PARIS
vs
Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Founded in 1902 under the name of Madrid Football Club, the Madrid institution acquired the title of Real - royal in French - by King Alfonso XIII in 1920. Over the years, Real Madrid has built up one of the best records in world soccer, with 36 Spanish Championship titles, 19 Spanish Cups and 15 Champions Leagues.
Real Madrid have a geographical rivalry in the Madrid derby against the other great club of the capital, Atletico de Madrid, as well as a historical rivalry in the Clasico against FC Barcelona.
The club is presided over by the businessman Florentino Perez since 2009, with whom he has won 5 Champions League, 3 of them in a row between 2016 and 2018. This historic hat trick was built under the leadership of one man, Zinedine Zidane, former legend of Real Madrid and the French team.
Following the departure of Zinedine Zidane at the end of the 2020/21 season, Carlo Ancelotti made his return 6 years after leaving the Madrid club. In the 2021/22 edition of the Champions League, Real faced Inter Milan, Shakhtar Donetsk and Sheriff Tiraspol in the group stage and easily finished on top of their group.
The knockout phase of Real Madrid's Champions League campaign will forever be remembered as a memorable one. Facing Paris Saint-Germain in the round of 16 and Chelsea in the quarter-finals, the Casa Blanca players twice achieved the unthinkable. After being down in both matches, Carlo Ancelotti's players reversed the scenario in second half of returns matches, driven by an electric Santiago Bernabeu.
In the semi-final, while Luka Modric's teammates were still trailing 5-3 in the 90th minute of the two matches against Manchester City, Madrid achieved the impossible by scoring two goals from Rodrygo in added time. These goals gave Real Madrid the chance to go to extra time in this legendary semi-final. These extra 30 minutes will also remain forever in the history of the club and the C1 when Karim Benzema qualified his team for a new final of the Champions League.
The match, which took place on May 28, 2022 at the Stade de France in Paris, faced Carlo Ancelotti's men against Jurgen Klopp's Reds. Real won 1-0 in the final thanks to a goal by Vinicius, giving Real a 14th Champions League title in its history. This season 2021/22 will also mark the 35th title of Real Madrid in La Liga, a season after having let it slip away to its great historical rival, Atletico Madrid.
The encounters
17 played
- 5 won
- 3 drawn
- 9 lost
19 goals scored 19 goals conceded
-
Round of 16 - UCL 21/22
3
-
1
-
Round of 16 - UCL 21/22
1
-
0
-
D5 - UCL 19/20
2
-
2
The Parisians against Real Madrid
Facing Paris Saint-Germain in Group A of the 2019/20 Champions League, Real Madrid lost 3-0 at Parc des Princes on Matchday 1, with Angel Di Maria scoring twice. In the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu, the match ended with a 2 - 2 draw.
Consecutive to the December 13, 2021, draw, the Red and Blue hosted Real Madrid at Parc des Princes on February 15, 2022. Decisive against Rennes in the 93rd minute, three days before this clash against Madrid, Kylian Mbappé, thanks to his technical gesture in the box, had the last word once again by scoring in the 94th minute, giving the victory to his teammates. The Parisians were defeated 3 - 1 in the second leg at Santiago Bernabeu. Despite the oppening goal from Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema made a stunning performance, scoring a hat-trick in the second half, and qualifying his team for the next round.
Players to follow Duel
Born on February 14, 1996, in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), Lucas Hernandez is the elder brother of Théo Hernandez. Both play as defenders, albeit with different profiles. Along with Théo, he joined Atletico Madrid's youth academy in 2007, with whom they both signed their first professional contracts. Unlike his brother, Lucas was part of Les Bleus' fantastic adventure at the 2018 World Cup, winning the title of World Champion. French fans will remember his decisive cross against Argentina for his compatriot on the right flank Benjamin Pavard.
Born on July 12, 2000 in Sao Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro, Vinicius Junior is one of the most talented players of his generation. Trained at CR Flamengo, home to Selecao legends such as Dida, Zico and Ronaldinho, he quickly attracted the attention of Europe's biggest clubs. On May 23, 2017, he signed for Real Madrid, which he would not officially join until the start of the 2018 season. After a rather timid start, he enjoyed a meteoric rise from the 2020/21 season onwards, to become one of the benchmarks in his left-wing position. In 2022, he won the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Spanish Supercup with Real.
Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
Located at Av. de Concha Espina, 1 - 28036 Madrid
Inaugurated on December 14, 1947, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is the official venue of Real Madrid, who is the owner. Located in the heart of the capital, it has a capacity of more than 81,000 spectators, making it one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It is named after the former Spanish player and manager Santiago Bernabeu, president of Real Madrid between 1943 and 1978.
In the 2022/23 season, the club won at home against Chelsea (2 - 0), Liverpool (1 - 0) and Celtic Glasgow (5 - 1).
Stadium can be reached by public transport, including metro line 10, getting off at the Santiago Bernabeu stop. Buses 27, 40, 126, 147 and 150 also serve the Madrid stadium.
A little more of Madrid..
In the Spanish capital, sport is king, symbolized of course by Real Madrid, but not limited to soccer:
- Real Madrid is also one of the most emblematic basketball clubs in Europe. Just like the soccer section, Los Blancos have already won 10 Euroleague titles, as well as more than 30 Spanish Championship titles. Real stars of the orange ball have passed through here: Drazen Petrovic, Arvydas Sabonis, or more recently Luka Doncic.
- Women's soccer is also honored in Madrid, with Club Deportivo TACON, which in 2020 became the women's section of Real Madrid. For its first participation in the Champions League in 2021-22, the club crossed paths with Paris Saint-Germain in the group stages.
- It is difficult to exist alongside the giant Real Madrid in the capital, yet Madrid is home to another great Spanish and European club with Atletico de Madrid. Los Colchoneros have already won the Spanish league and cup 10 times, and have reached the Champions League final 3 times.
- Finally, Madrid is the birthplace of many personalities from the world of sports, such as Carlos Sainz Jr., Formula 1 driver for Ferrari, Alberto Contador, winner of the 3 Grand Tours, and former Spanish soccer stars such as Raul, Fernando Torres and Iker Casillas.
