Sergiño Dest made history when he became the first American to appear in El Clásico for Barcelona in 2020. Still, no American has worn the famous white kits of Real Madrid.
That might be changing if reports out of Spain are accurate.
The Champions League — formerly the European Cup — is the premier club soccer competition in the world, annually anointing a new champion to the team in Europe able to navigate a gauntlet of matches to reign supreme. The Champions League list of winners is a history of club football at its best — the teams that defined eras as much as any World Cup winner.
After announcing that Real Madrid's 1-0 victory over Liverpool in the Champions League final was his last match for the club, Marcelo was fittingly the star of the show during Sunday's trophy parade.
Marcelo joined from boyhood club Fluminense in 2007 and spent 16 seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu. He finishes his Real Madrid career as the most decorated player in the club's illustrious history with 25 trophies, including five Champions League triumphs, six LaLiga titles and two Copa del Rey crowns.
PARIS - Chaotic scenes at the French national stadium before and during Saturday night's Champions League final were branded a national embarrassment, while French ministers blamed Liverpool fans for the trouble.
The final between Liverpool and Real Madrid kicked off with a 35-minute delay after police tried to hold back people attempting to force their way into the Stade de France without tickets, while some ticket holders complained they were not let in.
Thibaut Courtois immortalized himself into the goalkeeper hall of fame with one of the greatest ever performances during Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory against Liverpool in the 2022 UEFA Champions League final.
Courtois was a one-man wall who wouldn’t have been scored on if the game lasted another 90 minutes. Liverpool in all its attacking glory was snuffed out by a 6 feet 7 inches tall Belgian with spaghetti for arms and legs.
Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema thought he had scored the opening goal of the 2022 UEFA Champions League final when a mad scramble in Liverpool’s box ended up with the Frenchman slotting the ball into the net. A lengthy VAR ultimately decided that Benzema was offside.
This call was controversial to say the least.
BENZEMA WITH THE BALL IN THE NET. ...But he's ruled offside. pic.twitter.com/obMLUwCQBF
Four years ago, Gareth Bale scored a sensational bicycle kick to win his team a Champions League title under the lights of the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine. That sentence is as impossible as ever in 2022. Perhaps it’s worth looking back at the players who took part in the 2018 UEFA Champions League final and see where they are now.
GK — Loris Karius
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde might have had one of the wildest quotes from an athlete when he was asked about what winning the Champions League against Liverpool on Saturday would mean to him. This Valverde wife quote is an all-timer.
“It’s a unique trophy for any player in the world. I’m willing to sacrifice many things,” Valverde said to Spanish news outlet AS. “Except my son… but maybe even my wife.”
Liverpool vs. Real Madrid is a rematch four years in the making. Though the teams have changed, the history remains. Two of Europe’s footballing giants will meet at the Stade de France on Saturday, May 28, to be crowned champion of Europe. You know what that means: It’s time for our Champions League predictions for the 2022 Champions League final.
MILAN — Liverpool FC's planned victory parade on Sunday has stirred unease for a representative of victims of the Heysel stadium disaster as it coincides with the 37th anniversary of the tragedy.
Liverpool, who play Real Madrid in the Champions League final on Saturday, plan a celebration in their home city after a season in which they have already won the two main domestic cup competitions in England and finished runners-up in the Premier League.