Real Madrid, sacred monster of the Champions League, advances with its myriad of stars towards the Wembley final, Saturday, as ultra-favorite against Borussia Dortmund, outsider with the smallest budget, carried by a collective and the soft ” dream “ to do the unthinkable.
The queen of European competitions delivers her epilogue in London, a year after Manchester City’s first coronation, in Istanbul, which occurred after a close fight against another unexpected finalist, Inter Milan.
On Saturday, the prize list, dynamics, squad and budget will lean in favor of the Spaniards Real Madrid, the most successful club in history with fourteen stars, including five won over the last ten years.
The ” White House “populated by young talents (Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Vinicius…) and great veterans (Nacho, Toni Kross, Luka Modric…), intends to return to the throne at the end of an almost perfect season, dotted with two defeats only in 54 matches.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Real is never as strong as when the anthem of the Champions League sounds, its favorite competition, that of its most resounding strokes of brilliance.
To reach London, the Madrilenians equalized twice against Manchester City (3-3) in the quarter-final first leg, kept their nerves strong on the return leg (1-1, 4-3 tab), held Bayern in check in Munich (2 -2) then overthrew the Germans in the half return (2-1) with two very late goals.
German coach Edin Terzic greets his players after the Bundelisga match between Dortmund and Mainz 05 in Mainz, Germany on May 11, 2024 / Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP/Archives
” Dream “ against « mission »
Despite this, Dortmund do not want to tiptoe to Wembley. Or, if he does it, it’s so he can look the Madrid ogre in the eyes.
“We are playing against a team that is built to win the Champions League, whose mission is to win the Champions League. When you have a mission to complete, you can miss it. We have a dream. It’s the difference between a dream and a mission.”launched Edin Terzic.
The Dortmund coach knows that the flame of passion can burn the wings of much stronger opponents. After all, his Borussia dominated the “group of death” (Paris SG, AC Milan, Newcastle) before bringing down Antoine Griezmann’s Atlético Madrid and Kylian Mbappé’s PSG.
“Now, it is the absolute champion in the history of football and in this competition, who awaits us”summed up the 41-year-old German. “I am firmly convinced that in a match anything is possible” and if anyone showed it this season, “it was us”he slipped.
Real have won their last eight European finals, their last failure dates back to 1981, “but all that doesn’t count”insisted the manager of BVB, fifth in the last Bundesliga.
Dortmund, a historic club from the industrial Ruhr, has had little taste of the exhilaration of the summits; twice he reached the final, for better (3-1 victory in 1997 against Juventus) and for worse (2-1 defeat in 2013 against Bayern).
The last time, it was already at Wembley, and the young Terzic, 30 years old at the time, had made the trip in the supporters’ bus.
Madrilenians Eder Militao (left) and Jude Bellingham during training at Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid on May 27, 2024, 4 days before the Champions League final against Dortmund / Thomas COEX / AFP
Bellingham, the symbol
This time, the coach will be on the edge of the pitch, with the noisy yellow and black tide supporting behind him.
“The history of Madrid makes this final even more grandiose for us”, said striker Niclas Füllkrug. But “we are favorites in the stands”he added in an interview with the Spanish daily Marca.
The legendary fervor of the German public will not be too much to thwart the plans of Real, a machine to win year after year, capable of filling the void left by Karim Benzema without batting an eyelid.
The departure to Saudi Arabia of the 2022 Ballon d’Or, ex-captain and prolific scorer, is nothing more than a distant memory for supporters of the ” You meringues “now under the spell of Jude Bellingham.
At 20 years old, the English midfielder symbolizes as much the sporting and financial power of Real, capable of aligning more than 100 million euros to recruit him, as the limits of Borussia, his nursery from 2020 to 2023, incapable of holding back any longer such a great talent.
Two worlds clash on Saturday at Wembley, and only one will triumph. That of Real, once again? Or that of Dortmund, for once?
