti

Line-ups
2005: Liverpool – Dudek; Finnan, Carragher, Hyypia, Traore; Alonso; Garcia, Gerrard, Riise; Kewell; Baros
2007: Liverpool – Reina; Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Riise; Pennant, Alonso, Mascherano, Zenden; Gerrard; Kuyt
2005: AC Milan – Dida; Cafu, Stam, Nesta, Maldini; Gattuso, Kaka, Seedorf; Shevchenko, Crespo
2007: AC Milan – Dida; Oddo, Nesta, Maldini, Jankulovski; Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini, Seedorf; Kaka; Inzaghi

Benches
2005: Liverpool – Carson, Josemi, Hamann, Nunez, Biscan, Cisse, Smicer
2007: Liverpool – Dudek, Arbeloa, Hyypia, Kewell, Gonzalez, Crouch, Bellamy
2007: AC Milan – Abbiati, Kaladze, Costacurta, Rui Costa, Dhorasoo, Serginho, Dahl Tomasson
2007: AC Milan – Kalac, Cafu, Kaladze, Favalli, Serginho, Brocchi, Gilardino

Different winners. No player scored in both finals. Both clubs kept their managers. Five Liverpool players started both finals. Six AC Milan players started both finals. No Liverpool substitute from 2005 was still with the club by the 2007 final (Scott Carson and Djibril Cisse were both on loan for the season).

 

Ranking every Champions League final from worst to best

 

Barcelona v Manchester United (2009 and 2011)

Results
2009: Barcelona 2 Manchester United 0
2011: Barcelona 3 Manchester United 1

Scorers
2009: Barcelona 2 (Eto’o, Messi) Manchester United 0
2011: Barcelona 3 (Pedro, Messi, Villa) Manchester United 1 (Rooney)

Managers
2009: Barcelona – Pep Guardiola
2011: Barcelona – Pep Guardiola
2009: Manchester United – Sir Alex Ferguson
2011: Manchester United – Sir Alex Ferguson

Line-ups
2009: Barcelona – Valdes; Puyol, Toure, Pique, Sylvinho; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Henry, Eto’o
2011: Barcelona – Valdes; Alves, Mascherano, Pique, Abidal; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Villa, Messi, Pedro
2009: Manchester United – Van der Sar; O’Shea, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Anderson, Carrick, Giggs; Park, Ronaldo, Rooney
2011: Manchester United – Van der Sar; Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Park; Rooney; Hernandez

Benches
2009: Barcelona – Pinto, Caceres, Muniesa, Keita, Gudjohnsen, Bojan, Pedro
2011: Barcelona – Oier, Puyol, Adriano, Keita, Afellay, Thiago, Bojan
2009: Manchester United – Kuszczak, Rafael, Evans, Nani, Scholes, Berbatov, Tevez
2011: Manchester United – Kuszczak, Smalling, Anderson, Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Owen

Same winners. One player (Lionel Messi) scored in both finals. Both clubs kept their managers. Six Barcelona players started both finals. Eight Manchester United players started both finals. Anderson and Carlos Puyol started the first final and dropped to the bench for the second.

 

Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (2014 and 2016)

Results
2014: Real Madrid 4 Atletico Madrid 1 (AET)
2016: Real Madrid 1 Atletico Madrid 1 (5-3 on penalties)

Scorers
2014: Real Madrid 4 (Ramos, Bale, Marcelo, Ronaldo) Atletico Madrid 1 (Godin)
2016: Real Madrid 1 (Ramos) Atletico Madrid 1 (Carrasco)

Managers
2014: Real Madrid – Carlo Ancelotti
2016: Real Madrid – Zinedine Zidane
2014: Atletico Madrid – Diego Simeone
2016: Atletico Madrid – Diego Simeone

Line-ups
2014: Real Madrid – Casillas; Carvajal, Ramos, Varane, Coentrao; Modric, Khedira, Di Maria; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
2016: Real Madrid – Navas; Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Bale, Benzema, Ronaldo
2014: Atletico Madrid – Courtois; Juanfran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe Luis; Raul Garcia, Tiago, Gabi, Koke; Diego Costa, Villa
2016: Atletico Madrid – Oblak; Juanfran, Savic, Godin, Filipe Luis; Saul, Gabi, Fernandez, Koke; Griezmann; Torres

Benches
2014: Real Madrid – Lopez, Pepe, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Isco, Illaramendi, Morata
2016: Real Madrid – Casilla, Nacho, Danilo, J. Rodriguez, Vazquez, Isco, Jese
2014: Atletico Madrid – Aranzubia, Alderweireld, Suarez, C. Rodriguez, Sosa, Diego, Adrian
2016: Atletico Madrid – Moya, Hernandez, Gimenez, Tiago, Carrasco, Partey, Correa

Same winners. One player (Sergio Ramos) scored in both finals. The winners changed managers. The losers kept theirs. Six Real Madrid players started both finals. Five Atletico Madrid players started both finals. One player (Isco) came on as a substitute in both finals.

 

Real Madrid v Liverpool (2018 and 2022)

Result
2018: Real Madrid 3 Liverpool 1

Scorers
2018: Real Madrid 3 (Benzema, Bale x2) Liverpool 1 (Mane)

Managers
2018: Real Madrid – Zinedine Zidane
2018: Liverpool – Jurgen Klopp

Line-ups
2018: Real Madrid – Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Modric, Casemiro, Kroos; Isco; Benzema, Ronaldo
2018: Liverpool – Karius; Alexander-Arnold, Lovren, Van Dijk, Robertson; Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane

Benches
2018: Real Madrid – Casilla, Nacho, Hernandez, Asensio, Kovacic, Bale, Vazquez
2018: Liverpool – Mignolet, Clyne, Klavan, Moreno, Lallana, Can, Solanke

Real Madrid have changed managers. Liverpool have not. Four Real Madrid starters have since left permanently. Two Liverpool starters have since left permanently, while Loris Karius somehow remains; the 2018 final remains his last appearance for the club. Three Real Madrid substitutes have since left permanently. Every Liverpool substitute has since left permanently.

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