Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund, Champions League final this season. Although there is still a long time before the start of the game, it is certain that now the major media have racked their brains to build momentum for this final, and they will not stop without digging into the historical origins, battle records, strength comparisons and other elements of the two teams. So, what else is there for this final that has not been tapped at the moment?
After the restructuring of the Champions League, there is such a fact, which is very magical and very counterattacking, and Real Madrid is one of the beneficiaries of this fact. But when it comes to this season, this fact is perhaps the most frightening thing for Real Madrid.
Let's start with Borussia Dortmund's current situation in the Bundesliga. In fact, what is the situation? After losing 3-0 to Mainz, Dortmund didn't even have the possibility of theoretically surpassing RB Leipzig to finish fourth in the Bundesliga - fifth, which is their final standings. Of course, this is nothing, after all, there are five places in the Bundesliga next season, and even if Dortmund do not win the Champions League, it will not prevent them from continuing to compete next season.
However, the result of fifth place, in the current context, is indeed a bit scary. This brings us to the facts we mentioned earlier. Now the answer is announced - since the reform of the Champions League, any team that has fallen out of the top four of the league that season has reached the Champions League final, basically all of them have won the title, with one exception.
Of course, there are very few examples, since 2000 there have been only three cases in which the league dropped out of the top four but ended up winning the Champions League. As for the only exception, we say in conclusion.
The first example is Real Madrid in the 99-00 season.
At that time, Real Madrid's Galaxy Battleship had not yet been formed, and looking at the lineup, Real Madrid was actually not luxurious. And their Champions League final opponents, Valencia, were in their prime. In the 99 to 00 season, Real Madrid's performance in La Liga was very mediocre, and in the end it only finished fifth. Moreover, in the Copa del Rey, Real Madrid was bloodied by Valencia 6:1. The two teams reached the Champions League final, with Valencia looking the stronger side.
But in the end, it was Real Madrid who had more experience, defeated the opponent 3:0, and won the championship. As there were no rules for the defending champions to qualify for the Champions League, UEFA left it up to the Spanish Football Federation to decide which four teams to send to play in the Champions League next season. As a result, the Spanish Football Federation chose Real Madrid, and Zaragoza, the fourth in La Liga that season, became the main culprit.
The second example is the familiar Istanbul miracle.
In the 04-05 season of the Champions League, Liverpool went all the way to the final and met Milan. In terms of strength, Liverpool was indeed much inferior to Milan at that time, so this final will become a counterattack classic that we often mention. I won't say much about the specific situation, everyone is familiar with it. The only thing that needs to be emphasized is that Liverpool that season only finished fifth in the Premier League.
However, from the subsequent operation, we can see that the FA is indeed more reliable than the Spanish Football Federation, they retain the Champions League place for fourth place Everton, and at the same time, UEFA has made a special exception for Liverpool, allowing them to play the Champions League qualification match of the season as the defending champions, and start from scratch. It can be said that this treatment did not hurt either party.
The third example is Chelsea in the 11-12 season.
Chelsea's run to the Champions League final and their defeat of Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena was not easy. And Di Matteo, who took office halfway, also became a god with this championship.
That season, though, Chelsea played poorly in the Premier League and finished sixth. This result is also the worst among the previous Champions League winners. However, they still qualified for next season's Champions League by virtue of their status as defending champions, while poor Tottenham, fourth in the Premier League, were cut off. It turned out that the special case of Liverpool and Everton that year was not an example.
With these three examples existing, do you say Real Madrid is worried or not? Their Champions League rivals Borussia Dortmund, who are fifth in the league this season, have not broken into the top four. So, if history repeats itself, will Dortmund replicate the miracles of the three teams mentioned above?
Fortunately, there is one exception, which can be said now. In the 00-01 season, Valencia reached the Champions League final again, but this time they were still unlucky and lost to Bayern Munich on penalties. Valencia, on the other hand, finished fifth in La Liga that season.
Now, Real Madrid may want Dortmund to be the Valencia of 23 years ago. No matter how difficult the game is, as long as Real Madrid is guaranteed to be the champion in the end, it will be nothing.